Glebe House: Architectural Design and Conservation

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Glebe House: Architectural Design and Conservation Restoration, repair and conversion of historic & listed buildings and homes throughout East Anglia.

Removal of cement render continues alongside dismantling the areas of the clay lump wall which were bulging. We’ll rebui...
12/06/2026

Removal of cement render continues alongside dismantling the areas of the clay lump wall which were bulging. We’ll rebuilt this section back in clay lump but we’re going for a plumb wall this time!

When the internal cement block wall was built it created a cavity wall which has been filled with insulation. That’s what you can see on the photos.

It always looks worse before it looks better! 😊

11/06/2026

Yesterday, I returned to limewash the background of the pargetted (or pargeted) design I created on the overmantel.

The colour is a dusty pink/terracotta and it will dry to the lighter shade in the photo. I didn’t have time to stay and watch paint dry, the school run always cuts into the day!

I’m really happy with the design. It works perfectly in this space. It’s a bold look but there’s a softness and subtlety to it too. The pattern is based around the designs I’ve seen on a painting from 1710.

It will be exciting to see the room finished and filled with furniture again.

Have a great Thursday. 🌞

Good morning!The start of a new project- a small complex of barns arranged around a courtyard and attached to the main f...
09/06/2026

Good morning!

The start of a new project- a small complex of barns arranged around a courtyard and attached to the main farmhouse.

The barns were converted into accommodation in the 80s or 90s by a previous owner. They’re constructed from clay lump and currently have cement render on them.

The first job is removal of the cement. What you see behind is a large number of metal ties. Internally, there has been a secondary wall built from concrete blocks and the clay lump wall has been tied into that.

If you look at the second photo you’ll see a bulge in the wall at the top. At some point this wall has been wet, bulged and then been tied in. It’s generally not damp now although there is some sign of rust to a number of ties at the bottom.

Once the render has been removed we’ll take down the bulged selection and rebuild it again to leave it plumb.

The walls will then be rerendered using an earth render and a chalk lime render.

A little photo dump from today’s wander around the open gardens in Beachamwell, Norfolk.There were some beautiful houses...
07/06/2026

A little photo dump from today’s wander around the open gardens in Beachamwell, Norfolk.

There were some beautiful houses built from a mix of brick, flint, clunch (chalk), carstone and limestone rubble with fine examples of galleting using carstone and chunks of red brick. I think we were more interested in the walls than the gardens.
😂

We’ll have to go back another time without the children and have a really good look around. The neighbouring villages of Boughton and Wereham are also real gems and worth a look if you’re in the area.

Xx


This week we’ve been working on this fireplace by adding a parget to the overmantel.The fireplace was exposed brick when...
06/06/2026

This week we’ve been working on this fireplace by adding a parget to the overmantel.

The fireplace was exposed brick when the clients bought the cottage which it wouldn’t have originally been.

Firstly, Dan plastered the bricks with an earth lime mix, then a chalk lime mix ready for a pargetted design.

The design is based on an early 18th century painting which I had seen on another building. I adapted and scaled it to fit this overmantel. It’s a lovely way to finish a fireplace.

A coat of hot limewash has been painted over the whole design and I’ll return to paint the background a faded terracotta while leaving the relief areas white.

I’ll take more photos when I’ve finished!

Xx

05/06/2026

Hot mix sand and lime.

We slake and mix all our plasters and renders from scratch at Glebe House HQ and then take it on site in reusable buckets.

This mix is heading off to Cromer, Norfolk, where it will have a sea view!

Daniel on the earth plaster yesterday. Clay, lime and straw mix base coat over clay lump.This cottage had been rather ov...
05/06/2026

Daniel on the earth plaster yesterday.

Clay, lime and straw mix base coat over clay lump.

This cottage had been rather overly ‘modernised’ by the previous owners and we are undoing some of that work. Removal of cement and gypsum and replacing it with earth and hot lime render and plaster is one job.

Happy Friday! 😊

Seaside time with a renovation project in Cromer. Stuart’s been sending me pics of his breakfasts by the beach.A Victori...
03/06/2026

Seaside time with a renovation project in Cromer. Stuart’s been sending me pics of his breakfasts by the beach.

A Victorian, seafront, brick villa which had been rendered in cement was suffering from damp. We’ve removed the cement and applied two coats of hot mixed local sharp sand and lime. The bricks were too damaged to leave them exposed.

The name plate was completely covered by the concrete. The client didn’t know the villa had a name. It’s always just had a number. Such a wonderful discovery.

Dan has repaired the plate and given it a raised border. The whole front will be painted with a lightly tinted hot lime-wash once finished.

We’ve also reinstated the mock Tudor timber work which had been taken down when rendered. The other villas in the terrace all have this feature so now it matches the neighbouring properties.

01/06/2026

Hubble bubble, hot lime-wash, no trouble.
Steaming!

Pigments from Rose of Jericho added to the water and whisked through before the quicklime is added.

Rose of Jericho Buxton Lime

Happy Monday!
Xx

This was genuinely upsetting to see. A beautiful Norfolk house in a very smart village with the worst cement ‘repairs’ w...
30/05/2026

This was genuinely upsetting to see.

A beautiful Norfolk house in a very smart village with the worst cement ‘repairs’ we’ve ever seen. The cement (wrong material to use anyway) has been slapped on without the slightest care. Maybe they used their feet and wore blindfolds.

Our kids pointed it out too. Eliza, 9, said she could have done a much better job and she’s right! 😤

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