15 College Terrace, Brighton
Four-level Victorian terrace in Kemp Town · Strip-out, damp and mould treatment, lime plastering throughout · Eight original sash windows restored
A Victorian terrace with failing linings, mould in the top floor and tired sashes
No. 15 College Terrace is a four-level Victorian terraced house in Brighton's Kemp Town. The original lath and plaster wall linings had reached the end of their life through the hallway and stairs, the living room and all three top-floor bedrooms, and the bedroom ceilings were in a similar state. The top floor also showed established mould growth, and one internal wall of the living room was carrying damp. Eight original timber sash windows survived but had been painted over for decades, with failed putty and softened timber at the meeting rails and cills.
The brief was to take the house back to sound structure and bring it up in the right materials: breathable lime plaster rather than gypsum, and repair of the existing sashes rather than replacement.
Strip out first, then look at what the structure is doing
Everything came off before anything went on. Stripping the lath and plaster and taking down the bedroom and mid-level ceilings exposed the joists and rafters for inspection, which is the only reliable way to know what a lining has been hiding. One bedroom's ceiling joists needed sistering; a supporting steel was introduced across the rear top-floor bedroom; and the mould-affected surfaces were cleaned, treated and neutralised and allowed to dry before any boarding or plaster went near them. The damp living room wall had its defective plaster removed and the cause addressed before it was re-plastered in lime, so the wall can continue to dry out rather than being sealed. This is the sequence we describe in our damp and moisture work: understand the moisture first, then choose the finish.
Lime throughout, and eight sashes restored rather than replaced
Ceilings and timber stud walls were counter-battened and boarded to give a true substrate, then the house was lime-plastered from the living room up through every hallway and stairwell level to the top-floor bedrooms and bathroom. The rear external wall of the top back bedroom was insulated internally and boarded before plastering. Each of the eight sash windows was stripped to bare timber, repaired with two-part wood filler with unsound sections replaced, shellac-primed, re-glazed in linseed-oil putty and finished with a full undercoat and topcoat system. Alongside the fabric work, the old kitchen was removed, hot and cold supplies and a new waste run under the floor, and the bathroom stripped, refitted and tiled.
A structurally sound, mould-free house with breathable lime finishes on every wall, its original sash windows retained and working, and new kitchen and bathroom services in place. The work was carried out in itemised, fixed-price stages agreed in advance, with each stage completed and settled before the next began.
What was carried out
The works were agreed as itemised, fixed-price stages across three agreements — the main renovation, the additional strip-out and structural items, and the kitchen and rear-wall works — and are set out here in the order they were carried out.
Phase 1 — Clearance and strip-out
Everything came off before anything went on, so the structure could be inspected rather than guessed at.
Waste clearance
Removal of all household waste, furniture and contents from the property before works began, with same-day off-site disposal.
Remove lath and plaster — hallway and stairs, four levels
Careful removal of the lath and plaster wall linings on all four stair and hallway levels, bagged, stacked and removed for off-site disposal, using access equipment where the ceiling heights required it.
Remove lath and plaster — three top-floor bedrooms
Strip-out of the old lath and plaster wall linings across all three top-floor bedrooms, carried out as controlled demolition to minimise dust and protect the remaining structure.
Remove lath and plaster — living room, high ceiling
Removal of the existing lath and plaster from all living room walls, with access equipment for the high ceiling.
Remove ceilings — three bedrooms
Safe removal of the ceiling coverings in all three bedrooms under dust control, exposing the joists and rafters ready for inspection.
Remove mid-level ceiling
Strip-out of the mid-level ceiling covering and associated debris, with protection of the surrounding areas and disposal of all materials.
Remove kitchen
All kitchen units, worktops, fittings and appliances disconnected, safely removed and disposed of responsibly. The living room was serving as the kitchen at the time.
Remove bath, basin, WC and tiles
Existing sanitaryware and wall tiles carefully removed from the bathroom, leaving clean, clear surfaces for reinstallation.
Phase 2 — Moisture, mould and structure
With the fabric exposed, the moisture and structural problems were dealt with before any new lining went in.
Mould and damp treatment — three top-floor bedrooms
Mould-removal and damp treatments applied to the affected surfaces; areas showing growth cleaned, scrubbed and neutralised, with a final assessment to confirm the mould had been effectively removed.
Making good the damp wall — living room, internally
Defective plaster removed from the damp-affected wall and the area treated, then re-plastered in a breathable lime system so the wall can dry rather than being sealed.
Sister ceiling joists — one bedroom
New timbers fixed alongside the existing ceiling joists in one bedroom to restore stiffness and give a sound fixing for the new ceiling.
Install supporting steel joist — top-floor rear bedroom
A steel joist installed bearing onto the brickwork across the internal side of the top-floor rear bedroom to carry the structure above.
Phase 3 — Substrate, insulation and boarding
True, stable backgrounds were built before plastering.
Counter-batten three bedroom ceilings
Battens fixed across the joists in all three top-floor bedrooms to level the ceilings and provide a fixing grid for boarding.
Board three bedroom ceilings
Plasterboard fixed to the counter-battened ceilings in all three bedrooms.
Counter-batten timber walls — two bedrooms, both sides
Timber stud partitions in two bedrooms counter-battened on both faces to give a flat, sound background.
Board timber walls — two bedrooms, both sides
Plasterboard fixed to both sides of the counter-battened stud walls in the two bedrooms.
Insulate rear wall — top-floor rear bedroom
Insulation installed to the internal face of the rear external wall in the top-floor back bedroom, improving thermal performance without altering the elevation.
Board rear wall — top-floor rear bedroom
Plasterboard fixed over the insulated rear wall ready for lime plaster.
Phase 4 — Lime plastering throughout
Breathable lime plaster was used in every room, finished smooth and ready for decoration.
Prep and plaster three bedroom ceilings
The newly boarded ceilings in all three top-floor bedrooms prepared and plastered.
Plaster top-floor left bedroom — lime
Walls of the top-floor left bedroom plastered in breathable lime.
Plaster top-floor right (front) bedroom — lime
Walls of the top-floor right front bedroom plastered in breathable lime.
Plaster bedroom at top of stairs (right) — lime
Walls of the bedroom at the top of the stairs plastered in breathable lime.
Plaster living room — lime
All living room walls plastered in breathable lime, including the made-good damp wall.
Plaster bathroom — lime, walls and ceiling
Bathroom walls and ceiling plastered in lime, finished breathable and ready for paint or tile.
Plaster hallways and stairways — all levels, lime
Lime plaster applied across every hallway and stairwell wall on all four levels, finished breathable and cohesive from top to bottom.
Phase 5 — Sash window restoration, eight windows
Living room (two), bedroom near the living room, top-floor right front bedroom, bathroom, bedroom at the top of the stairs, hallway and stairs, and top-floor left front bedroom. Every window was repaired rather than replaced.
Strip eight sash windows
All paint, varnish and coatings removed from frames and sashes to expose clean timber ready for repair and priming.
Repair eight sash windows
Holes, cracks and defects filled with two-part wood filler; any missing or unsound timber replaced; repairs sanded and profiled flush.
Prime eight sash windows
Shellac-based primer applied to all exposed and repaired timber to seal the surface and stabilise it against moisture, giving strong adhesion for the finishing coats.
Replace glazing putty — eight windows
Defective putty removed and glass rebates cleaned, then re-glazed in new linseed-oil putty for a breathable, weather-resistant seal.
Paint six sash windows
Full undercoat and topcoat system applied to the living room (two), top-floor right front bedroom, bathroom, top-of-stairs bedroom and hallway windows. The two remaining bedroom windows were left primed for the client to finish.
Phase 6 — Kitchen services and bathroom
New services were run while the floors and walls were open.
Hot and cold plumbing / sub-floor
Floorboards lifted in the affected area, new hot and cold pipework and fittings installed, and the floor boarded back over.
Waste pipe installation
New waste pipe installed to serve the kitchen.
Install bath, basin and WC
New sanitaryware installed with all fixings and connections and tested for watertight performance.
Tiling
Wall and floor tiles laid to the specified layout, grouted and sealed for a waterproof finish.
Placeholder: Safe-Bricks photography — 15 College Terrace
Stripped lath and plaster and exposed joists, mould treatment on the top floor, counter-battened ceilings, lime plastering in progress, and the restored sash windows before and after.
Not sure where to start?
Send us photographs of the area of concern. It is the most straightforward first step — we will look at what you can see and advise on the appropriate next steps.