Restoration specialist requests from Dartford
Dartford's older buildings sit among a lot of new development, from Victorian terraces near the town centre to flint and brick cottages in Darenth valley villages such as Darenth, Sutton-at-Hone and Wilmington. Tell us about your period home and we'll pass it to restoration specialists covering DA1, DA2, DA4, DA9 and DA10.
- Victorian terraces near the town centre often have cement repointing that may be better replaced with lime.
- Flint and brick cottages in the Darent valley villages may be listed, so check before altering walls, windows or doors.
- Older houses in Swanscombe and Greenhithe near busy roads are good candidates for sash draught-proofing and secondary glazing.
Undoing cement repairs on Dartford's Victorian terraces
Many Victorian terraces around Dartford town centre and West Hill were built in soft stock brick laid in lime mortar, then repointed in cement during the last century. Hard cement joints can force moisture out through the brick instead, so faces crumble while the pointing stays proud. A restoration specialist can rake out the cement by hand, taking care not to widen joints or chip arrises, and repoint in a lime mortar matched to the original colour. Ask whether they'll work on a test panel first so you can see the finish. Front elevations on busy streets need scaffolding or towers, so check parking and whether a licence for the pavement is needed from the council.
Flint cottages and old walls in the Darent valley villages
Along the River Darent, villages such as Darenth and Sutton-at-Hone have flint and brick cottages, old farm buildings and long boundary walls, some of them listed. Flint walls rely on their lime mortar to hold the stones, so when joints wash out, flints loosen and the wall can bulge. A specialist can take down only the loose section, reset the flints in lime and cap the wall to shed rain. Parts of the valley floor are at risk of flooding, so walls and floors in low-lying homes may be damper than you'd expect, which is another reason to avoid cement. Village boundaries cross council areas here, so check with your own council about any listing or conservation area.
Towns and villages covered
Postcodes: DA1, DA2, DA4, DA9, DA10