Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So I am thinking of buying a house that has been abandoned for quite some time.
I haven't done all my due diligence but the house is concrete (maybe cinder block) and I am thinking just filling in chipped away parts with more concrete and stuccoing it will bring it out of its dilapidated looking state... this is aside from other obvious things that will have to be taken care when considering an abandoned house.
But for the actual condition / look of the house would concrete patch and stucco get me there or am I way off base?
If it is an older home, it might be a lime based cement, if that is the case you need to replicate the original mixture. If you just use modern portland cement based products the patches will not match the original cement, and they will flake off in just a few years. Most likely its been painted with modern latex or oil based paints, it is best to remove these and just use white wash, which can be tinted, it lets the concrete breathe so moisture can escape, latex just holds in so the concrete mildews under the paint.
Cement is made from limestone, it's all lime based.
Lime is not the same thing as limestone, although you get lime from limestone, look up the chemical properties of lime and limestone then get back in touch with me when you've figured out the difference between Limestone, Lime, and OPC. It has to do with the firing process, many older concrete homes were made with lime and aggregate, the lime used may have been naturally hydraulic, or it may have been allowed to set through carbonation, or pozzolans may have been added to make it hydraulic. Portland cement is what everyone think of as cement today, but up until about 65 years ago cement varied by the process and materials available in the region. Without digging back in my research the 2 other types of cement I can recall at the moment are grappier cement, and natural cement (not fired at all, and still available today), see Rosendale Natural Cement
This structure was built around 1995 by a secretary in my office. I visited it after the concrete work had been completed, and some of the interior work had been started. Its dug partially into the top of a hill, had a "helmet" shaped concrete roof, and I think that she and her husband intended to cover it with several feet of soil. Great idea, poor execution. The place was cold, damp, and echoed terribly, like some bunker from WWII. They dropped a lot of money into it, and it was sort of a joke with the locals - very rural and conservative - not too forward looking. They shook their heads at "those crazy kids". They built it to be as energy efficient, earthquake resistant, and fireproof as possible. I thought that they were in over their heads and it was going to be a money pit.
Skip ahead 20 years to today. This structure is probably the only thing within 5 miles that has survived the "Butte" fire that is raging through that part of Calaveras County.
this is aside from other obvious things that will have to be taken care when considering an abandoned house.
Sounds more like a bunker than a house. The dampness of it built into the hillside may be an issue with finishing it off. The moisture will rot any building materials and furniture. Waterproofing the concrete could cost anything. Hope you have deep pockets.
Are recuerdeme, the OP, and motherlodesearcher the same person? Or at least talking about the same house? This is getting confusing.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
