An old stone building can lose a lot of it's character if it is 'over' restored, especially if modern cements are used which can cause serious problems at a later stage. These problems include trapping moisture, being too brittle, therefore allowing structural cracks to develop. The sulphates in cement can cause stonework to decay through crystalisation of salts within the stone itself and lastly the look of the building is never enhanced by cement. Lime mortars are the reason why old buildings have survived for so long as they allow the structure to 'breathe'. They act as a cushion between stones, allowing any subsidence to settle gradually. Applying cement to an old building is often an irreversable disaster and looks bad. An old stone building that needs repointing should be done only in lime mortar. Cements work well in modern construction as this is usually always a cavity constructed substrate. We are able to rebuild, install new components and recarve decayed stone work. Here are some examples of our work: Restoration work to Grade1. Listed Manor house. Repointing and window and door stone realignment. Barn was covered inside with inappropriate modern cement render. As a result the walls were saturated and mouldy. We removed some stone, rebuilt and repointed. Allowing the quality of the stonework to shine through. Mortar repairs to Medieval stonework. The Tracery window has had extensive mortar repairs. Recarving Pinnacles and Finials to match existing materials. Fixed Pinnacles and Finials (in situ) on Glastonbry Market Cross.