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I've read many threads (some true, some not) about cement corroding copper, MDPE, cables sleeving etc. Could anyone tell me if lime plaster reacts with anything or if it's safe to bury things directly? Trying to work out what can be put in the walls unprotected and what will need conduit etc. Any experts, same question with limecrete (NHL 5) please.

I have an old (1810) listed building which has some damp issues. In the kitchen where there is damp at the base of the internal walls there is a (added in the last 30 years) concrete slab. Buildings of this age have no DPC and as the concrete itself looks to be damp, my feeling is that the concrete slab meeting the solid brick walls are probably contributing to the problem. Reading on buildingconservation website: https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/solid-ground-floors/solid-ground-floors.htm One of the suggestions is to use a limecrete perimeter around the slab. This provides the capillary break required, allowing the substrate to breathe and preventing the footings from drawing trapped moisture into the walls. "A hybrid floor design with a modern slab isolated from the walls by a vapour permeable limecrete perimeter strip" To me this sounds like a sensible and relatively un-invasive option. Just wondering people's thoughts on this? Has anyone ever heard of this being used with success/failure? Modern DPC injection is out of the question so this sounds like a decent thing to try.

Greetings everyone, Thought I may as well stop lurking and say hello so I can share the adventures, mine and yours. We are living on site of our barn conversion, two kids, a dog and a snake in tow. We are currently in the site prep and demolition-of-unwanted-parts stage and soon to make a start on the floor slab. We are novices and have a silly low budget ( risks high, costs low, off we go) and I am currently trying to research the answer to the million dollar question of where the sweet spot is between best available technique and budget on our floor slab. Part of me feels a little sorry for the barn that it has ended up with us as buyers because someone with more money would be able to make a really stunning home. However, it is our dream home, we've made the leap, and we will do our very best to put all we can into the fabric of the building and skimp on the stuff that can be tackled again in future. I don't have any indoor pics to show at the moment, but the two I've put on show the East and West elevations. The roof is in good shape having been done only 20 years ago. The walls are pretty good too, not being in a state of collapse at least. ;D On closer inspection there are some woodworm-ey lintels to sort out and a a big re-pointing job awaits. We are currently debating back and forth over a limecrete floor or trad concrete - I have been disappearing down various rabbit holes of opposing opinion and am hoping to invite some on here on the basis that it is an interesting discussion, and lots of the online information I find seems to be more relevant to different circumstances. We are doing breathable walls and roof, lime pointing, cork/wool insulation, woodwool board etc and were all set to go down the limecrete floor slab when a self-builder I respect suggested that a standard concrete floor may not in fact cause the rising damp in the walls as we feared/expected so we ought not to rule it out. Food for thought. His point was that if you create a trench around the building to get local surface run-off to flow away from it, thus keeping immediate ground water down, the sheer weight of the slab will keep the ground water level too low to cause a problem in the walls... We are learning as we go, so I will be very cautious about offering 'advice' to anyone, but, happy to encourage and willing to share my tales in the hope it will be useful to someone out there. We have leaped a good few hurdles to have got this far, so I am gradually shedding my utterly-clueless skin and am happy to have found you guys.