About Cornish Lime Builders

Restoring Cornwall’s buildings the way they were meant to work

Cornish Lime Builders was born from a simple belief: old buildings deserve to be understood before they are repaired.

For more than 20 years, I have worked as a traditional mason, developing my skills in stonework, lime pointing, lime rendering, plastering and the repair of historic buildings.

My work has taken me across Cornwall and the South West, working on everything from humble cottages and granite outbuildings to substantial historic properties. Over those years I have developed not only the practical skills needed to work with traditional materials, but also a deep respect for the buildings themselves — their history, their materials and the people who built them.

I founded Cornish Lime Builders to bring that experience together with a straightforward philosophy:

Use the right materials, understand the building, respect its history and take pride in the workmanship.

Cornwall is at the heart of what we do

Cornwall has an extraordinary building heritage.

From granite farmhouses and mining cottages to cob buildings, slate roofs, boundary walls and coastal properties, traditional Cornish buildings were constructed using materials that were available locally and methods that evolved over generations.

They were not designed around modern concepts of waterproofing and sealed construction.

They were designed to breathe.

Stone, cob, lime and timber work together as a system. Moisture is absorbed, moved through the building and released naturally. Lime mortars and renders are relatively soft and flexible, allowing masonry to move and breathe without being locked into a rigid shell.

Understanding this is fundamental to repairing traditional buildings properly.

It is why we don’t simply approach an old building with modern building techniques and expect the same materials to work.

We work with the building rather than against it.

More than twenty years of traditional craftsmanship

My experience has taught me that traditional building is about far more than knowing how to mix lime.

It is about understanding why a particular material was used, how it was originally applied and how the building has changed over the years.

A successful repair starts long before the new mortar or render is applied.

We look at the existing construction, identify areas of failure and consider the causes rather than simply treating the symptoms.

Where possible, original materials and sound historic fabric are retained. Failed material is removed carefully and repairs are carried out using compatible materials and appropriate techniques.

This might mean carefully raking out defective pointing, resetting loose granite, rebuilding sections of cob, repairing traditional render, applying lime plaster or carrying out a complete programme of conservation work.

Every building is different.

There is no one-size-fits-all lime mix or restoration method.

What makes Cornish Lime Builders different?

There are plenty of companies that can apply lime.

What makes our approach different is the level of understanding behind the work.

We don’t just apply lime — we understand traditional construction.

Our experience includes:

• Traditional lime pointing
• Lime rendering
• Lime plastering
• Granite and natural stone masonry
• Cob wall repair and rebuilding
• Traditional bag-rub render
• Wet-laid natural slate roofing
• Lime grouting
• Breathable internal and external insulation
• Historic building restoration
• Breathable mineral finishes
• Conservation repairs

We also use modern equipment where it genuinely improves the quality of a traditional system.

For example, our spray-applied lime rendering and bag-rub work allows us to achieve excellent adhesion and a consistent application while retaining the characteristics of traditional lime construction.

We believe modern technology and traditional craftsmanship are not opposites.

The important thing is knowing when technology helps — and when traditional hand skills are essential.

Traditional materials. Carefully chosen.

We use materials appropriate to the building rather than automatically reaching for the strongest material available.

Depending on the construction and location, this can include NHL lime, carefully selected sands, natural fibres and breathable mineral coatings.

The strength of a repair isn’t necessarily measured by how hard it becomes.

In traditional masonry, the repair often needs to be softer and more sacrificial than the stone or cob around it.

A lime mortar that can accommodate movement and allow moisture to escape can ultimately protect the original masonry far better than a hard, impermeable cement-based repair.

This is particularly important in Cornwall, where buildings are exposed to high levels of wind-driven rain, salt-laden air and constantly changing weather conditions.

Preserving the past without standing still

We are passionate about heritage, but we are not interested in treating historic buildings like museum pieces.

A building has to work for the people who live in it.

Where appropriate, we combine traditional construction with modern improvements that respect the building’s ability to breathe.

This can include breathable insulation systems, lime plaster boards, carefully designed internal finishes and breathable mineral coatings.

The objective is to improve comfort, durability and performance without sacrificing the qualities that make the building special in the first place.

Our environmental philosophy

Traditional building has much to teach us about sustainability.

Repairing an existing building rather than demolishing and replacing it saves enormous amounts of embodied energy and preserves materials that may have been in service for hundreds of years.

Lime itself is also fundamentally different from many modern cement-based materials. Its use, when appropriate to the building, forms part of a construction system based on flexibility, breathability and repairability.

We believe that the most sustainable building is often the building that is already standing.

That means repairing rather than replacing wherever possible, sourcing materials responsibly, reusing existing fabric and avoiding unnecessary intervention.

We also believe sustainability is about people.

I have always valued sharing knowledge, supporting other craftsmen and creating opportunities for people to learn traditional skills.

Traditional building skills only survive if they are passed on.

Craftsmanship is a responsibility

When you work on an old building, you are often working on something that has already survived generations.

You become part of its history.

That carries a responsibility.

The repairs we make today should not simply look good when the scaffolding comes down. They should be capable of being maintained, repaired and understood by the people who come after us.

That is why we take the time to prepare surfaces properly, use compatible materials and understand the building before we begin.

We don’t believe in shortcuts that compromise the building for the sake of getting a job finished faster.

Good lime work takes time. Good conservation takes understanding. And good craftsmanship should last.

A personal approach

Cornish Lime Builders remains rooted in the practical experience of a working mason.

I am personally involved in the work and in the decisions behind it.

Clients aren’t simply handed from a salesperson to a subcontractor. We discuss the building, the problems you are experiencing and what you want to achieve.

Where a particular repair isn’t necessary, we will say so.

Where there is a better or more appropriate way of approaching a problem, we’ll explain why.

And where something needs further investigation before work begins, we would rather stop and understand the problem than cover it up.

For me, that is what good restoration is about.

Honesty, craftsmanship and respect for the building.

Looking after Cornwall’s built heritage

Cornwall’s traditional buildings are part of its identity.

They tell the story of its communities, industries, landscape and people.

Whether it is a small granite cottage, an old farm building, a cob wall or a significant historic property, every building has its own story.

Our job is not to erase that story.

Our job is to help it continue.

At Cornish Lime Builders, we combine more than two decades of hands-on masonry experience with a passion for traditional materials, conservation and sustainable building.

From the smallest lime repair to major restoration projects, our aim remains the same:

Understand the building. Respect its history. Use the right materials. And leave it better than we found it.

Cornish Lime Builders

Traditional craftsmanship for Cornwall’s historic buildings.