Limerich Ltd

23/10/2026

Where gardens meet the house can often be an aesthetic joy yet the presence of moisture from soil and the investigative nature of the roots and vines can eventually result in defect if left to nature. The wet soil can seep into the stone and lime mass resulting in mortar loss through lime migration as a result of mass saturation, rotten joist ends embedded in the masonry, material segregation through salt erosion to name a few along with poor heat retention on the ground floor dwellings. Fair to say I’ve worked on a few walls now where removing ferrous vine hooks have been an onerous exercise which the future lime mason that maintains this property in a hundred years or so won’t have the same problem.
This project we worked on a few years ago now had the wonderful GRAS team designing innovative solutions that respect the clients desired for the house and garden to live in symbiosis and its fair to say their interventions and solutions work very effectively. Please feel free to make comment on the lovely lively Limewash bloom on this particularly wet day here in East Lothian!

21/10/2026

Any plasterers fancy joining Rory spray 660m2 of Diathonite insulated lime plaster 100mm thick using render pump get in touch. Cscs essential to get access to this site within Pollok Country Park, Glasgow. There’s another 660 to push the finish coat top of course 😎

19/10/2026

1-Look at this window reveal where they’ve used extensive shell pinners to aid strength in this lime plasters straight coat, I don’t think they’ve been strategically placed to be decorative but rather to increase strength and bond in the straight coat prior to another lime surface finish plaster being added, which is now gone all thanks to the bare stone perverts that have stripped these beautiful buildings of their protective coatings.
Pic2 finds these shell pinners used extensively in nearly all of the original bedding mortars which bulked the mortar and provided a ‘like for like’ blueprint for the fledgling lime mortar sitting side by side with what it wants to be when it grows up - calcium carbonate!
Do you know lime mortar completes a lime cycle? It starts off as shell/limestone, co2 is driven out during the burning process which is in turn reabsorbed after it’s been slaked with water and placed in construction as bedding, pointing, plastering or harling mortar during the early carbonation period period which can sometimes take several years before reaching maturity.
How pretty would the castle look in pic 3 if the original lime harping was fully replaced externally?!
Pic 4 is the creepy neighbours getting ready for Halloween, spooky!!

08/10/2026

Absorb the knowledge from one of the most informed experts in the lovely lively world of lime mortar from the master himself at these beautiful looking premises in the Kingdom of Fife. Dinnae dilly dally on these hot tickets!

06/10/2026

Sneaky peak at some progress at Pollok Stables. It’s a really nice site, the work we are doing is really interesting and very rewarding. The main contractor Morrisons, the designers Page\Park Architects and Narro and all the other trades have been great to work with, really collaborative and quality driven, we’ve still a fair bit to do but it’s really taking shape and gathering momentum now. This is a teaser post, there’s much more that must be said about the egg niches and heraldic shield to come.Q. Did we get the eggs back in the box?
Kudos goes toNic Boyes ACRR who we were lucky enough to bring in for the conservation plan and forensic de-construction, surgical fabric conservation and sensitive reconstruction of the substantial decorative masonry associated to the West Pend Entrance. And what an entrance it’ll be!
More of this to follow…

26/09/2026

Some Fridays hit different.
Rich’s career has been shaped and developed by the skills sharing nature of working alongside journeymen and women over the last 30 years HES Craft Fellows have filled the gap in the skill set required to conserve, restore and maintain the heritage built environment that modern masonry training schemes fail to deliver.
Pre brexit these journeymen came from France, Germany, Italy and beyond but now it’s only the craft fellows from Historic Envirnment Scotland, SPAB Scotland and the The King’s Foundation that carry the torch by finding places for these aspiring future greats in conservation.
Lime ‘Rich’s’ career and business would look very different today if it were not for the support of these organisations.
Utter privilege to share this 30 year journey and stage with the likes of ingval Maxwell and Becky Little @ Rebearth who gave a young Rich an opportunity to build some chimneys at the beautiful cottown cottage project that was featured during the talks and heart warming to converse with this years alumni and see the sparks of enthusiasm for what they are getting to do with our nations most historic and culturally important treasures and leave their mark or legacy in executing their developing craft skills.

As the future looks daunting in this modern era for many of the youth today I highly recommend you direct them towards these organisations or any craft centred vocation for a thoroughly rewarding career and lifestyle, certainly one that A.I. will not be able to replace!

My presentations now all finish with a picture of the coping stone my daughter ‘olive’ dressed at Saddell castle in 2024 summer work experience when she was 14.

To top the day of nicely it was date night at the immensely immersive where we witnessed something very special indeed courtesy of Sarah and Mike. My heart is full.

24/09/2026

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If you still haven't seen the beauty of the renovation at St Mark's, we are open this Saturday for the Doors Open Day. Saturday 26 September 10-5pm.
Come and have a look round, enjoy the garden and refreshments are available.

24/09/2026

Oh hello ladies who is this young hunk on the parapet of drum castle back in 99’ 🤣🥰. Remember when you could get a tin bath for a few quid before the cold water dippers set the prices soaring!
Anyone spot a young Stevie Harper from &Allan or Addie from Masonry & Lime Ltd ? Such a good feeling knowing that the craft we exercised then using hot lime mixes and respecting surface finishes and craft disciplines are standing the test of time and setting new standards in modern day.

23/09/2026

👀👀
Look back at the repair shop on the road episode I was fortunate to feature in to extrapolate these wonderful illustrations which decorated the loft apartment of Nairn museum. was a true gentleman and thoroughly enjoyed a few rounds of virtual golf in Rich’s workshop.
Sure I could had removed the paper with steam and fixed it onto a new backing board but the decision to remove the whole plain plaster section with timber insert and nails galore was a much better challenge and the presentation of this panel section could virtually teleport the viewer back into the attic and make you think what it had been like sitting there in an evening being far from home…
Another big positive was getting through the editing team onto prime time BBC.
If you fancy watching the show it’s on the BBC iplayer, episode one, series one . Better still if you want to see these lovely works of art pop into where they are on display 😊

19/09/2026

Not our work but an interesting eye catcher in Culbokie on the Black Isle, Highlands. There seems to be a few traditional builds building with local stone and stabilised earth for bonding then protected with lime rich pointing, this example appears crudely formalised with b’hulish slate, the question remains is it for technical improvement or purely aesthetics? I think there’s benefit to both as the pinners provide bulk and body for strength and resilience but the ex*****on lacks the skill of placement to present it well enough to be Bonny.
My initial thoughts wandered over to Cullen in Morayshire where there’s a wonderful example of this style of slate pinners/gallets laid very tight and uniform on a sea facing elevation down by the harbour surviving very well indeed. What’s your thoughts on it?