This was supposed to be a quick room make-over. Strip the wallpaper, cleaup and then re-paper, paint and done. I found a problem.
The plaster felt loose under fingertip pressure. So I levered it off and quite a lot came away. In fact, the rest (to the right) is also loose. Worse still, some of the bricks can be removed by hand without any cutting. Looking inside, there are no cavity ties on this section and below there is a line of damp-proof course. It turns out that the lintel over the windwo below is brick and in an arch shape within the wall. The top pf the arch is level with the top of the skiring board.
After getting some advice, I took the remaining loose plaster and loose bricks out. They need re-setting along with some wall ties. DIY materials are really difficult to get under current lockdown so my supply of mortar is very limited.
Up to now, I have re-set 1 course of bricks and bought wall-ties and a few tools. There is no sign of plaster, cement or mortar in any open shops now.
Fortunately: a neighbour is re-rendering his house. Render is a coat of mortar which is often pebble-dashed for weather proofing. I successfully scrounged a bucket of mortar (with plasticiser) and set to work
It takes a week for bricks to set properly so it can stay this way while I paper some walls. There are two ways to complete this: base plaster then skim or plasterboard then skim. Base plaster would better cover any uneven bricks. I was so very grateful to the builders who gave me the mortar. The only thing I could offer was beer so I handed over a bottle each.
