alan h's activity

It looks like a pretty normal rendering, probably over poor [or very poor] brickwork/stonework.  From the pictures, I wouldn't be too worried Render has two purposes - Cosmetic [it looks better than what it is covering] and Weatherproofing [the important one], as it keeps the rain out of the wallls.  It shouldn't be considered to be structural The mesh reinforcement serves 2 main purpose.  Firstly it is fixed to the wall and helps the thick concrete render stick to the wall.  Secondly, it acts as a crack inhibitor, helping to stop the render cracking and letting rain in.  It is used where a thick render is used, rather than the more usual thin coat of render [say 5mm - 10mm] that is often applied.  They probably used a thick render to cover up a multitude of [the original building] sins, especially in terms of an uneven surface. My main concerns would be whether there is any cracking on either the outside or internal faces of the wall and you say there isn't - which is promising Personally, I would not necessarily go down the 'Engineer' route as a first step.  I would get a local Geometra to have a look at it, and seek his/her views, and if he says it should be OK - get it in writing from him.  If he cannot give you an acceptable answer I would then get him to recommend an Engineer. Whatever you do - don't ask an Architect Its worth noting that nobody [Geometra, Engineer or Architect] will say its 100% - they will just say that it should be OK  Hope this helps Postscript - a good test of how good/sound the render is, is to tap it to see what it sounds like - if it sounds 'hollow' anywhere, it means the render hasn't stuck to the wall in that area, and that could be problematical in terms of weather resistance and 'future falling off'

There are UK firms that ship rads to Europe - such as   http://www.castradsshop.co.uk/index.html It might be worth finding out what they would charge

Euro just dropped to 86.06p http://www.citywire.co.uk/personal/-/news/money-property-and-tax/content.aspx?ID=396297

Yes

Have you checked whether the paperwork you signed when you bought the place spells out the distribution of the costs?   I know mine covered the 'split' of costs on the shared fosse etc

I found this video that shows one being sipped http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWZX5y4XSo8

Looks like the concentration will be on long haul flights first http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8633892.stm   And ryanair seem to say they won't be flying [to/from UK] until Thursday at the earliest [their website may be out of date though]

on the old website - hope it helps   As for grants, you will need to contact your local farming union (e.g. CopAgri) representative or the local Agronomer (professional land expert and grant application writer). Generally, to receive a grant you would need to be a registered farmer but the rules change often and these people would know what you can and can't get.

Heathrow tomorrow - Ryanair Wednesday

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