Listed house restoration:

Finnich Malise House

Drymen, Stirlingshire · 2026

Our role: Specialist masonry and lime contractor
Main contractor: Colorado Construction
Architect: Denham Youd
Listing: Category B
Value: Under £0.5m
Programme: 2025 to 2026
Scope: Lime harl and limewash, red sandstone indents, repointing, lime plaster

Finnich Malise House is a Category B listed classical mansion near Drymen, built around 1806 and extended with flanking wings in the later nineteenth century. Its seven-bay red sandstone front, pilastered doorpiece and balustraded parapet sit within a designed estate of listed lodges, steadings and walled garden. Working for Colorado Construction under the architects Denham Youd, we repaired the external fabric of the house and carried out traditional lime plastering inside, returning the building to breathable, historically appropriate materials.

Finnich Malise House External Fabric Repairs, Drymen, Stirlingshire — photograph 1

Finnich Malise House External Fabric Repairs, Drymen, Stirlingshire — photograph 2

Finnich Malise House External Fabric Repairs, Drymen, Stirlingshire — photograph 3

Finnich Malise House External Fabric Repairs, Drymen, Stirlingshire — photograph 4

Finnich Malise House External Fabric Repairs, Drymen, Stirlingshire — photograph 5

Finnich Malise House External Fabric Repairs, Drymen, Stirlingshire — photograph 6

The challenge

Earlier repairs had sealed the walls in a modern coating that was now cracked, bossed and peeling away, trapping moisture against the sandstone and rubble and hiding decayed stonework beneath. Cornices, cills, quoins and rybats had eroded, joints were open and chimney stacks needed attention. Every repair had to satisfy Listed Building Consent, match the original red sandstone closely, and be delivered around an active main contract with phased scaffolds.

Our solution

We stripped the failed coatings by hand and cleaned the masonry with the TORC system, then cut out and replaced decayed stone with new Cove red sandstone indents from Cumbria, worked in our own workshop to match the moulded cornices, cills and margins, with Witton Fell blonde sandstone where a buff tone matched better. The walls were repointed in pigmented NHL 3.5 lime, the ashlar given fine white pointing, and exposed sky-facing joints and chimney caps pointed in a more durable hydraulic lime. The rubble elevations were reharled in a three-coat lime system and finished in traditional hot-mixed limewash, with mineral silicate paint and Façade 400 used only where specified. Inside, failed finishes were taken back and the walls and vaulted ceilings prepared and replastered in lime. On completion we provided the architect with a full material specification and maintenance manual to support the close-out of Listed Building Consent.