THE KNOWLEDGE
WORKING WITH FLINTS
Used in southern and eastern England since Roman times, flint is a fine-grained silica that is hard and impervious — hence its enduring popularity as a material for walls, buildings and even pathways. For this project, Alan used flint as a decorative finish onto the brick backing on both the front and rear elevations. The flint came already ‘knapped’ — the irregular nodules were split by hand into workable pieces to reveal the beauty of the sedimentary rock. In this case, the flints have a dark face and white crust that is typical of the flint extracted from chalk pits.
Cement-rich mortars are not recommended for flint work, as this can lead to damp and possibly even structural decay. Instead, working on the advice of a conservation architect, Alan used a mix of nine parts sharp sand, three parts lime and one part cement, then used an old sack [hessian would also work here], rubbed over the surface to reveal the stones in the mortar mix and to give an aged look to the newly laid flints.
The flint work is lovely — did you do that yourself, too?
Yes, I talked to a bricklayer who explained how to do it — it was common sense, really. First, I built up the quoins [masonry blocks at the corner of the walls], then used a string to form a straight line and worked two feet at a time. I used the same mortar mix of lime, cement and sharp sand I’d used on our first house, based on what a conservation architect had told me to use. The flint was expensive, though. I bought three or four bags of knapped flint at £600 a bag. I later found a farmer’s field nearby full of flint — if only I’d known!
How do you feel now you’re done?
In all, the build took two and a half years, and I was working full-time through that period. But now the aches and pains, sweat and tears have all been forgotten. The house puts a smile on our faces every time we come down the drive. Having said that, I may well do another self-build. It’s a hobby for me, I enjoy doing it and then standing back and saying ‘wow’.