Recovering ruins

In the interior of Mallorca it is not unusual to find traditional houses abandoned and in a state of ruin.
Surrounded by fields that were once cultivated, once they lost their identity and usefulness, they have been left to their fate.

House in Porreres
Interiors of Mallorca

In many cases, they were never habitual residences, but rather seasonal ones, coinciding with the harvest of their crops; in others, they were small, self-sufficient agricultural holdings that ceased to be so years ago. All of this, together with the lack of comforts and services, has been sufficient reason for people to stop living there.

The country construction is very simple: thick walls of earth, stone, clay and lime supporting the wooden beams, a framework of reeds and a roof of Arabic tiles.

House in Moscari

Lack of ventilation, cleaning, maintenance of beams, repair of leaks, pest and rodent control, quickly turn a habitable house into a semi-ruin.
I know of cases where a house, after being uninhabited for ten years, has suffered roof collapses with the consequent entry of water and general ruin of its structure in a very short time.

Restoration of ruins by Can Monroig

When a building is not protected and repaired periodically, what was initially just a few leaks can become a serious danger that threatens the earth walls and the rest of the structure of the building, with partial or total collapse of its walls.

Can Monroig before its restoration

What should we do when we find ourselves in front of an old house in ruins? Can it be saved or should we rebuild it entirely?

Of course, the simplest solution would be to knock down the whole house and rebuild the walls… which would mean that the house would lose all its charm, we would replace a traditional construction with great thermal efficiency with a modern one that has little or no thermal efficiency, and we would consume new construction materials instead of reusing and recycling the existing ones. It should be added that if the house is protected by the island council or by the general plan of the municipality to which it belongs, it will be totally forbidden to demolish the original volumes of the house.

Conventional construction solutions are very aggressive: reinforcements with iron bars that eventually produce cracks, excessive thicknesses of Portland cement that prevent the walls of the house from breathing, creating humidity, stains, bad smells and at the same time turning a beautiful country or village house into an apartment with little grace.

In Can Monroig We have restored several houses with these characteristics (in Pollensa, Petra, Inca and currently in Vilafranca) with own construction methods which consolidate the interior of the walls and reinforce the walls, using materials similar to or compatible with the originals, seeking the structural solidity of the building without losing the beauty of the old.

Facade of a house in Pollensa restored by Can Monroig
Traditional building techniques

Restored rammed earth wall with lime mortar and lime paint finish.
Lime renders

Restoration is about vitality and renewal.

Restoration preserves our history, our culture and our progress, if we allow our buildings to fall to corrosion, deterioration and disrepair, we erode the fabric of our neighbors and communities. Building restoration has the power to transform, it can heal and revive, strengthening the social structure of our communities.
Source: Building restoration. BASF

See more in “Houses we would love to restore” at Marie Claire Maison.