Mike, to quote another Dutchman, Rob, You sir are a magician.
And an inspiration to this Boertjie! (14th generation dutchman too)
I've sworn an oath on my dead cat's liver that I'll not show my wife this thread, else she may import you for some tasks around the house.
But alas, my son who now lives on you fair isle, has, and he expects his old man to do it the 'Mike-way'!
So I've committed to doing things the 'Mike-way' from now on.
Plan, Plan, Plan. Get the right materials, and do it right first time!
Your info on using lime render and the mix is most informative.
You would know about the old Cape Dutch buildings down here in the Western Cape. They were built with sun dried adobe type earthen bricks, and the 'mortar' was also a mud/clay/chopped straw mix, and where straw was missing, cow dung, or whatever was to hand, even horse dung, etc.
The walls were plastered with the same mix, and once dried out, a lime wash was made of slaked lime, water and animal fat to an almost slurry consistency. The water reacted with the slaked lime and created heat, which melted the fat, and the melted fat coagulated with the lime particles. This slurry was brushed on with a rough brush, and the fat/lime 'slurry' was the waterproofing on the oustide walls, that prevented moisture from getting in. This white washing had to be done quite regularly to keep the walls waterproof, and in old travel documents sometimes mention is made that dwelling hasn't been white washed, and signs of decay are visible, with parts of the walls in ruins...
Sea shells from mussels, abalone, and other shellfish was gathered from the beaches, and burnt in kilns not too far from the beaches, and then transported by ox-wagon to wherever it was needed.
We can be thankful for living in the 21st Century, but still need to know how the craftsmen of old did what they did, and why they did it that way!