Falling Plaster

amandy_2

Hi all,
Im new to these boards but an avid follower to the site!
Im seeking advice about my parents house.
They live in an end terrace house, around 20 years ago they paid to have the whole outside of the house pebble-dashed, unfortunately the guy turned out to be a 'cowboy' and the stoned never lasted very long.
Last year following a lot of rain, the plaster (which is still on the outside wall) started hanging and falling off the wall. my parents called the firebrigade who were great, they knocked down the loose plaster and tried to make the wall 'safe'.
There is a public walkway next to the house, when my parents checked with the council, they are personally liable if the falling plaster does any damage. when they checked witht the house insurance, they said that its just ware and tear on the house and wont pay to have it fixed.

The thing is, my parents arent in a good place financially, they cannot afford to fix this wall (but if the plaster falls and does any damage i dread to think what would happen)
Im just wondering if anyone can offer any advice? should they re-check with their insurance, could they be entitled to some kind of grant to help with the cost?
they have looked into a bank loan to cover the cost but cannot afford the repayments. My Dad only works part-time and my Mum received long-term Incapacity Benefit (which they beleive entitles them to no financial help)
Any advice would be very welcomed
Amandy
x

andrew-b

Hi and welcome to the forums!

Where the firebrigade removed the render (outside plaster) what's behind it? What was on the wall before the pebbledash if anything? If you've got pictures it would give us an idea of what could be done and the extent of the work involved.

If there is brickwork i'm thinking maybe you could remove it all scrub it down well, seal if necessary with masonry sealer paint and then paint with masonry paint. It wouldn't be too tricky to DIY though ideally you'd need to hire a scaffold tower. Maybe just do the bit near the pavement or even just the higher levels which is more likely to hurt someone if it falls. My priority would be to get that render off above the pavement before it bumps someone on the head. So long as the house remains weatherproof it doesn't matter too much what it looks like.

Might be worth asking the council if there is anything they can do to help out financially with a grant. Whether they'll get anything i've no idea but it's worth a shot.

Andy