removing external render - possible?

monkey_writer

We are planning to buy a property - a Victorian terraced house that has been ruined with an Artex-like external render.

This has not only made the house ugly but has also blocked up the damp-proof course and made the basement rooms damp.

We are wondering what could be done to remove the render, or at the very least to alter the render to allow the damp proof course to work again?

The rest of the houses in the street are rendered with a simple flat finish - none of them have exposed brick, or even painted brick --- so we assume that this house was also rendered flat and then later the lumpy render was applied over the top of that by another owner.

Would these houses have been built originally with exposed brick and then rendered at a later date, or would they have been rendered flat from new?

Several questions in one there - I hope someone has a few answers to help us! Thank you!

monkey_writer

it's probably completely illegal... but I just want to bump this back up to the top of the list to see if anyone has an answer... Thanks!

phil_s_6

where in the country is your house? i would imagine a victorian house to be either brick or stone built dependent on location. im pretty sure render is a newer phenomenon. You would need a builder to remove the render and make it match the rest of the street. Taking the render off isnt that difficult itself just time consuming unless you have the right power tools. Putting render back on is a job for someone who knows what they are doing.

top_banana

Hi

Just a comment. Are you in a conservation area? or is the house a listed building.?

If any of the above is 'yes' then you must get the local authority involved, as if you just go ahead and 'modify' the building they could come down on you like a tonne of bricks.

There can be many rules / regulations regarding modifying these type of buildings. And this can be very costly if done wrong.

monkey_writer

Hello, the house is down on the Kent coast. It's not in a conservation area - though I wish it were, the monsterous things people are doing to these properties in the name of double glazing! It's not listed either.

Thanks for all your replies. We didn't get the property and have moved on to a nicer one that has only a simple flat render - much more tasteful. That also has damp problems in the basement and we might have to alter the bottom of the render also... though we are going to try other things first such as lowering the ground level outside etc.

If anyone has an answer to the artex render thing please do tell though as it might help someone else out there...

bernlyn

a friend of mine had pebble dash and he got it flat rendered. the guys just rendered staight on top of the pebble dash after they went over the whole house with a wire brush to get all the loose pebbles off. i know that this is not artex but just thought that i would let you know.