Render destroyed

Neatis

Hi guys,

Im buying a house which needs a complete renovation, one of the issues I have is the previous render on the outside extension and back wall has just been destroyed. (The front of the house render is in fantastic condition)

I have attached some pictures.

it looks like it may of had some kind of ivy tree do some damage but away from that even the rest is in a terrible state.

what can I do to prevent this from happening again if I re render? This is an attempt to fix some damp issues on the inside. 

Thanks in advance, 

ThisIsWeird

This, in itself, shouldn't cause damp, so check any damp issue further.

From what i can see, this render is not 'destroyed', but the paint layer is certainly damaged. There must be ways or taking that paint layer back to the actual render, but not sure what they are! Then it's 'stabilise' and paint. Jobbie jobbed.

Render is 'destroyed' if it's actually loose and lifting away from the brick/blockwork underneath. This doesn't appear to be?

Neatis

Hi thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it.

I’m just passing a section of the survey report I got back in regards to the render 

The render finish to the front, side and rear extension is damaged in a lots of areas. This can increase the chance of water ingress and fungal decay of timbers internally. You must have the cracks filled and undertake localised repairs to stop any possible damp penetration.

what are your views on this?

Ectophile

The obvious damage looks like the paint's come off, but nothing more.  But looking closer, there are cracks, including one to the right of the ground floor window.  It's the sort of thing that exterior decorators fix every day.  Get someone to repair the cracks.  Then repaint the whole lot.  Job done.

You can stop the damage from plants by not letting them grow up the house again.  Cracks are something that will always happen on render.  It's part of building maintenance.

Neatis

Ectophile said:

The obvious damage looks like the paint's come off, but nothing more.  But looking closer, there are cracks, including one to the right of the ground floor window.  It's the sort of thing that exterior decorators fix every day.  Get someone to repair the cracks.  Then repaint the whole lot.  Job done.

You can stop the damage from plants by not letting them grow up the house again.  Cracks are something that will always happen on render.  It's part of building maintenance.

Thanks so much, good to know. Do you know what may have caused the paint to be damaged so much? Just so I don’t make the same mistake! It seems quite a lot of paint damage even away from the possible plant

stuart45

Neatis said:

Thanks so much, good to know. Do you know what may have caused the paint to be damaged so much? Just so I don’t make the same mistake! It seems quite a lot of paint damage even away from the possible plant

Check your gutters aren't overflowing. Water getting behind the paint can do this.

pmartin86

That looks like Ivy (or simular) damage to me, the damage to the left of the upper window however looks like it might be to do with that oddly router gutter/downpipe - Id definatly check if thats capable of directing the water correctly and isnt blocked / overflowing.

ThisIsWeird

Neatis said:

Ectophile said:

The obvious damage looks like the paint's come off, but nothing more.  But looking closer, there are cracks, including one to the right of the ground floor window.  It's the sort of thing that exterior decorators fix every day.  Get someone to repair the cracks.  Then repaint the whole lot.  Job done.

You can stop the damage from plants by not letting them grow up the house again.  Cracks are something that will always happen on render.  It's part of building maintenance.

Thanks so much, good to know. Do you know what may have caused the paint to be damaged so much? Just so I don’t make the same mistake! It seems quite a lot of paint damage even away from the possible plant

Yes, I can see some parts like that - no obviously direct cause. That patch to the left of the door, for example.

That looks like what I have on my own house in certain areas, and there is no outward cause. I usually find the surface of the render below to be soft and chalky/dusty, so I suspect it's down to poor rendering/tyroleaning. Eg, using cement that had started to go off before use, or perhaps dried out too quickly in hot weather before it managed to fully set - that sort of thing. It ain't as hard as it should be.

Once all the loose paint has been removed (a bit of a 'mare...), then a good coat of stabilising solution should sort it before painting, unless the chalky issue goes too deep.

FreeBear

If the render is damaged, it will sound hollow when tapped. If it sounds solid, then just grind out the cracks, fill with something like Toupret exterior filler. A wire brush should get the loose paint off, and then a fresh coat can be applied.

One issue that would concern me is the concrete around the house. If the level by the door step is indicative of the rest of it, it is too high. Ideally, it needs to be ~150mm below the DPC, and a gap of 150-200mm between the concrete and the wall. The gap can be filled with a decorative gravel - This stops rain from splashing up off the heard surface and soaking the bottom of the wall. if there is any issues with damp on the inside, the concrete is the most likely cause.