Hi all, this is my first post but I've been lurking around for a few months before we get our house rendered. Not looking to be a PITA for the guy doing the job by acting like I know it all, I just like to understand how things work and the forum has been great in giving me a bit of insight so thanks for that.
You oracles of knowledge are probably all be fed up with questions from people who are about to get their houses done but I'd appreciate your advice or confirmation whether I've got the right end of the stick on any of the stuff I'll mention below so feel free to chip in about anything where you can lend wisdom, or just tell that I'm a clever boy and it all sounds OK
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It is a pretty standard detached, brick cavity wall house which was roughcast then painted over at some point long ago. A lot of it is bossed so we decided to get the whole lot re-done. I hate roughcast and so does the other half so it's going to be a smooth render. I know a lot of people in Scotland seem wary of smooth render (and I think I understand the reasons) so that's made it trickier to get someone.
We finally managed to get a reliable guy lined up after several let downs, have spoken to four previous customers (inc. two contractors who use him regularly), all glowing references and visited two previous jobs so I could see his work and decide between a smooth (sponge?) or scratch finish. Saw a house he did with white scratch render last year and it looks really good up close. So I feel happy with him doing the work, I now know I want a scratch render finish and the initial quotes (based on these finishes) seem fair. I've already asked him a load of questions and don't want to keep pestering him with more so I figured I could put it all down here.
Cheers, Dougie.
You oracles of knowledge are probably all be fed up with questions from people who are about to get their houses done but I'd appreciate your advice or confirmation whether I've got the right end of the stick on any of the stuff I'll mention below so feel free to chip in about anything where you can lend wisdom, or just tell that I'm a clever boy and it all sounds OK
.It is a pretty standard detached, brick cavity wall house which was roughcast then painted over at some point long ago. A lot of it is bossed so we decided to get the whole lot re-done. I hate roughcast and so does the other half so it's going to be a smooth render. I know a lot of people in Scotland seem wary of smooth render (and I think I understand the reasons) so that's made it trickier to get someone.
We finally managed to get a reliable guy lined up after several let downs, have spoken to four previous customers (inc. two contractors who use him regularly), all glowing references and visited two previous jobs so I could see his work and decide between a smooth (sponge?) or scratch finish. Saw a house he did with white scratch render last year and it looks really good up close. So I feel happy with him doing the work, I now know I want a scratch render finish and the initial quotes (based on these finishes) seem fair. I've already asked him a load of questions and don't want to keep pestering him with more so I figured I could put it all down here.
- He said he has experience with a most of the systems: Alumasc, Enewall (Powerwall?), Stonepack and a few others so if I had a particular preference, the materials options could be discussed. He seemed to be of the opinion that Alumasc was maybe a slightly better product but enewall would probably be a little cheaper so he recommended using one of those. I know a few people on here seem to rate Enewall (is powerwall the same as Enewall and they have rebranded as he also referred to it as powerwall/smoothband - maybe it's just a generic term he uses?) but I don't know much about Stonepack or Alumasc. Would any of you have a particular preference in terms of flexibilty/durability/resistance to cracking or discolouration? Are any of their scratch renders higher or lower in polymers or fibres that will help them last longer? Or are t hey all much the same in your collective opinion? I would lean towards Enewall as a relatively local company at a good price. This is probably my main query.
- In terms of prep, he is going to hack off all the old render on both gables where most of the surface is already knackered and remove any bossed patches on the elevations, then use the appropriate adhesive/base coat for the system and fully mesh. From what I've gleaned on here that sounds about right? I was a bit unsure on not removing every bit of the old render but saw on the Enewall site that they suggest hacking off sound render can damage the brickwork so going over with a suitable?
- My main reservation about a scratch render was keeping it looking nice and I accept it probably won't be maintenance free. I know silicon renders are more resistant to algae and dirt etc. but I suspect will be much more expensive and don't come with the same scratched back finish (or do they?). Upsides: we are nowhere near a main road so no traffic pollution or dirt, the roof overhangs by over a foot around all walls so there shouldn't be too much water regularly running down the walls, it isn't super insulated so there should be enough heat through the walls to stop them staying damp and it is usually fairly breezy. Downsides: there are a fair few trees about and its Scotland so wettish ... Would it be worth applying a protector/sealer at the same time as the render. When I asked about this he didn't think it was that necessary but I'd rather avoid a problem than have to sort it later on if it makes a big difference. If we do this, what would you say is the best product as a balance between cost and effectiveness. I found a few threads where the Enewall micro emulsion sealer was recommended.
- We will probably get new windows at some point in the future, are stop beads usually used around window frames? Would this potentially allow us to do the windows without destroying the render in the reveals?
Cheers, Dougie.
