Removing pebble dashing - is it possible?

[figcake]

One wall of my lovely Victorian house is pebble dashed. I long to see the exposed brickwork underneath though I am not sure how to go about trying to achieve this without making a complete mess of it and ending up with a multi-textured multi-coloured disaster.
I have put up with it until now as it is more dull yellow than stark Weetabix type of coating. Are there companies around who are able to scan walls in order to advise you whether removal would be worthwhile?

[fapl]

Where are you? There is a specialist company in South East London that has done loads of houses in my local area. We got a quote about 2 years ago and it was around £4000 including VAT (we ended up painting our house white instead due to cost, a tiny 2 up 2 down terrace). The company chips off the pebble dash, repoints all the brickwork and if the bricks are damaged they reface the bricks. The quote included rafacing 100 bricks, so if they chipped all the pebble dash off and a lot of the bricks were damaged the price could increase. It looks so good this company has probably done so many houses in our area due to word of mouth. They are called Mahon Brickwork.

[figcake]

thanks fapl - we are in NW London. I know it is a labour intensive job but it would be way beyond our budget. Today, I also realised that the area needing stripping is kind of HUGE (both in length and width) compared to what I had supposed.

Incidentally, how do they go about restoring damaged brickwork if a deep chunk comes off a brick?

I may go down the painting route too even if I end up with the cottage-cheese effect.

[verysomething]

Can't believe no-one else is [bgrin] at auntyfash

PMSL

[conculainey]

Figcake, you may be able to smooth render over the top of the pebble dash without having it removed provided it is in good sound condition, maybe worth a bit of research if that idea would suit you.

[wishthingsweresimple]

I really wouldn't try and take it off. A house that has been pebble dashed post-construction but pre-fashionableness is very very likely to be hiding something. Like bomb damage, particularly if the house next door to you was destroyed.

Paint it (DIY job, if you or your DH is confident on ladders) or get a builder to over render it, if it's in good nick.

Please don't try and take it off. Please.

[DaisySteiner]

We had our pebble-dashed house re-rendered and painted. It looks a million times better. The rendering was included in the price of our building work so not exactly sure how much it cost, but the painting was about 1K (largish 4 bed) Based on how long it took, I imagine the rendering was probably 1.5-2K. Removing it was never an option as it was originally put on for insulation and damp problems - perhaps worth checking that yours wasn't done for this reason.

HTH.

[figcake]

Thanks - but who can ascertain this - a builder or structural engineer?

Fapl I looked at the website of the tradesmen you recommended and was really inspired by their work.

I don 't know whether I would be opening up a can of worms really. The whole point of these works is so that I can sell up and move to a different part of greater London (as yet undecided where to go).

[wishthingsweresimple]

The problem, fig, is that no one can properly ascertain what is underneath the pebble dashing without taking it off.

I work with listed buildings. English Heritage advice on this kind of thing is to leave them until they start falling off on their own. The possibility of damage to the fabric underneath by taking them off is high.

If you're intending to sell up I think it's even more important not to touch it. You could end up revealing cracks which no buyer will touch, despite the fact they're not actually going to make the house fall down. Even if you don't, they'll probably want you to take out an indemnity policy for the works.

If you just want to improve its appearance, really, painting or overrendering is the way to go.

[figcake]

Well guess what - curiosity got the better of me and I just took a chisel to a small corner of it - aaaargh!

The layer of pebbledash and concrete is thick between 1-2cm. It came off more easily than I imagined. A small chunk of brick did come off after one of the blows but it looked a bit like a slice of wedding cake - the icing being the non-brick part of course.

I am none the wiser and tbh a bit worried as it has started to rain. One thing's for sure - it is piled on very generously and not about to fall off of it's own accord.

[fapl]

if you are selling LEAVE IT ALONE it is not cost effective, more a vanity job if you are going to live in the house. Mahon's work is brilliant, I have seen it on loads of local houses, but as I said their quote only included refacing 100 bricks. Bomb damage could have ruined every brick there.

[Heroine]

cool that you might have some schrapnel visible afterwards though! [bsmile]

[figcake]

Yes, but I know have a chunk of it missing - I am not sure what to replace it with! I could grind some stones up and made my own pebble-dashing and set it into concrete I suppose.

I have now got DH going on about how awful the pebble-dashing looks (he never complained before today).

I wonder if it is true that having pd takes £15k off the value of a period property? There again, its a great area and a house guaranteed to be in good catchments for schools and near enough to the Tube so the positives probably outweigh the negatives.

Do I close up the tiny gap I have opened in this can of worms or go chisel-happy?

[lalalonglegs]

If you're planning to sell, then I would close the gap up in whatever way you can before a surveyor concludes that it is falling off and there will be damage to the brickwork through "rainwater ingress".

[Heroine]

I have to say I would go for it, it is a wonderful opportunity to change the whole aspect of your house. One of the buildings near me had all its old render taken off and it looked wonderful.. but I am in a conservation area so it had to go back on [bsad] It will be like having a new house for a bit and will satisfy your endless curiosity (its like a scab or the bits around your fingers.. once you start being curious and fiddling you can't stop!).

[Heroine]

You are going to examine the quality of pebbledashing from a google street view? Are you sure you areen't the same guy who claims to 'guarantee' my chimney needs repointing, just by popping a leaflet through the door claiming to have done a full inspection 'from the street'?

[wishthingsweresimple]

No, I'm going to make an assessment as to whether it detracts from the appearance of the house. If it was visible.

Sorry, stupid idea.

[starfishmummy]

Just to add there is a house near us that has had pebble dashing removed (professionally) and it looks a mess. It was probably done 12 months or so ago and at first we thought maybe they were going to replace it, but they haven't. Presumably the bricks are "sound" or they would have done something, but it does not look nice.

[figcake]

Thanks wishthings - I would be more than happy to pm you a photo if thats OK.

[wishthingsweresimple]

Yes, by all means, fig, the offer is still open.

[herethereandeverywhere]

With apologies for the hijack....

wishthingsweresimple I had Mahon brickwork on my shortlist to remove paint from the front of my house - would the problems you highlighted also exist for this type of their work?

I have a Victorian redbrick terrace which has been painted. I'm concerned that the paint is stopping the bricks 'breathing' as I have seen on other properties where the paint bubbles and comes away with art of the brick face.

Is it best to strip the paint off or leave it on?

If it's stripped and revealed damaged bricks what then? Paint it again? Is their a "brick friendly" sort of paint?

Thanks

[wishthingsweresimple]

Herethere - that would depend on the method they used to get rid of the paint. Paint is a pain in the arse to remove without damaging the brickwork. It can be removed by chemicals or abrasives (sandblasting), but chemical means, although less likely to damage the brickwork, are not necessarily going to be successful. I suspect they will cut out that possibility and do it with abrasives as there is less to worry about H&S wise as well. Abrasives will cut into the pointing as well as the brick, meaning the wall will need repointing and you will end up with the same result. So yes, same problems.

TBH, I would leave it and maintain it, particularly if it is not currently causing any problems. Paint doesn't stop bricks being porous, but yes, it can damage the brickwork. The bubbling you have seen is more likely to be a result of water (from a leak, not rain) / strong sunshine hitting the paint. You are far more likely to damage the bricks by taking it off. In fact, you will damage them.

You can buy special masonry paint. Farrow and Ball do it. I know it is middle class aspirational, blah blah blah but it really is the best thing for your Victorian house. Any bits that are bubbling, flaking, etc, can be gently rubbed down (in the same way you would for interior paint) and repainted. You can do this yourself.

If you do decide after all you want it stripped, give your Council's conservation officer a ring. They may have a list of contractors who they know are decent particularly when dealing with period properties. Not all of them do, but ours does. Same if you want to repaint it. If you are in a conservation area or it's listed - check with them before doing anything anyway.

[soniaweir]

v interested in this thread as we bought a house that was pebble dashed. i have always wanted a red brick terraced house in london but the house that i fell in love with on the outside was horrible looking outside. the previous owner had it painted magnolia or some other horrible colour that made it look dirty - we painted it white after considering all other options and it looks fab! definitely recommend it!

[herethereandeverywhere]

Thank you wishthings
I hate the paint. It's a nasty artificial colour. (and has almost a gloss-like sheen to it). It really has to go.

I've tried to research the best methods for dealing with this on the internet but their isn't much information.

Cost and re-pointing doesn't faze me, I just don't want to reduce the front of my house to water-soluable dust! There must be an exxpert who can deal with it!

I will try the council. We're not in a full blown conservation area but there is some kind of protection order relating to retaing the frontage (we're also going to reinstate timber sash windows).

[wishthingsweresimple]

The protection order is probably an 'Article 4' direction. Basically, it removes your rights to do things without planning permission which would normally be permitted development. It doesn't necessarily mean you can't do them, it just means you need permission. They normally relates to replacement windows and doors, rendering, etc.

Ask if you have Part II Class C rights removed - these relate to painting.

You could paint over it with a paint of a better quality and finish, but if you are determined you want rid, definitely contact your conservation officer. The Article 4 may also mean you need permission for stripping as it may be classed as a material alteration to the external appearance of the building, particularly if you end up with a very 'new' looking frontage which contrasts with others.