Pebble dash removal in London

[chad1991]

Hello, I've recently bought a 3 bedroom Victorian house in Leytonstone, and the previous owners put pebble dash all over the front and back of the house.

I want to remove the pebble dash and bring back the natural brick. Has anyone in London had pebble dash removed recently? Can you give me an indication of cost, issues etc?

I haven't, but I commend what you are doing. So many buildings have been spoilt by rendering or painting which was never the original concept.

I JA ent but an extra neighbour did this. Results were really great although the brick looked a bit fired or pale until it weathered. Don’t know if they needed to treat the exposed brick with something? Terraced glide it took two days and cars were moved for some distance to avoid damage.good luck and good decision.

I once had a house with painted bricks and we had someone to remove the paint. ( so not pebbledash, sorry ) I can't remember the cost but the main issue was dust etc and the stuff they used to removed it - they needed enclosed scaffolding to make sure the neighbours didn't get it in their house. Pretty sure scaffolding was a fair amount of the cost.

I've done it, but 5 years ago. Front only of compact Victorian terrace. South London. Great results. Cost about £6k I think. It's not about the removal, that's quick and not a particularly skilled thing to do. It's about the repointing and replacing of bricks afterwards, cleaning them up etc. That's where you need a skilled bricklayer who will cost £££. Looks fantastic though.

Seen so many houses in Leytonstone transformed by having this done in last few years, especially in Bushwood Area. Mahon Brickwork, London Repointing and Restoration Ltd, Restore Repoint Repair have all been used by neighbours and are on our local recommended list held by Bushwood residents association. www.bara.london/bara-yellow-pages Think cost depends on pointing - lots of types - who knew! and how many bricks need to be replaced. Totally agree with TheLette comments. Cost more than covered by house increase (if you look at the world that way). Also benefits architecture of the whole street. Once done houses go from looking like the worst to the best.

Mahon about 8k...patrick bellinger also does this and cheaper...both excellent reviews.

@chad1991 thanks for this thread. Wondering did you get quotes/work done. Looking to do similar in Leyton area. Thanks!

8k in south east London. 3 bed eNd of terrace.

Beware what you might find under there! Pebbledash is often used to cover up cracks caused by subsidance, especially in London with its clay soil.

Fair point! Thanks for the tip!

@Randomdogbite Was your end of terrace including sides/larger house? What I'm looking at is a smaller mid terrace.

They didn’t do the side as there was an extension, just the front I’m afraid.

Join the Walthamstow Recommends facebook group and have a search on there, loads of people doing this!

I literally have a drill/ jackhammer type thing going in the background as my pebbledash/render is stripped off.

Ours is costing just under £13k but that includes silicone re- rendering since the house is partly block work construction rather than brick.

We used Essex Brickwork and Repointing ltd. to remove the pebbledash and restore the brickwork. They were absolutely fantastic and I would highly recommend. They have completed numerous properties around Leyton, Leytonstone and Walthamstow.