Re-painting exising painted render

[Mr M]

The outside of my house is rendered and painted. The existing paintwork to the rendering is in pretty poor condition, flaking away and bare in places. Can anyone tell me:-
1) What is the easiest way to remove all the existing flaky and loose paint (Yes, I know the easiest way is to get someone else to do it but I want to have a go at this myself)
2) Is it ok to leave any of the existing paintwork on which is sound
3) Should the existing render be treated with anything before applying the paint ie Waterproofer?, sealer?, primer?
4) What is the best paint to use on render and how many coats should be applied
5) The Damp Proof Course level is quite high on the house and the brickwork below is painted but it's a different colour than the render and I would like to maintain this feature. What type of paint is recommended for these areas given that they will be subjected to damper conditions.

Thanks in advance for any responses

 

[Zampa]

Ok...short answer im affraid...me dinners on the table!...

1) A pressure washer should do the job

2) Yep..cant see why not,

3) Nope..thin the first coat a little thats going over the bare stuff.

4) This time of year, pliolite based masonry paint...but cover up well.

5) The same type of paint as the walls...its very durable..

Hope that helped.