Removing pebble dash

[jacksonscraft]

Hello All, I've decided I just can't live with the vile pebble dashing on the front of my smallish, 2 story house anymore. I just had a quote of just under 5K and whilst I don't think that's outrageous, I just can't afford anything like it. So, (you guessed it), I'd like to have a go at it myself. I'm a painter & decorator by trade and can do most things to a reasonable standard, but never have I done anything like this before.

A place up the road had their PD removed and apart from the big 'hack off' which took them a good while. I noticed they were restoring each brick afterwards with a kind of filler. Would it be reasonable to assume they were using a good quality ext' filler and a powder brick colour dye in it? Then of course they re-pointed.

Any advice and opinions on this will be greatly appreciated. Cheers..

 

[motorbiking]

based on the neighbors house, it looks like a 9 inch solid wall. Have you thought about external insulation as an option ? it might look odd next to your neighbors but could leave you with a smooth render and warmer home.

 

[jacksonscraft]

I can't unfortunately, it's a terraced house and a conservation area where I am. This PD is 70/80 years old. I was thinking of rendering over it all, but my worry is I then get told to take it off again by the council after the neighbours have complained to them. So I either leave it as is (not an option as I hate it) paint it a reasonable white, or off-white colour, or hack it off.

 

[motorbiking]

paint made a big difference to my house. 1920s brick work is pretty awful underneath, I think the Pd was a way to hide rubbish brick.

 

[jacksonscraft]

Yes and that's a concern for me too, painting is a reasonable compromise and one I might end up making. There's no reason to expect the brick to be in any worse condition than all the other houses in the terrace. It should be OK underneath. I know the place up the road had their Pd taken off and it made a mess of the brick work underneath. I've found a few brick restoration places online, but they dont say what products they use (quite understandably). I'm wondering how to go about restoring the bricks that will inevitably get scarred by the chisel marks my hacking the Pd off will create?

 

[roy c]

It depends on how much of a key the dash has got on the wall.If the guys did the job properly then you will probably lose most of the face's off the brick work. Or if by chance the never keyed the dash in well, then it might come off in sheets!! But having said that it looks like they knew what they were doing. Why not paint it brick colour?

 

[jacksonscraft]

Yes none of it has blown or anything like that, even after all these decades.

 

[stevethespreader]

as above If my memory serves me right pebble dash was ment to hide shocking brickwork especially after the war when there was not many tradesmen about or didn't make it back , I can't remember where I heard that story but your job looks pukka I would leave it

 

[jacksonscraft]

yes I think I'll paint it. Save myself the drama. Would still love to know how they'd restore the bricks though?

 

[vinn]

Painting any masonry is the wrong thing to do - painting any kind of render is even more problematic, painting your dashed render will bring you nothing but future knock-on difficulties. Not to mention expense.

The exposed surface is in excellent condition based on the photo - why would you want to do anything with it?
Believe me, no matter how you mess with it you will make things worse.
To my knowledge, there are no products that will "restore bricks" to anything like an original colour or face surface. Most "restorers" are acidic or aggressive. Sometimes cement colour powder is mixed as a mortar and applied to spelched brick faces - it doesn't last.

Compare with your neighbour, & just look at all the original brick detailing thats been lost (& removed) by burying your front in dash.
What kind of paint would you propose to use? How would you apply it?

Anyway, If you are in a conservation area, as you claim, then all bets are off until you've had a view from the local conservation officer.

 

[jacksonscraft]

Thanks, I really dont like the Dash, that's why I want rid of it. It reminds me of an Essex retirement home. When I moved in this street, there was 4 or 5 houses that had it. Now there's just mine. As the area's been gentrified, the new owners have had the dash removed at quite an expense. They all look immaculate now. I def' can't afford to pay someone to have it removed though, so was going to hack it of and have a go at restoring the brickwork beneath, or a compromise would be to paint it with a solvent masonry paint and spray gun on it. I dont think i'd need to get planning permission to go about this, as i'll be taking it back to the original brickwork, as you see my neighbours place is...

 

[vinn]

I dont know why you mention planning permission - its the conservation officer that usually has to be satisfied with any kind of changes.
Dont presume, dont rely on neighbour's versions of things - find out from conservation.

 

[jacksonscraft]

I'm not relying on my neighbour's version of things mate. I'm talking about taking the Dash off so the house will mirror all the other's in this street. The conservation people would, if anything, just wish me luck with it. Its a conservation area front and back where I am, so I know the process as well as the restrictions, having already extended upwards and outwards at the rear of my place - twice. Taking the dash off will take the building back to it's original.

A few years ago some neighbours put together an unsuccessful application for national lottery money to take the dash off all houses that had it in this street. Sandblast those that have painted their's and get every house back to the red brick original state. Rebuild garden walls with the same stock bricks, to the same, uniform design and and fit the entire terrace with railings. They weren't successful.

Conservation people would have no problem at all with me taking the dash off, or painting it, as it would only even get to their attention if the neighbours complained and I know they wouldn't as they've all asked me if I was planning to. Next door's house (left) is painted an off an white colour, (not dashed) offered to buy paint for me to paint it the same colour as their's..