Our Projects — Insulation & Rendering, West Midlands

RenderBirminghamApprox. 2 weeks

Re-rendered gable, Birmingham

The gable end of this Birmingham semi had decades-old sand and cement render that had blown away from the brickwork, letting damp track into the wall. We scaffolded the elevation, hacked off every hollow section back to sound brick, repaired the substrate and re-beaded the corners and verge before applying a base coat with fibreglass mesh. The finished elevation is a smooth white silicone thin-coat that stays breathable, sheds rain and resists the algae growth that stained the old render.

Scope of works

Full hack-off of blown sand and cement render
Brickwork and substrate repairs
Mesh-reinforced base coat with new beads
White silicone thin-coat top coat

RenderBirminghamPart of the same 2-week programme

Front elevation render, Birmingham

The front of the same Birmingham property was rendered to match the gable while keeping the original red brick plinth, bay detailing and stone heads exposed. Careful masking and clean bead lines around the bay windows and door surround were the difference here — the render meets the joinery in a straight, shadow-gapped line, and all rainwater goods were removed and refitted rather than rendered around.

Scope of works

Render to upper elevation, brick plinth retained
New stop beads around bays, heads and reveals
Rainwater goods removed and refitted
Brilliant white weather-resistant finish

RenderBirminghamApprox. 3 weeks

Rendered semi, Birmingham

A solid-wall red brick semi with tile-hung bays that was expensive to heat. We fixed 90mm insulation boards to every external elevation, dressed the reveals and window heads with insulated returns, then finished in an off-white through-coloured silicone render. Dark grey trims around the windows and a matching front door pull the elevation together — the owners report a noticeably warmer house and lower heating bills through winter.

Scope of works

External wall insulation to all elevations
Insulated reveals, sills and window heads
Mesh base coat and off-white silicone render
Dark grey trim detailing

InsulationBirminghamApprox. 3 weeks

Scaffolded EWI job, Birmingham

Work-in-progress shot from the same family home, showing how an external wall insulation system is built up. Boards are bonded and mechanically fixed in a staggered pattern, corners and openings are beaded, and the whole wall is then embedded in a mesh-reinforced base coat before any decorative coat goes on. Working from a full scaffold keeps the coats continuous and lets us finish each elevation in a single day, which is what avoids visible joins.

Scope of works

Full independent scaffold to front and side
Bonded and mechanically fixed insulation boards
Corner, stop and bell-cast beading
Mesh-reinforced base coat

RenderDudley, West MidlandsApprox. 2 weeks

Full render, Dudley

Tired, patchy pebble dash was removed from this Dudley property and replaced with a modern silicone thin-coat system. The old finish had been painted several times and was trapping moisture; the new render is breathable and self-cleaning, so rain washes dirt off rather than letting it streak down the wall. New beads around every opening give the crisp lines the original finish never had.

Scope of works

Removal of failed pebble dash
Substrate preparation and repairs
Base coat with reinforcing mesh
Brilliant white silicone thin-coat render

InsulationDudley, West MidlandsApprox. 3 weeks

EWI + silicone render, Dudley

This detached house in Dudley had cracked green painted render that was flaking off in sheets. We stripped it back, insulated the solid walls and finished in a warm cream silicone render. Alongside the visual change, the insulation cuts heat loss through the walls significantly, which is the single biggest gain available on a pre-1930s solid-wall property.

Scope of works

Strip failed painted render
External wall insulation to solid walls
Insulated reveals and new drip beads
Warm cream silicone render finish

InsulationWest MidlandsOngoing at time of photo

Semi-detached, work in progress

A mid-programme photograph showing the boarding and beading stage on a semi-detached property. Every board joint is tight, fixings are set flush, and bell-cast beads at the base let water drip clear of the wall instead of running behind the system. Getting this stage right is what determines whether the finished render cracks in five years' time.

Scope of works

Board setting out and fixing
Bell-cast, corner and stop beads
Reveal and sill detailing
Preparation for base and top coats

RenderSolihullApprox. 2 weeks

Detached house, Solihull

A full render refresh on a detached Solihull home. Existing coatings were assessed, sound areas keyed and failed areas cut out, then the whole property was re-coated for a consistent colour and texture. New rainwater goods were fitted on completion so nothing old-looking spoils the finished elevation.

Scope of works

Survey and localised cut-out repairs
Full re-coat for consistent colour
Crisp reveal and sill detailing
New guttering and downpipes

RenderDudley, West MidlandsPart of the same programme

Side elevation, Dudley

The side elevation of the Dudley property, rendered in the same system and colour as the front so the corners read as one continuous surface. Boiler flues, soil pipes and meter boxes were all removed and refitted over the finished render rather than rendered around — a small detail that makes the difference between a tidy job and an obviously patched one.

Scope of works

Matched render system and colour
Continuous corner detailing
Flues, pipes and boxes refitted over the finish
Neat beading to all openings

CladdingCoventryApprox. 10 days

Rear extension, Coventry

A new rear extension in Coventry finished with an insulated cladding system rather than render, giving a sharper, more contemporary look with virtually no maintenance. The cladding is fixed over an insulation layer on a ventilated cavity, so the build-up handles both thermal performance and rain screening.

Scope of works

Insulation layer with ventilated cavity
Cladding rails and rain-screen boards
Trim and corner detailing
Low-maintenance contemporary finish

InsulationBirminghamApprox. 3-4 weeks

Detached house, Birmingham

Whole-house external wall insulation on a detached Birmingham property. Wrapping every elevation in one continuous layer removes the cold bridges you get from part-treating a house, so rooms hold their heat for far longer and the boiler cycles less. The system was finished in a light neutral render to keep the street-facing look traditional.

Scope of works

Continuous insulation to all elevations
Cold-bridge detailing at reveals and eaves
Mesh base coat and neutral render finish
Works completed to UK Building Regulations

RenderSolihullApprox. 2 weeks

Terrace façade, Solihull

A terraced frontage in Solihull where previous repairs had left the façade a patchwork of textures. We cut out the loose material, re-rendered to a level plane and prepared the whole face for a long-life decorative coating, keeping the original parapet and string course lines intact.

Scope of works

Cut out loose and hollow render
Re-render to a level plane
Original detailing retained
Prepared for long-life decorative coating

RenderDudley, West MidlandsPreparation stage

Gable elevation, Dudley

Before-works condition on a Dudley gable: cracked render, spalled brick and open joints that were letting water into the wall. Substrate repairs like these are carried out and allowed to dry before any insulation or render is applied — putting a new system over damp, unsound brickwork is the most common reason render fails early.

Scope of works