Driving rain, not falling rain
Greenock sits on the south bank of a wide firth with nothing between the houses and the weather coming up it. Rain driven at a wall behaves nothing like rain falling on one: it finds every hairline crack and it is pushed through rather than running off.
That is why so much of the exterior work here is a failed coat rather than a tired one. The coat has not worn out, it has let water behind it, and once water is behind a coat no repair to the face of it helps.
Why a patch rarely holds here
Patching a dash on a sheltered inland wall can buy years. On an exposed Greenock elevation a patch is a new edge, and a new edge is the first place the next lot of weather gets in behind.
We will still patch a back wall or a small area where that is the sensible spend. On a weather facing front elevation we would rather tell you the whole wall needs doing than take money for something we expect to come back to.
Two kinds of wall in one town
There is older stone property built when the yards were working, and post war estates up the hill. A solid stone wall has to breathe. A block built post war semi has no such requirement and takes a straightforward re-dash.
Pricing them the same would mean one of the two is wrong, so we look at which one you have before quoting rather than after.
What else the walls in Greenock are like
The town has a lot of older stone property, built when the shipyards were working, alongside post war estates up the hill.
Those are two different jobs. A solid stone wall has to be allowed to let moisture out, so what goes on it has to breathe; a block built post war semi has no such requirement and takes a straightforward re-dash.
If you are outside the city, we work across Renfrewshire and up to twenty miles from Renfrew. See the areas we cover.
Before and after
The same wall, both ways
White and black dry dash on a corner semi. Drag the handle to see the before.
Past work
Jobs of this kind
Brick to white dash with charcoal corner pillars
Roughcasting and dry dash, New build and extension render
See this job
Painted brick and old roughcast taken to white and black dash
Roughcasting and dry dash
See this job
What customers say
What customers said about work in Greenock
Real Checkatrade reviews, word for word.
9.8out of 10
Checkatrade
from 60 reviews, 45 of them 10 out of 10
10/10
Excellent Standard
Needed 2 walls plastered after having sockets removed - Fraser came out promptly and we are very happy with his work. Thanks!
10/10
Roughcasting Masterclass
I can’t recommend McLellans Master Plasters highly enough. They rough casted our house to an excellent standard and also fixed our neighbour’s guttering and roofing, all for a very reasonable price. From start to finish they were prompt, professional, and reliable. Communication was clear, the work was carried out efficiently, and the finish looks fantastic. It’s refreshing to deal with tradespeople who take real pride in their work and deliver exactly what they promise. If you’re looking for high-quality workmanship at a fair price, McLellans Master Plasters are a brilliant choice.
10/10
Fantastic Job All Round
I recently hired Fraser from McLellans Master Plasterers. The quality of the plastering was brilliant the finish is perfectly smooth, clean, and ready for decorating. He paid great attention to detail and made sure everything was completed to an exceptionally high standard. He kept everything neat and left the place spotless once the job was done, which I really appreciated. If you’re looking for a plasterer who delivers top quality workmanship with great customer service, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Fraser at McLellans Master Plasterers. A fantastic job all round!
10/10
Emergency removal, reboard and replaster a collapsed ceiling.
Can't thank Fraser and him team enough for the urgent response and restoring of our hallway ceiling. Thankfully Fraser was able to attend within hours of me reporting the issue and due to the danger of the collapse he was able to move around jobs to deal with what was a very scary situation. Job was fully completed within 3 days of my initial request. New ceiling looks great. would highly recommend. Thank you, Val & Fabio.
Straight answers
Questions about roughcasting and dry dash in Greenock
Can you just patch the bit that has failed?
Sometimes, and when we can we will say so. A single failed area on an otherwise sound wall is a repair. The problem is colour: a patch of new dash on a wall that has weathered for twenty years will not match, and on a front elevation that is usually worse to look at than what you started with. On a gable or a back wall it often does not matter at all.
What is the difference between wet dash and dry dash?
Wet dash has the chips mixed into the mortar and the whole lot is thrown at the wall, which gives a rougher, more random finish. Dry dash has the mortar on first and the chips thrown onto it, which gives a more even, sharper look. Dry dash is what most people picture when they say pebble dash.
Is harling the same thing as roughcasting?
Yes. Harling is the Scottish word for it and it is what most older folk round here still call it. If somebody quotes you for harling and somebody else quotes you for roughcasting, they are quoting for the same wall.
Why does my gable fail and the front of the house does not?
It takes the driving rain off the water. A gable usually has no overhang sheltering it either, so there is nothing slowing the weather down.
What is roughcasting?
A render finish with stone aggregate in or on the top coat, over a backing coat that levels the wall. It is what most houses round here were built with and it is what keeps the weather out of them.
How much does it cost to roughcast a house in Scotland?
It turns on how much of the existing coat has to come off, the access, what the background is and the finish you choose, not on the wall area alone. We have written up what moves the number rather than printing a figure we would have to take back.
Get in touch
Get a price for roughcasting your house
Tell us what the wall or the room looks like now and we will come back to you with a price and a straight answer about what it needs.
Call us for your instant, no obligation quote
07501 844432