An old core and the estates round it
Kirkintilloch grew along the canal and kept an older core of stone and traditional build, with large post war estates added round the outside. They are two different jobs under one town name.
The older property wants a coat that lets the wall breathe. The estates are the ordinary work: block behind, roughcast from new, and a coat now reaching the end of its life.
A street that goes at once
Estate housing built in one go reaches the end of its coat in one go, which is why a street can suddenly look as though everybody has decided to do the house the same year.
That works in your favour. Once we have done one house of a type we already know what is behind the finish on the rest of them, and neighbours doing theirs at the same time share the scaffold and the set up.
What else the walls in Kirkintilloch are like
Estate housing built in one go reaches the end of a coat in one go, which is why a street can suddenly look like everybody has decided to do their house at once.
It also means that once we have done one house on a type we already know what is behind the finish on the rest of them.
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 Kirkintilloch
Real Checkatrade reviews, word for word.
9.8out of 10
Checkatrade
from 60 reviews, 45 of them 10 out of 10
10/10
rendering repair of outside window sill on first floor.
Quick response, great communication. Happy with results and advice provided.
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 Kirkintilloch
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.
Everybody in my street is getting it done. Why now?
The houses went up together, so the coats are the same age and reach the end together. It is arithmetic rather than fashion.
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