Look at the blockwork and the house
What the new wall is built from, what the old wall is finished in, and whether you want them matched or want the whole house brought to one finish.
What new build and extension render is, and when you need it
A new extension is the one job where we are starting from nothing, and the one job where the result is judged entirely on how well it matches something that was built decades earlier.
The three photographs of the two storey extension in our work section are the clearest explanation of this work we can give: bare blockwork, the scratch coat combed and set, and the finished roughcast. Everything that decides whether the finish lasts happens in the middle photograph.
Matching the existing house
The aggregate, the mix and the colour all have to be read off a wall that has been weathering for a long time, and the new work will always be the brighter of the two at first.
Where the owner has decided they want the house to be one finish anyway, the better answer is often to do the whole lot at once, as on the porch and rear extension in our work section. It costs more on the day and there is then no join to go wrong.
Blockwork, and getting it right before the finish
New blockwork is flat only by the standards of a bricklayer. Rendering it means bringing it to a plane that a flat coat can sit on, and that is the backing coat's job.
Blocks also pull water out of a mix at a rate that depends on what they are and what the weather has been doing, which changes how the scratch coat is mixed and how it is worked.
Porches, garages and the small ones
Not everything is a two storey extension. A porch, a garage, a conservatory base or a boundary wall are the same build up at a smaller scale, and they are often the ones left unfinished for years because they feel too small to be worth a visit.
We do them, and we would rather do them alongside something else on the same house if there is something else to do.
How we do it
Start to finish
Beads and movement joints
Corner beads, bellcast at the base and stop beads at the openings, set to the lines the finished wall will be judged against.
Scratch coat
The levelling and bonding coat, combed to give the finish a key, and given the time it needs to set.
Finish coat
Roughcast, dry dash or smooth render, matched to the house or to the finish you have chosen.
Tie in and clean off
The join between new and existing worked so it does not read as a join.
Three ways to start
Ring, message, or send the details
Ring 07501 844432
You get Fraser. Tell him the wall and he will tell you what it probably needs.
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A photograph of the wall tells us more than a paragraph of description can.
Open WhatsAppSend us the details
Fill the form in at the bottom of this page with a photo or two and we will come back to you.
Go to the formPast work
New build and extension render jobs we have done
Brick to white dash with charcoal corner pillars
Roughcasting and dry dash, New build and extension render
See this jobTwo storey extension: blockwork, scratch coat, finished roughcast
New build and extension render, Roughcasting and dry dash
See this job
New porch and rear extension, whole house re-dashed
New build and extension render, Roughcasting and dry dash
See this jobBefore and after
The same wall, both ways
Two storey extension: blockwork, scratch coat, finished roughcast. Drag the handle to see the before.
Straight answers
Questions about new build and extension render
How long does the scratch coat need before the finish goes on?
Long enough, and it varies with the weather and the block. Forcing it on too soon is one of the main reasons a new extension cracks along the block joints in its first couple of winters. We would rather come back than rush that.
Can you render over insulation on a new extension?
That is an external wall insulation system rather than a plain render, and the insulation, the fixings, the mesh and the render are all part of one specified system. Tell us if that is what the drawings say and we will tell you plainly whether it is work we are taking on.
Will the new work match the old exactly?
Closely, not exactly, and the difference is weathering rather than materials. On a rear extension nobody ever notices. On a front elevation it is worth discussing whether to bring the whole wall into one finish.
Do you work alongside a builder?
Yes. Most extension work is us coming in after the brickwork and the roof and before the painter. Tell us who is running the job and we will talk to them.
Get in touch
Get a price for rendering your extension
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. Or send a photo of the wall on WhatsApp.