Facade work: render, cladding and external wall insulation in Ireland

Hollow-sounding patches, cracks and blown areas of render can often be cut out and patched, but matching texture and colour on pebbledash or roughcast is difficult, and the repair usually shows. When large areas are loose, stripping back to the masonry and re-rendering is the longer-lasting answer. Taking pebbledash off can damage the face of the bricks underneath, so removing it to reveal brickwork rarely looks the way owners hope.

Masonry paint freshens a sound wall but does not fix a failing one. Cladding, in timber, fibre cement, tiles or brick slips on a carrier system, covers the wall rather than repairing it, and the wall behind still needs to be sound.

Solid brick and stone walls from before the widespread use of cavity walls were usually built and rendered with lime. They take in some moisture and let it dry out again. Hard cement render and impermeable masonry paint on these walls can hold moisture in, which shows up later as damp patches inside and frost damage outside. For a period house, ask whether the contractor works with lime render and breathable paints, and why they recommend what they do.

Houses with solid walls lose a lot of heat through them. External wall insulation fixes insulation boards to the outside and finishes them with render or another cladding. It keeps rooms full size, but it thickens the walls, so window sills, downpipes, gas meter boxes, eaves and verges all have to be extended or moved. Those details are where poor installations fail, so ask how each one will be handled.

• survey of the existing wall: loose render, cracks, damp and the cause of any damage
• materials: render system, lime or cement, insulation type and thickness, finish and colour
• details at windows, sills, eaves, verges, downpipes and meter boxes
• scaffolding, licence for the pavement and protection of plants and paths
• guarantee, and whether it is backed by the system manufacturer or an insurer

Whether the roof or wall work needs planning permission depends on what is built and where. Many small works on a house are exempted development within set limits, but that exemption does not apply everywhere, for example to protected structures. Ask your county or city council's planning office before you commit if you are unsure.

Electrical work in homes is carried out by Registered Electrical Contractors, and gas work by Registered Gas Installers; ask to see the registration before work starts. Check whether the quote includes VAT, which Revenue charges at different rates depending on the goods and services involved.

Source: revenue.ie

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