Algarve Renovation Project
Rustic Property in Need of Render Repairs Occasionally you may come across a nice property here in central Portugal. Good size, great views, a garden and lots of POTENTIAL ! By looking at the overall structure of the property you can establish if its soundly constructed. If you don’t think you are qualified to do this contact Castelo Construction 00351 927168247 and they will help you.
What does put a lot of people off is a property which looks rough on the outside. Cracked and missing render with weeds or grass growing out of it and dark stains from rain water. Don’t worry it can be fixed fairly easily. It’s not a job for an amateur although some of the basic work (almost half) can be done by you.
Before you get your overalls on have a look at the traditional features that the property has. These may be overlooked as the property may look in a bit of a state.
If you find these features attractive it is well worth having then replicated in the new render, repaired or realigned. If you remove them all the property may lose some of its character and end up looking like a featureless box.
Windows with stone surrounds can be exposed to create a very attractive look. Make sure that they and the underlying stone are sound as exposing ugly stone work and re rendering on top of loose masonry is a waste of time.
Starting to clean the old render off your property. This is the DIY part. You can buy a chipping hammer from most tool shops for under 10 Euros. It looks a little like a small ice axe with a vertical chisel blade on one side and a horizontal blade on the other. All you do is hit the render where you want to take it off and once you have formed a hole you just work along the edge making it larger. It’s important to have a dust mast and goggles because the work is very dusty.
Dusty, boring and repetitive is the best way to describe removing render. The wall elevation in (Pic 4) took 1 man 3 days to remove. You will need scaffolding to safely access the whole wall. With the equivalent of 12 man days to remove the render from a whole house you have saved a good part of the re-render cost and built up the muscles in your hammer arm.
Always use professionals to re render as it’s hard to judge the quality of the finished render until its painted then of course it’s too late. A professional will produce straight corners and edges, sharp detailing and a very smooth surface. They will also know exactly which mix of slaked lime, sand and cement to use on the inside or outside of your house. Leave the rendered property for at least a month before painting it so that it can dry out and settle properly. During drying mall cracks will appear which can be filled before painting.
The result will be a waterproof, more valuable, attractive home that you can be proud of. For internal plaster or external lime render contact info@caseloconstruction.com See more completed projects at www.casteloconstruction.com
