Pebbledash Removal London
Pebbledash dates a London property like nothing else, and once it starts to crack, blow and trap damp behind it, removing it stops being purely cosmetic. The dashed render holds water against the brickwork, so where it has debonded from the wall the masonry behind is often wetter and more weathered than the owner expects — which is exactly why the decision of how to remove it matters as much as the price.
- Fixed Written Quotes
- Guaranteed in Writing
- Free On-Site Survey
Pebbledash Removal London
Pebbledash dates a London property like nothing else, and once it starts to crack, blow and trap damp behind it, removing it stops being purely cosmetic. The dashed render holds water against the brickwork, so where it has debonded from the wall the masonry behind is often wetter and more weathered than the owner expects — which is exactly why the decision of how to remove it matters as much as the price.
There are two honest routes. Hacking the pebbledash off back to bare brick and re-rendering gives the cleanest, longest-lasting result — a smooth modern finish in either traditional sand-cement render or a flexible, self-coloured silicone render that resists cracking and stays cleaner. Rendering straight over the existing pebbledash is cheaper and faster where the dash is sound and well-keyed, but it is only as good as what it is bonded to.
We survey the wall first, sound the existing render for hollow areas, and tell you plainly which route the property needs. Then we hack off, make good the brickwork, re-render and weatherproof — or render over where that is genuinely the right call — so the finish lasts rather than cracking back within a season.
What's Included
- Survey sounding the existing pebbledash for hollow, debonded areas
- Scaffolding for safe access to all elevations
- Hacking off pebbledash back to sound brickwork where required
- Brickwork repair and repointing where the old dash has weathered it
- New render in traditional sand-cement or flexible silicone thin-coat
- Self-coloured silicone finish in your chosen colour where specified
- Weatherproofing and making good around windows, sills and details
- Waste clearance and fixed written quote with guarantee in writing
What It Costs in London
These are guide prices to help you budget. We give you a fixed, written quote after a free on-site survey — no call-out charge and no surprises later.
| Work | Guide Price |
|---|---|
| Hack off & re-renderRemoval plus new render in sand-cement or silicone | £40 – £90 / sqm |
| Whole terraced houseFull pebbledash strip and re-render, all elevations | £3,000 – £8,000+ |
| Silicone (thin-coat) render finishFlexible, self-coloured, crack- and dirt-resistant | upper end of range |
| Render over existing pebbledashOnly where the existing dash is sound and well-keyed | lower end of range |
| ScaffoldingPer elevation / property, priced by access and height | £800 – £2,500+ |
Guide prices only — every job is confirmed with a fixed written quote after a free survey. Prices exclude VAT where applicable; your written quote states the VAT position clearly.
Our Process, Step by Step
Survey & sound the render
We tap-test the existing pebbledash across the elevation to find hollow, debonded areas, check the state of the brickwork and pointing behind it, and establish whether the wall is best hacked back to brick or rendered over. You get a fixed, itemised quote including scaffold.
Scaffold & strip
Scaffolding is erected for safe access, windows and ground are protected, and the pebbledash is hacked off back to sound brickwork where full removal is the right route — controlled, sheeted and cleared as we go.
Make good the brickwork
Exposed brickwork is repaired and repointed where the old dash has left it weathered, any damp paths are addressed, and the wall is prepared and primed so the new render keys and bonds properly rather than blowing later.
Re-render, weatherproof & finish
We apply the new render system — traditional sand-cement or a flexible silicone thin-coat in your chosen colour — built up in coats and finished smooth. The result weatherproofs the wall and transforms the elevation, then the scaffold comes down and we clean off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hacking off pebbledash and re-rendering typically costs £40–£90 per square metre, with the upper end reflecting a flexible silicone thin-coat finish. A whole terraced house, all elevations stripped and re-rendered, generally runs £3,000–£8,000 or more depending on size and access. Scaffolding is priced separately, usually £800–£2,500+. We quote a fixed price after sounding the existing render at survey.
It depends on what the existing dash is doing. Where the pebbledash is sound and well-keyed to the wall, rendering over it is cheaper and faster. But where it is cracked, hollow or debonded — which is common on older London render — rendering over it simply bonds the new finish to a failing surface, and it blows again. In those cases hacking back to bare brick and re-rendering is the longer-lasting route. We sound the wall and advise honestly.
Traditional sand-cement render is a robust, cost-effective system that is painted after curing. Silicone (thin-coat) render is a modern, flexible, self-coloured system applied over insulation board or a base coat — it resists cracking, sheds water, stays cleaner and never needs repainting because the colour runs through it. Silicone costs more but lasts longer with less maintenance; we price both so you can choose.
Hacking off pebbledash is done carefully, but on older properties the brickwork behind it has often been weathered by damp held against it by the failing render. Where we find soft pointing or eroded brick faces we repair and repoint them as part of making good before re-rendering — that is built into the quote, so the new render goes onto a sound, prepared wall rather than hiding a problem.
For a typical terraced house it usually takes one to two weeks on site once scaffolding is up, allowing for stripping, making good the brickwork, applying the render in coats and letting each coat cure. Weather affects rendering — it cannot be applied in frost or heavy rain — so we build a sensible allowance into the programme and keep you updated if conditions push the finish back.
Rendering & External Walls
Rendering and external wall finishes across London — sand-and-cement render, through-coloured silicone and monocouche systems, crack repair, pebbledash removal, masonry painting and weatherproofing.
View service Cost GuideRendering Costs in London: 2026 Price Guide
Rendering in London costs £45–£110 per square metre in 2026 depending on the system. See the cost to render a house by type, scaffold and pebbledash removal prices.
Read the guideAcross Every London Borough
We strip pebbledash and re-render terraces, semis and ex-local-authority houses across every London borough — in traditional sand-cement or modern silicone finishes from Croydon and Bromley to Enfield and Ealing.
Get Your Free Survey & Fixed Written Quote
Book a free on-site survey and we'll return an itemised, fixed-price quote in writing — anywhere in London. No call-out charge, no surprises later.
- Same-day callback
- Fixed price, in writing
- Guaranteed workmanship