Plasterer and Renderer in Penwortham

Suburban, and almost entirely cavity

Penwortham grew as Preston's suburb across the Ribble, mostly between the wars and after them, and it is semis and detached houses rather than terrace. Nearly all of it has a cavity.

That means the render conversation is genuinely open. Silicone thin-coat, monocouche and traditional systems are all realistic, and the decision comes down to the look you want, the state of what is on there now and the budget, rather than being forced by the construction.

Mostly internal work, in practice

Because the exteriors here are largely sound, most of what we actually do in Penwortham is inside: boarding and skimming after a knock-through, ceilings, loft rooms finished off, media walls and garages converted.

Modern rooms are lit with a lot of downlights, which is unforgiving. A wall that is only nearly flat is obvious at night, and that is worth knowing before choosing between a skim over what is there and boarding it out properly.

The garages are worth a mention on their own. A great many Penwortham houses of this period have an attached or integral garage that has stopped being used as one, and converting it is the cheapest room anybody is going to add to a house. The plastering side of that is a rendered elevation outside and an insulated lining inside.

It wants insulating properly rather than just lining. A garage wall was never built to be a room wall, and a cold surface is where condensation shows up first.