Hi Ginger_tom,

Altering or replacing roughcast render is a tricky business. As you’ve found, most plasterers won’t be keen to render over an existing surface, particularly if it’s been painted as they can’t guarantee the bond will be strong enough to last.

Removal can be extremely difficult, too. I suspect from what you’ve said that you’re dealing with a cement-based roughcast, which is likely to have adhered very strongly to the underlying substrate. Trying to remove it could therefore damage the face of whatever’s underneath it (eg block or brick) – ultimately causing damage that would need to be made good (ie cost you more money) before re-rendering.

One option is to try a small test panel – whereby you pick the most discrete area you can (eg at the back or side of the house) and try removing a small patch of render. This would help you to determine whether removing the roughcast across the whole property is a practical option; but obviously you will have to incur the cost of repairing the test area if removal proves impossible.

Ultimately you may have to learn to love your home with its existing finish – there’s a neat little article on the Guardian website about why it’s ok to live with pebbledash and roughcast render! http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/21/pebbledash-homes-nick-clegg

Chris Bates, Deputy Editor at Build It magazine