The render on the external walls had developed some paint blisters; most likely caused by us painting the render before it had fully dried out. (It had been a frustrating time back then - we had allowed more than enough time but the plasterer had messed us around so much that we ended up with only a few days to paint the whole house, before the scaffolding was removed).
The first job was to remove any flaky areas of paint and fill any damage in the render underneath. Our clean, white paintwork soon started getting very pockmarked with repairs. It was very annoying having to make repairs to a house that we hadn't even lived in yet (!)
While we were working on the render, we also decided to tidy up the bottom plinth (the recessed strip of wall where the house meets the ground) that had been sporting an ugly, bare cement look for the last two years.
We cleaned and prepared the bottom plinth using anti-mould treatment and then painted it using white exterior paint as an undercoat.
We gave the filler 24 hours to dry, before returning to paint over the repaired spots.
Repairing cement render invisibly is extremely difficult. The patches of filler were a much smoother texture than the render and would have shown up in certain light conditions, so to conceal the repairs, we mixed sand (the same sand we used to make the render) into the first coat of paint and this helped create a textured finish that matched the walls.
As the pictures show, the sand also made the paint go slightly yellow, but that proved quite useful as it made it easier to spot the repaired areas when applying the second coat of (un-sandy) paint.
After the second coat of paint had dried, the repairs were completely invisible.
The bottom plinths are often painted in black bitumen, but that might have looked a bit stark against our bright white render, so we chose to use a grey exterior paint instead. We got the shade mixed to the RAL code of the grey windows for an exact colour match.
The gap visible under the door will eventually be filled with a step that will lead down to a patio area.
Unfortunately, we found the paint had blistered all the way along the large East wall of the house too, so that also needed extensive repairs. The picture shows the final stage, as the last few patches of 'sandy paint' were about to be painted over.
The blistering paint wasn't the only issue with the render; back in February, the balcony installers had managed to drill a couple of holes in the wrong place (for which we did eventually manage to get some compensation) so we repaired these at the same time. Once again, adding sand to the paint and blending it carefully with the existing texture of the render worked really well.
Repairs gradually taking shape; a bit more sanding, blending and painting and the patched areas should be indistinguishable from the rest of the wall.
Hairline cracks seem to be an almost inevitable occurrence with rendered walls. We took every precaution to avoid them, including using reinforcing mesh around the window corners, but a new house can move and settle quite a lot in its first few years and annoyingly a couple of small hairline cracks had appeared.
It seems rather drastic, but the only way to get rid of the hairline cracks was to chisel out all the loose material...
... then fill the gap. We used a flexible, fibre-reinforced filler, covered with a second layer of conventional cement filler. After that we applied the 'usual' sand-blending trick to conceal the repair, before finally painting it white.
More hairline cracks were repaired at the front of the house. These were caused by the movement of the lead roofing strip over the 'porch' roof.
We also completed painting the grey plinth that runs around the whole circumference of the house.
A final coat of white paint above the porch and the render repairs were finally done.
Making the most of the good weather, we also decided to do something about our temporary front door step.
We began by roughly levelling out the ground.
Using sand to adjust the levels, we laid out some blocks as the 'foundations'.
More blocks added. If we worked out the height correctly, the slate doorstep should sit nice and level with the threshold.
We also planned to fit a drainage channel between the step and the door. According to the laser line, a couple of corners of render would need to be cut out to get it to fit.
Next, we used an angle grinder to shape the render around the fins on the drainage channel. Not the most elegant process but once the channel is in place, it will ensure it is sealed tightly against the wall.
The plastic drainage channel fitted in place and sealed using black silicone. Using the channel means that any standing water on the doorstep will be drained safely away from the house and prevents any damp issues forming in the area under the door threshold.
As ever, the site inspector was barely able to contain his excitement.
The doorstep itself was going to be made from a huge piece of slate that we salvaged from our old septic tank (!) It had been left out in the garden to air for a couple of years, so hopefully any residual whiff should have been washed away by now.
It was impossible for us to lift such a heavy sheet of slate on our own, so shifting it to the front door was achieved in 'ancient Egyptian' style using levers and rollers. After much huffing and puffing, we eventually managed to get the slate lined up alongside the blocks and ready to be slid over into place.
Sliding the thick slate across into position had the potential to go horribly wrong, so for health and safety purposes, we confined the site inspector to his quarters. He wasn't too happy, but they don't make hard hats in his size so it was for the best.
Still a lot of work to do; at a later date, we will need to build a wheelchair-friendly slope right up to the step, so all those unsightly blocks will eventually be covered up.
After sealing the slate where it meets the drainage slots, the last job was to test everything out using numerous buckets of water. No puddles formed so the step should fare well in even the wettest Cornish winter.
