A friend of mine asked me about having rendering done on her property. I have advised her that this is the worst time of year to have it done. Her dilema is that she needs it doing before her baby is born in March. Can any builder out there advise me of how my friend can overcome this problem

A friend of mine asked me about having rendering done on her property. I have advised her that this is the worst time of year to have it done. Her dilema is that she needs it doing before her baby is born in March. Can any builder out there advise me of how my friend can overcome this problem

There's no reason why it can't be done .If there's a concern about the cold weather /frost there are plenty of additives that can be added to the render to prevent the frost reacting .Tell your friend all she has to do is get a reputable builder to do the work, if she is stuck i can recommend one for her.

Never render when theres a chance of a bad frost. ie. now !!!! not a full house anyway.

Craig.

Mortar and concrete do not like frost as it can seriously damage the mix, adding a frost proofing chemical means that mortar and concrete can be used in temperatures of -4degrees C. Some of these chemicals can be used as rapid hardeners which make the cement set a lot faster than normal.It wouldn't be a problem to render a house at the moment .I'm not saying this to get work, I don't need it. I am booked up until next July .

Summer's a really bad time to have rendering applied as it dries out before it sets, and ends up full of cracks!

If you're worried about freezing and you've not got cavity walls, try turning up your heating to 30° the day before and keep it on. That should help!

Rapid hardeners for rendering :gag: your going to have to be very fast :hihi:

Craig.

( leave it until summer.)

The OPs friend in question needs it doing before March. And i did say (some chemicals can be used as hardeners),again there is no reason it can't be done .

Rendering can be done at any time of the year with common-sense. There are frost proofers for cement and they work, just like anti-freeze works in your car radiator. Any reputable renderer wont risk his reputation or his living by working on too cold a day, its cheaper to have the day off than be called back for taking a chance. You have a bigger chance of failure having it done in summer because of rapid drying. If your fresh cement dries before it can set then it will go to dust a fall off! Think of all the apartments you see being built around the city. Do they stop building between November and April?
The good thing about getting outdoor work done in the colder months is contractors are available because of a low order book. Try ringing after April and they are often booked up, also when demand is high the price may increase.

For rendering try www.rendermaster.co.uk

You seem to recommend 'rendermaster', however the guy popped round some months ago, and said he would drop me a quote within a week, and here I am.........???

I have also tried to ring him on his mobile..........no reply?????

So I tried a company called SCC based on penistone road, rang them in the morning, they would down in the afternoon, and provided a verbal and written quote the same week!!!

I looked up rendermaster on the web. He's a guy called John Briggs and he did my parents house on Dransfield Road in February 1987. Its still on and looking good. Good to see he's still around.

rendermaster did all my properties from the early 80's up to retirement. Never had a problem. Can get booked up quite quickly though. As mentioned above winter can be a problem but so can summer. With common sense and knowledge both seasons can be overcome. As for booking a builder for outside work I aggree that you have a better chance at getting who you want at a reasonable price if you book them in the colder months. Best time for quotes is January and tell them you cant have the work done till late March for whatever reason. Make sure that the price will stick till then, the market picks up in April and so does the prices.