Our work · Plymouth

Render, cladding and porcelain paving in Plymouth: a courtyard and house front refurbished

In short Courtyard and house front refurbished: render, cladding and porcelain paving, by D.A Building Services in Plymouth. A tired rear courtyard and house front, rebuilt with fresh render, cladding on the retaining wall, a drainage channel and porcelain paving with a bullnosed step edge.

Where: Plymouth
The job: Courtyard, walls and house front
Walls: Old block walls re-rendered, cladding on the retaining wall
Paving: Copper-mixed porcelain, 600x600 slabs
Drainage: A new channel drainage system and an inset drain lid
Finish: Bullnosed step edge, full exterior paint

Courtyard with grey-green cladding on the retaining wall, tiled paving, an inset drain lid and a bullnosed step edge — Photo from the job

Before and after

What changed.

The front of the house, before and after

Front of the house with cream painted render before the work

Front of the house repainted pale blue-grey, with rendered boundary and step walls

The courtyard, before and after

Rear courtyard before the work, with worn concrete underfoot, stained rendered walls and a drain cover

Courtyard with a drainage channel by the downpipe, cladding, porcelain paving and a bullnosed step edge

About the job

The before photos show a courtyard with worn concrete, damp-stained rendered walls and old pipework, and a house front in cream paint. The job took in the whole space: the old block walls were re-rendered, the retaining wall was clad, a new drainage channel went in and the floor was relaid in porcelain.

The paving is copper-mixed porcelain in 600x600 slabs. The drain cover is an inset lid, filled with the paving so the access is still there but the drain is hidden, and the step has a bullnosed edge. A composite decking board with a bullnosed edge was used as capping.

The photos of the render going on show the stair wall and the front side wall at the fresh stage, before the paint. The finished front of the house, repainted in a pale blue-grey, shows the rendered boundary wall and step walls.

Photos from the job

Photos from our own jobs, in the order of the work.

Old painted block wall and pebbledash beside a stair wall before the work

Concrete steps and a tired rendered wall with a patched section before the work

Sloping side wall, stained and cracked, beside a front garden before the work

Fresh render on a stair wall and its capping, with pebbledash beside it

Front side wall freshly rendered, with parked cars in the street beyond

Inset drain cover being bedded on mesh beside the cladding

Where

Saltash, and over the bridge to Plymouth.

SaltashOur base, on the Cornwall side PlymouthAcross the Tamar in Devon, Plymouth City Council

FAQ

Questions about this job

What is an inset drain lid?

A recessed cover that is filled with the same paving as the surface around it, so the drain stays accessible but is hidden.

What does a bullnosed edge mean?

A rounded edge on a step or capping, softer to look at and kinder underfoot than a square edge.

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