Should we render limestone retaining walls?

[mando78]

I am looking at a facelift for our old house and want to render, however we have quite a bit of limestone brick which we want to cover too..... front wall, between stairs, side of stairs, up side of drive, one block retainer below window area - as shown with arrows.

The company who is going to render has said they can render this area along with house - can you give your thoughts on this as I have read this may not be a great idea....  

If I don't render how could I change this area???

Any input, ideas greatly appreciated

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @mando78 

Its  your place and please do anything  you want to  it render will look great too for 10 years or so as it gets a bit tired.

Your  house looks as neat as a  pin  I wouldnt render it or the wall .   Just my 2 cents worth of opinion here i am a bit biased  towards  nateral materials at times so be aware of this as  you read on.

No  render option. If you wanted  a house personality change try painting the front door and  garage door with the  house facias etc for starters, maybe place a photo of your house in a color simulator and test the rendered colors etc. if you havent already  done this you would be surprised the effects  this will have.

If  your  new house rendering color scheme can retain your lovely limestone walls as is I think it will preserve your property value the most.

If you feel they are a bit run down they can be slightly ground back restoring the nateral appeal once a  high quility stone sealer applied they will last a hundred  years plus.

People place higher value on nateral stone than rendered places.   I see rendered places and  wonder what it is covering underneath.  Rendering is  great for ugly walls and houses it really brings  them to life and raise there value now  consider the same houses added   value if they are   granite or marble clad?

How ever 

1 Bonus   Rendering your wall is  one solution and will them  match your house 100% 

2 There are also  1 million stone like or timber like or any thing  else in the tile world  Imagine  the endless possibilities of tiling them. It should be said not all tiles are outdoor suitable as they can absorb water.  I still used indoor tiles out door I am prepared  to replace  them if they  fail later also a  good  excuse for a color  change

3 or you can  add stone cladding  to change your house looks. 

4 You might like  timber  cladding as an  extra option.

Try to give you some new thoughts reject the ones you dont like.

[EricL]

Hello @mando78 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your limestone retaining walls.

It's great that you've received excellent advice from @Jewelleryrescue. I totally agree that a stone finish gives the impression that the retaining wall is made of quality materials. An excellent option offered by Jewelleryrescue is to use timber cladding. This has the effect of softening the appearance of your retaining walls as it is made of wood. It's only on closer inspection will they notice that it's made of limestone. 

I propose looking at the SpecRite 1800 x 902mm Pre-Oiled Merbau Alternating Slat Fence Panel. If cut and arranged properly you can easily disguise your retaining wall and give it the impression that it is made of timber. Another option is to use SpecRite 90 x 19mm Merbau Pre-Oiled Decking, you can have the panels as close as 3mm from each other to change the appearance of the wall.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[mando78]

@Jewelleryrescue thanks so much for your reply, we have only decided to render the house as the mortar between the bricks is bad in places and the quote to fix this was so expensive compared to the render quote - we will be getting new front door and garage door.

I will look at other options you have mentioned thank you.

[Dave-1]

Good morning @mando78 

Rendering works but then you are stuck with it for a long time. I dont see any problem with it really.

How about change parts of the retaining wall, for instance.

Remove the pointed tops to the pillars.

Flatten the tops, install a light fixture there instead. (Either a tall one or a medium styled one)

The brick pillars, render them only? Paint them to an offset colour to bring up the walls themselves?

For the top of the retaining walls, you could install hardwood timber (45*90mm) and oil it. It would break up the same, sameness style.

Dave

[Jason]

I also vote for no render @mando78. You already have a beautiful home. 

Let me tag some other experienced members for their thoughts: @Renowayoflife, @redbournreno and @2Belindas.

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community.

Jason

[mando78]

Thanks @Dave-1 

Yes I was thinking of leaving the limestone walls but rendering the brick pillars (as they are in bad condition) and having these flat on top to appear more modern with stone cladding in front of walls to freshen it up.....as think with the house being rendered and painted it will make the limestone walls appear more old and more drab in comparison....

I also like the idea of adding in some timber

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi  @mando78 

I see the the mortar is bad in places as you said this is a  DIY job just made for you totally doable.

Well that mortar will only be the surface mortar that you see fallen out but your wall is perfectly straight which means the internal mortar is still in place.

If you  feel there are any loose bricks they can be glued in place and  this is some thing you  can  do at low  cost.

Simple to  use :

Selleys 440g Off White No More Gaps Bricks And Mortar Gap Filler i/n 0266923 

Brick and mortar filler and how to do videos 

1 Cut the white tube nozzle,  and  cut the screw on nozzle to 45 degrees and attach it to the caulking gun the way bunnings staff showed you in store.

2 Aim into the damaged  mortar spot and squeeze the trigger until repair mortar comes out sufficiantly to fill the mortar gap. Stop and place caulking gun nozzle on an old disposable rag or paper towel as the nozzle will leak a bit.

3 With your gloved  finger smooth the mortar into the groove neatly wiping excess on rag or onto the next mortar  repair site.

4 try to keep mortar inside the grout groves so it isnt messy on to the limestone  bricks.

5 But do wipe it off limestone  with rag, paper towel, or   use wet sponge  and  or wet brush ASAP as you work,

Do the same at the next damaged section.

Note if the grout hole is 30mm deep take a  picture of the worst sections as normally we push a  foam rod into the hole so you dont use as much mortar repair out of the tube as it isnt cheap.

Well we are happy to offer more advice  as you   need it on  any thing discussed here .

Hope  you are confident enough to try this process. Its  ok  if you still are unsure we all have  our  skill limits.