Removing exterior render

[Anonymous]

I have seen a Victorian semi in London that i am interested in buying. The problem is that it is covered, front, side and back in a red render. From a distance it looks like red paint, but on closer inspection it has a coarse grainy texture and has been sprayed on. Neighbouring houses still have the lovely original brickwork. I have seen a couple of other properties nearby that have had their render removed and they look absolutely shocking. The pointing is a complete mess and there are still traces of the render left on the bricks. Is it possible to remove render and return brickwork to its former glory, how exepensive is this and are there specialists that can do it?

 

[Anonymous]

Are you sure that this is render, and not one of those spray on coatings which people pay a heap of money for - why I don't know - which are supposed tp 'seal' their homes against heaven knows what? It may be possible to remove but I suspect it's a laborious and expensive and uncertain process, if you don't really know what the coating is and what is underneath.

Render is usually cement (if modern) and in order to get a 'key' the original building material is often hacked into. There's little that can be done to remedy this - although the render itself can cause damp problems.

I'd look for somewhere else personally...