Hi all
I have a 1970's build where the outside walls are looking a bit 'tired'. They're half redbrick (ok) but the lower white half are 'builders bricks' (was told due to brick shortages in the 70's they built lots of places half&half?). Any work on them gives off a horrible black dust (all interior walls seem to be the same - horrible!). People we bought the place from 5 years ago were here for 10 years and painted pretty much everything (and not to a great standard) rather than any real repairs. Prior to them the previous owners we think had it from new. They where competent and anything from their era seems quality. So my maintenance is really deterioration I would figure is from the last 10-15 years. This exterior is damp on walls painted possibly with cheap/non-exterior wall paint?!
The flat roof on the garage is not great, will get something done with that soon - in the next couple of years. It doesn't leak but water is starting to stand on it (moss growing). Ideally will put a slope on it, but also want to put panels on the main roof as the rear faces directly south and our rear garden is a 'sun trap', so was thinking to do something on the garage roof too - maximise panel space. The flat roof wraps around the front - a 4-5 foot overhang infront of the left front window and across the front to the middle where the door is, so that would be part of it. All of that wrap around has peeling exterior white paint, so will be stripping that off - on top of plastic/wood/board to repaint it.
As for the water/moisture, the garage rear wall (faces South & East) is probably the worst and the mortar there is starting to come away between the bricks. So I don't want to just paint over this, how much of a job is to repair this myself (is it called 're-pointing'?) and what sort of tools would you recommend? I want to strip much of this white exterior paint off, so I can repaint it all with the same product all around the property (so I know it's all done well & at the same time & same colour). So what tools to strip this paint, or at least knock the loose off and 'key' the surface so I get good coverage afterwards. I was thinking a large wire brush on something like a hand 'grinder', but I bet there are better ways/tools of doing it. Think you can 'sandblast' but no idea how, or cost of equipment if doing this yourself. Obviously as it's white paint however it comes off is going to be messy. So I'll be wanting to hoover/sweep it up as I go - while not doing it in the windy weather!
Also around the base of the garage is a 'lip' around the bottom (it is not around the house). This is coming away on the corner, looks to be broken (I bodged it with a couple of screws when it first moved thinking I'd knocked it, but it's continued to come away both sides). This obviously needs to come off - but do I 'stick' it back on? Replace with new? Can it just be mortared back on with what I'm repointing with?
I have a 1970's build where the outside walls are looking a bit 'tired'. They're half redbrick (ok) but the lower white half are 'builders bricks' (was told due to brick shortages in the 70's they built lots of places half&half?). Any work on them gives off a horrible black dust (all interior walls seem to be the same - horrible!). People we bought the place from 5 years ago were here for 10 years and painted pretty much everything (and not to a great standard) rather than any real repairs. Prior to them the previous owners we think had it from new. They where competent and anything from their era seems quality. So my maintenance is really deterioration I would figure is from the last 10-15 years. This exterior is damp on walls painted possibly with cheap/non-exterior wall paint?!
The flat roof on the garage is not great, will get something done with that soon - in the next couple of years. It doesn't leak but water is starting to stand on it (moss growing). Ideally will put a slope on it, but also want to put panels on the main roof as the rear faces directly south and our rear garden is a 'sun trap', so was thinking to do something on the garage roof too - maximise panel space. The flat roof wraps around the front - a 4-5 foot overhang infront of the left front window and across the front to the middle where the door is, so that would be part of it. All of that wrap around has peeling exterior white paint, so will be stripping that off - on top of plastic/wood/board to repaint it.
As for the water/moisture, the garage rear wall (faces South & East) is probably the worst and the mortar there is starting to come away between the bricks. So I don't want to just paint over this, how much of a job is to repair this myself (is it called 're-pointing'?) and what sort of tools would you recommend? I want to strip much of this white exterior paint off, so I can repaint it all with the same product all around the property (so I know it's all done well & at the same time & same colour). So what tools to strip this paint, or at least knock the loose off and 'key' the surface so I get good coverage afterwards. I was thinking a large wire brush on something like a hand 'grinder', but I bet there are better ways/tools of doing it. Think you can 'sandblast' but no idea how, or cost of equipment if doing this yourself. Obviously as it's white paint however it comes off is going to be messy. So I'll be wanting to hoover/sweep it up as I go - while not doing it in the windy weather!
Also around the base of the garage is a 'lip' around the bottom (it is not around the house). This is coming away on the corner, looks to be broken (I bodged it with a couple of screws when it first moved thinking I'd knocked it, but it's continued to come away both sides). This obviously needs to come off - but do I 'stick' it back on? Replace with new? Can it just be mortared back on with what I'm repointing with?
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