Assess options on removing rendering and revealing the brickwork or should we refresh the render.

Depending on the condition of the existing render? You could patch it but I would recommend removing all render back to brickwork and having it re rendered to prolong the life of it.

Its best to remove all of the render, the render would have to be Redone as the old render would of damaged the face of the brick. the price would depend on the price of scaffolding and size of house

Hi Adrian, It would be helpful to know the age of your property. Are you sure there is brickwork beneath? I'm assuming there is. First off, I would try a sample by hacking off a small patch of render to assess the condition of the brickwork. A good location for this could be on the rear elevation or the least noticeable location of the elevation, i.e. behind a bush or bins. So, if the brickwork is poor, causing you to 'patch repair' the render, it won't be as noticeable. I'm assuming the brickwork can be salvaged (only a minor amount of bricks need repaired). All render will need to be carefully hacked off with a hammer and chisel, minimising the damage beneath. Mortar beds will need to be racked out approx. 25mm deep, this can be done at a small disc-cutter but the operator will need to show evidence of previous use of a disc-cutter, as poor workmanship will leave saw-cuts in the bricks. Alternatively, mortar beds to be removed with hammer and chisel. I'm assuming the walls are solid and are originally built with lime-based mortar. You should replace like for like. Repoint beds with lime-based mortar, as this allows the wall to breathe. Imperial-sized bricks may need some repairs. Use lime-based mortar and brick dye to repair damaged bricks. As a general rule of thumb, mortar beds must be softer than bricks, to prevent 'brick spalling'. Imperial-sized bricks are generally soft compared to modern bricks, so gauge the mortar accordingly. Its very difficult to price a job with no measurements, photos or site visit. Rates could be in the region of £30sqm - £70sqm. Hope this helps. John

The face of the brick will be ruined now best thing take the render off and have it re rendered