House Rendering

[missprim]

My daughter is thinking of buying a house but the outside is rendered, have any of you had problems with this finish? Could it crack or peel? I should imagine it's quite expensive to put right if it goes wrong.

[buildersmate]

Cracking can occur in rendering but it generally occurs soon after it is done (if it is going to happen at all) or as the result of minor movement in the house. The mistake most householders make is not to deal with it right away which lets water into the cracks, which can then allow the render to lift from what it is attached to underneath.
Have a look at a surface and assess its general condition - many renders that have been maintained with occasional coat of paint last for tens of years.
Peeling is a surface issue.
Repairing cracks is simple but virtually impossible to do without it being visible on smooth finish renders. That may be why some people prefer heavily stippled finishes.

[tezestwing]

Hi misssprim it depends whether it has cavity walls?? if it is just double brick then any salts in the bricks combined with any ingress of moisture in the render can only go one way to the inside this will cause all sorts of problems with the inside plaster also if the render bridges the damp course that can cause rising damp so it all depends on wall construction and then how well it is coated ?? for it to repel the rain as buildersmate stated.
no probs with a cavity HTH Tez