A town of very different houses
Shoreham's homes span almost a thousand years. Old Shoreham grew up around St Nicolas' Church by the River Adur, while New Shoreham was laid out by the Normans on a grid that still shapes the town centre. The railway arrived in 1840 and Shoreham grew as a Victorian port. Shoreham Beach, a shingle spit, began as "Bungalow Town", a settlement of holiday homes made from converted railway carriages, and most of its houses today were built after the Second World War.
Each part of the town brings its own plastering and rendering questions.
Older buildings and flint
The oldest buildings in and around Shoreham, including flint farmhouses and the medieval buildings at Kingston Buci, were built long before modern cement and gypsum. Walls like these usually need lime: lime plaster inside and lime mortar or render outside, so moisture can escape rather than being trapped. Lime work is part of what we do.
Victorian and Edwardian homes
Many of Shoreham's terraces and villas date from its time as a busy Victorian port. Original plaster is often lime on solid walls. Small repairs can usually be matched in lime, while walls that have already been re-plastered in gypsum can be patched and repaired to suit.
Post-war and modern homes
For newer houses, including much of Shoreham Beach, the usual work is re-skimming walls and ceilings, smoothing textured ceilings and boarding new rooms.
Render by the sea
Homes on Shoreham Beach and along the seafront face salt-laden wind and rain coming straight off the sea. That's hard on render. Small cracks let water in, and salt carried into the wall can make the surface break up over time.
A few things help render last near the coast:
- Choose the right system. Some renders handle exposure better than others. Our guide to render types compares them.
- Get cracks repaired early, before water gets behind the render. See our render repairs.
- Check the weather side of the house every year or so.
Conservation areas in Shoreham and Southwick
Adur District Council has conservation areas at Old Shoreham, Shoreham-by-Sea town centre, Southwick and Kingston Buci. If your home is in one, rendering the outside needs planning permission, and older walls often need traditional materials. Adur District Council handles planning for both Shoreham and Southwick.
Frequently asked questions
Do you cover Shoreham Beach?
Yes. We cover all of Shoreham-by-Sea, including Shoreham Beach and Old Shoreham, plus Southwick.
What's the best render for a house on the seafront?
It depends on the wall and the exposure. A properly prepared, well-detailed system matters as much as the product. We'll look at your house before recommending one.
Can you repair lime plaster in an old flint cottage?
Yes. We work with lime plaster and lime render, which suit older solid walls.
Do I need planning permission to render my house in Southwick?
If your home is in the Southwick conservation area, yes. Elsewhere, re-rendering like for like is usually fine, but changing the render's colour or type, or rendering brick, usually needs permission.
Are your quotes free?
Yes. Quotes are free anywhere in Shoreham-by-Sea and Southwick.
Get a quote in Shoreham or Southwick
Send us photos of the walls, ceilings or render, and tell us which part of Shoreham or Southwick you're in. We'll reply with a free quote. Further east? See our plasterer in Hove page.
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