Cover pebble dash · Northern Ireland
Covering pebble dash in County Antrim
We provide pebble dash covering across County Antrim, including Belfast, Lisburn and Newtownabbey, with a free survey and fixed written price. If your house in County Antrim is pebble-dashed, covering the dash is usually simpler than removing it.
- Free survey and fixed written price
- Guide price from £72 per m² + scaffold, inc VAT
- Planning and building control checked for Northern Ireland
Free survey in County Antrim
Tell us the postcode and what you need.
What's included
- Combining with insulation adds warmth as well as a new look
- Removing dash entirely is noisy and can damage soft brick
- Loose areas are cut out and patched first
- Tap-testing finds hollow, loose areas before anything is decided
- Render-over uses a bonding coat and mesh to level the stones
Homes and walls in County Antrim
Northern Ireland has many rendered and pebble-dashed homes, older solid-walled rural houses, and estates built by the Housing Executive.
Parts of County Antrim fall in the higher wind-driven rain exposure bands, especially coastal and upland sites, so render specification, movement joints and detailing at cills, verges and the base of the wall matter more than usual.
If your house in County Antrim is pebble-dashed, covering the dash is usually simpler than removing it.
- Nation
- Northern Ireland
- Region
- Northern Ireland
- Towns covered
- Belfast, Lisburn, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, Ballymena, Antrim, Larne
- Guide price
- From £72 per m² + scaffold · inc VAT
Northern Ireland: planning and regulations
In Northern Ireland, permitted development is set by the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (NI) 2015. Changing the external appearance of a house may need permission, and conservation areas, flats, commercial buildings and listed buildings need planning permission or listed building consent. Check with your council's planning office.
Insulating external walls is building work under the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, handled by council building control, with Technical Booklet F1 covering conservation of fuel and power in dwellings.
When does pebble dash need removing?
Where it's widely hollow, cracked or letting water in, or where the wall underneath needs to be inspected or repaired. Removal is dusty and noisy and can damage the face of soft bricks, so it's not the default.
Covering pebble dash prices in County Antrim
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Render over sound pebble dash | £72–£114 per m²inc VAT | Excluding scaffold |
| Insulate over pebble dash (EWI) | £110–£175 per m²0% VAT | |
| Pebble dash removal | £24–£48 per m²inc VAT | Where needed |
Confirmed by a fixed written quote after survey. Prices include VAT at 20%. 0% VAT: installing insulation in a home is zero-rated until 31 March 2027, so these figures are the total; 5% applies from 1 April 2027.
What happens next
Enquiry
Send your postcode and a few details.
Measured survey
Walls, damp, eaves, cills and services recorded.
Written price
A fixed price with the specification attached.
Work and handover
Installed, inspected and documents handed over.
Cover pebble dash in County Antrim: questions
Is it cheaper to cover pebble dash or remove it?
Covering is usually cheaper and less disruptive, as long as the dash is sound.
Can I paint pebble dash instead?
You can, but it doesn't fix hollow areas or cracks, and paint on dash often needs redoing every few years.
Will the stones show through?
No. A levelling base coat with mesh fills over the stones before the finish goes on.
Do you cover all of County Antrim?
Yes. We survey and quote pebble dash covering across County Antrim, including Belfast, Lisburn, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, Ballymena.
Do I need planning permission in Northern Ireland?
In Northern Ireland, permitted development is set by the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (NI) 2015. We check your address before quoting.