Plastering & making good · Rochester
Plastering & making good in Rochester
Plastering & making good in Rochester, from free survey to completion certificate.
- Itemised written quote
- Beam sized by a structural engineer
- Covering Rochester and nearby
- Free survey visit
- Engineer's calculations arranged
- Building control handled
- Fixed written price once scope is agreed
- England, Wales, mainland Scotland & NI
About our plastering & making good service in Rochester
We cover plastering & making good in Rochester (ME1, ME2, ME4) and the streets around it. We also work in nearby Gillingham, roughly 1.9 miles away. Each job is designed by a structural engineer and approved through Medway Council before work begins.
We make good as the final stage of our structural jobs, and can quote it separately where another firm has fitted the steel. It covers boxing and fire boarding, plastering and skimming, floor infills and skirting, leaving smooth, dry surfaces for your decorator.
What to expect
- Textured ceiling coatings applied before 2000 can contain asbestos. Before a textured ceiling is cut, scraped or sanded, a sample is tested or an asbestos survey of the area is arranged, and the finish is only disturbed once the result is known.
- Victorian and Edwardian ceilings are often lath and lime plaster, which can sag or come away when nearby work shakes it. Small areas can be patched to match, while larger damaged areas are usually overboarded or replaced for a sound result.
- Hairline cracks sometimes appear along board joints or where new plaster meets old, as the building settles onto the steel and the plaster dries out. They are normal in the first months and are usually filled at the next redecoration.
- Making good is easy to underestimate when budgeting. Removing a wall disturbs the ceiling, both wall ends and the floor, and props and needles leave their own marks, so the finishing work usually covers far more than the opening itself.
- Plastering itself is wet rather than dusty, but cutting back old plaster and sanding filler is not. Work areas are sheeted off, floors protected and dust extraction used when cutting, so the mess stays in the room being worked on.
What happens, step by step
Survey in Rochester
We visit, look at the wall and what sits above it, measure the opening and note services, access and how the steel can be brought in.
Engineer's design
A structural engineer sizes the beam, padstones and any posts, and sets out the temporary support needed while the wall is out.
Building control
We submit a building notice or full plans application to Medway Council, so approval is in place before the wall is touched.
Install and sign-off
Props go in, the opening is formed, the steel is set and packed, building control inspects it, and we make good.
How much should I budget in Rochester?
As a guide, budget £340–£1,340 including VAT for plastering and making good in Rochester, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in the South East (+12%).
| Job | Typical guide range | What it usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| Plastering and making good | £340–£1,340 | Boxing the beam, bead and skim, reveals, floor infill where the wall stood and tidy-up |
| Kitchen-diner knock-through | £2,800–£6,700 | Internal structural wall between kitchen and dining room, steel beam, approvals and making good (kitchen fitting extra) |
| Fire protection to a steel beam | £170–£670 per beam | Fire-rated board boxing or an intumescent coating system as specified |
| Chimney breast removal (ground floor) | £1,700–£3,350 | Ground-floor breast removed, steel to support the breast above, building control and making good |
Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for prices in the South East (+12%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.
Building control and neighbours in Rochester
For Rochester, building control is provided by Medway Council, or by a registered building control approver if preferred. We send them the engineer's calculations with a building notice or full plans application and book the inspections. Work done without approval can cause problems at sale and is far dearer to put right later.
If the beam bears into a wall you share with a neighbour, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies, and a party structure notice must be served at least two months before that work starts. We arrange this through a party wall surveyor.
Plastering & making good near Rochester
- Chatham 1.1 mi
- Strood 1.3 mi
- Gillingham 1.9 mi
- Gravesend 6.9 mi
- Maidstone 8.4 mi
- Sittingbourne 10.3 mi
Local questions answered
Can you work on older or listed homes in Rochester?
Yes. Older homes often have lime mortar, timber lintels or shallow footings, which the engineer allows for. Listed buildings need listed building consent for internal structural changes as well as building regulations approval, and that must be in place first.
Do you also work near Rochester?
Yes. We also cover nearby towns including Chatham, Strood, Gillingham and Gravesend.
How long after a knock-through can I decorate?
Once the new plaster has dried right through, which for a thin skim in a warm, ventilated room is often a few days to a week. Deeper repairs and backing coats take longer. Plaster turns from dark to an even pale colour when it is dry, and painting before then risks poor adhesion.
Can you repair a lath and plaster ceiling?
Yes. Small areas can be patched with lath and lime-based plaster, or with board cut in and skimmed to match. Where large areas have sagged or pulled away from the laths, overboarding or replacing the ceiling is often the sounder repair. We assess the condition at the survey and price the right approach.
Is plastering included when a load-bearing wall is removed?
Yes, on our structural jobs making good is priced as part of the work and itemised on the written quote, so you can see exactly what is included. If another firm is doing the steelwork, check their quote closely, as some stop at the beam and leave plastering, floor infill and skirting for you to arrange.