External Wall Insulation · Ilford, London

External wall insulation in Ilford

Ilford is full of Edwardian and interwar terraces with deep bay windows and gables, most of them built with solid brick walls. This page follows one of our Ilford jobs from bare boards to the finished house, so you can see exactly what the work involves.

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Ilford's terraces and their solid walls

Most of the streets around Ilford, Seven Kings, Goodmayes and Gants Hill were built between about 1900 and the late 1930s. The houses are handsome, with two-storey bays and decorative gables, but the walls are usually solid brick with no cavity. They lose heat through the wall itself, and older pebbledash or painted render on them has often started to crack.

External wall insulation wraps the outside of the house in insulation boards, then finishes them with a new render, so the rooms inside stay the same size.

Ilford terrace under scaffolding with insulation boards fixed below the bay window — The Ilford house mid-job: insulation boards fixed across the front elevation and round the bay, ready for the base coat.

Boards, mesh and base coat

Once the boards are fixed and the joints are tight, the whole surface gets a reinforced base coat with mesh bedded into it. This layer is what stops the finished render cracking over the board joints, so it is not a step to rush.

Bays are where these houses are won or lost. Every corner of the bay needs beading, the sills are extended to throw water clear of the new, thicker wall, and the base of the wall is finished with a dark plinth that hides splash-back from the paving.

Ilford terrace under scaffolding with the new light grey render applied round the ground floor bay — The same house with the render on. The neighbouring house on the right still has its original pebbledash.

Silicone render, and the details that show

The finish here is a through-coloured silicone render in light grey. The colour runs right through the material, so it does not need painting, and silicone finishes are designed to shed water and stay cleaner for longer than traditional render.

The test of a good job is the detailing: crisp edges on every corner of the bay, straight lines under the sills, and a clean junction where the new wall meets the windows.

Close view of a ground floor bay window finished in light grey silicone render with a dark grey plinth — Close up of the ground floor bay: beaded corners, extended sill and the dark plinth at the base.

The finished house

The whole front elevation now sits under one insulated, weatherproof finish, and the house looks like it was always meant to be this way.

Ilford terrace finished in light grey silicone render with dark window frames and a dark plinth — The finished Ilford house: external wall insulation under a light grey silicone render.

How a job runs

A surveyor visits, looks at the whole elevation and checks the wall build-up, damp risks, access and the planning position for your address. You get an itemised written quote that separates preparation, the system proposed, detailing around windows and sills, and scaffolding. On site the preparation is done first and properly, each coat is given its curing time, and the job ends with inspection, sign-off and warranty paperwork.

Ilford questions

Which parts of Ilford do you cover?

All of Ilford and the surrounding IG postcodes, including Seven Kings, Goodmayes, Gants Hill, Newbury Park, Barkingside, Cranbrook and Valentines. We also cover the rest of Redbridge and neighbouring East London.

Will insulation make my bay windows look different?

The wall gets thicker, so the reveals round the windows get a little deeper and the sills are extended. Done properly, the bay keeps its shape and simply looks crisper. We explain exactly what changes at survey.

Can you insulate just the front of the house?

Yes. Many Ilford terraces only have the front and back elevations exposed, and some owners start with the front. We look at the whole house at survey and explain the options, including where the new wall meets your neighbours.

Do I need planning permission?

It depends on the house and the street. Most houses can have external insulation without an application, but some areas and some finishes need one. We check the planning position for your address at survey.

Book your free Ilford survey

One short form, or a WhatsApp message with a few photos and your postcode. A real surveyor takes it from there.

Request a free wall check Take the 2-minute assessment