Plasterer in Lickey and Blackwell

Lickey and Blackwell sit on the wooded high ground just south of Birmingham, in Bromsgrove District, where the Lickey Hills fall away towards Bromsgrove and the Worcestershire plain. Lickey grew round its church and the edge of the hills; Blackwell grew round the top of the famous railway climb from Bromsgrove. Both are known for big houses on leafy plots, with Edwardian and Arts and Crafts homes, wide between-the-wars houses and later detached homes and bungalows tucked in among the trees. Our team at RCR Connections Ltd is Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands, and handles plastering of every kind in Lickey, Blackwell, Burcot and the roads that edge the country park.

This is a plastering page written for homes in Lickey and Blackwell. It tells the story of the two places, shows how that story shaped the houses, and then deals with the jobs we see most: tall ceilings, big stairwells, cold north walls under trees, extensions, loft rooms and the odd damp corner.

Free, no-obligation plastering quote in Lickey and Blackwell: WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page. Send pictures or videos via WhatsApp for a quick response, a free quote and advice. You can also send us a message here.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm, Saturday 7am to 1pm, Sunday closed.

Hills, woods and a railway

The Lickey Hills

The Lickey Hills rise as a ridge of old, hard rock with pine, oak and birch on their slopes. Beacon Hill, Bilberry Hill, Cofton Hill and Rednal Hill are all part of the same high ground. Much of the land became a country park for the people of Birmingham in the early twentieth century, with the Cadbury family among those who helped to buy and give land. That is why so much open land and woodland sits right next to the houses.

The view from Beacon Hill

On Beacon Hill a small stone viewpoint with a castle-style top looks out across the city one way and across Worcestershire the other. On a clear day the views reach a long way. For the homes below, the hill also means wind, rain and shade on certain sides, which affects how walls stay dry.

The obelisk

On the hills near Lickey stands a tall stone obelisk put up in the nineteenth century in memory of a former Earl of Plymouth, whose family once held land in the area. It is one of the landmarks that people use to find their way on the paths.

The Lickey Incline

The railway from Bromsgrove up to Blackwell climbs one of the steepest main-line slopes in Britain. For many years heavy trains needed extra engines pushing from behind to get up it, and rail fans came from far and wide to watch. Blackwell grew up at the top of the climb, and many of its first larger houses date from the decades after the line opened.

How Lickey and Blackwell grew

Before the houses

For centuries this was rough, open land, used for grazing and later partly planted with trees. Farms and a few cottages were scattered along the edges, and the soil was too poor for much else.

Homes for the well-off

From the late Victorian years onward, people with money in Birmingham, Bromsgrove and further away bought plots on the hills for the clean air and the views. They built large homes, some in the Arts and Crafts style, with tall chimneys, deep porches and big gardens. Barnt Green, just to the east, grew in the same way.

Between the wars and after

In the 1920s and 1930s, more large detached houses were built along the roads into Lickey and Blackwell. After the war came more detached homes and bungalows, many on plots split off from the gardens of older houses. Today the area is a mix of all of these.

The church

Holy Trinity, Lickey, was built in the Victorian era at the edge of the hills. Its school and the houses near it form one of the older clusters in the area.

Blackwell, Burcot and Rednal

Blackwell

Blackwell sits at the top of the incline, on the edge of the hills. Its roads are lined with big homes behind hedges and trees, many from the late Victorian years to the 1930s. The old station has long gone, but the railway still runs past, and the houses near the line were among the first to be built.

Burcot

Burcot lies on the slopes between Blackwell and Bromsgrove. It has a mix of older cottages, large houses and later homes, many with fine views to the south and west. Houses here face more of the weather that comes up from the plain.

Rednal and Cofton

On the Birmingham side of the hills, Rednal and Cofton have more between-the-wars and post-war homes, with semis and bungalows. The jobs there are often about textured ceilings, cracked walls and new kitchens and bathrooms.

Arts and Crafts details

Inglenooks and fireplaces

Some of the Arts and Crafts houses have large fireplaces and inglenooks. The plaster round them can crack and stain over time from heat and soot. We use plasters that cope with heat and seal stains so they do not bleed through.

Leaded windows and deep reveals

Deep window reveals and leaded glass need care. We mask the glass and frames and form crisp reveals.

Rough-cast finishes inside

A few houses from this era have textured or hand-trowelled finishes on inside walls, made to look old even when new. If you want to keep that look, we can match it in repairs rather than make it flat.

Warmer rooms in big hill houses

Why they feel cold

A big Edwardian room on the hill has tall walls of solid brick, large windows and a lot of air to heat. Wind off the high ground pulls the heat out of the brick. Owners tell us the front rooms never quite warm up in winter.

Thin warm linings

One answer is a thin thermal lining board, fixed to the coldest walls and then plastered. The wall feels warmer to the hand and the room holds its heat for longer. On a solid wall, the build-up has to let the brick dry, or damp gets trapped behind the board. On some walls a breathable board with lime on top is the safer choice. We look at the wall and talk it through before anything goes up.

Gaps round frames

Old frames often have gaps behind the linings where cold air creeps in. When we redo a reveal, we fill those gaps and finish the reveal tight to the frame.

Quiet rooms and safe rooms

Loft rooms and fire

A loft room in one of these big roofs has to meet the fire rules for the stairs, the floor and some walls. Building control tells you which. We fit the right fire boards where they are asked for and plaster them so you would never know.

Cinema rooms and music rooms

Big houses lend themselves to a den or music room. Heavy sound boards on a separate frame, with the gaps sealed and then plastered, keep a lot of the noise in. It is worth planning the lights and sockets before the boards go on.

A study for home working

Plenty of Lickey and Blackwell owners now work from home some days. A spare bedroom or a corner of the garden can become a study. We board and plaster it, so it is warm, quiet and ready for paint.

Whole-house projects

Doing a house in one go

Many big homes in Lickey and Blackwell are bought and then brought up to date in one large project. We can plaster the whole house, room by room, in step with your other trades.

Working with designers

If you have an architect or designer, we are happy to work to their plans and finishes, and to talk to them on site.

When you are away

If you are living elsewhere while the work goes on, we can send photos as we go so you can see the progress.

Homes in Lickey and Blackwell

Edwardian and Arts and Crafts houses

Big rooms, tall ceilings, wide halls and grand stairs. Many have their first lime plaster on solid or early cavity walls, and lath and plaster ceilings with cornices. Some have oak panelling or built-in joinery that needs working round.

Between-the-wars detached homes

Solid brick or early cavity walls, gypsum or sand and cement plaster, and often a mix of original and later work. Common faults are cracked ceilings, hollow plaster on outside walls and cracks round bay windows.

Post-war houses and bungalows

Cavity walls and plasterboard ceilings, often with textured finishes. These homes are often extended, with new kitchens and loft rooms.

Newer infill homes

Modern houses built on split plots have dry-lined walls and board ceilings. Work here tends to be about cracks at board joints, damage from leaks and changes to the layout.

Plastering in big rooms

Tall ceilings

In the larger houses, ceilings can be well above normal height. We bring proper towers or platforms so we can work safely and keep the finish even across a wide area. A big ceiling needs a steady hand and a good team to get a flat result.

Grand stairwells

Stairwells in these homes can rise two floors, with long walls and awkward angles. We set up safe access and plan the work so the whole wall can be finished in one go, which avoids joins.

Cornices and ceiling roses

Old cornices are part of what makes these rooms special. Where a cornice is damaged, we can repair or match a short run. When a ceiling has to come down, we try to keep the cornice in place.

Panelling and joinery

Where rooms have wood panelling, window seats or built-in cupboards, we work round them with care, masking them off and getting a clean edge.

Living among the trees

Shade and damp

Many homes here sit under tall trees. Shade keeps walls cool and slow to dry. The north side of a house under trees is where damp and mould tend to show first inside.

Leaves and gutters

Falling leaves and pine needles block gutters and downpipes. When water spills down a wall, it soaks in, and the inside plaster suffers. Clearing gutters each autumn is one of the best ways to protect your plaster.

Roots and movement

Large trees close to a house can, in some soils, cause the ground to move as it dries and wets. That can lead to cracks in walls and ceilings. Fine cracks are often just seasonal, but wide or growing cracks need a structural check before we plaster.

Plaster for old walls

Lime where it matters

In the oldest homes, solid walls with lime plaster need to breathe. Covering them with hard modern plaster can trap damp. On these walls we use lime, or lime-based products, for repairs and new coats.

Modern plaster where it suits

On cavity walls, plasterboard and extensions, gypsum plaster gives a fast, smooth and strong finish. It suits most homes built from the 1930s on.

Keeping the two apart

Where an old house has a new extension, we use the right plaster on each part and form a neat joint where they meet, so cracks do not open along the line.

Ceilings: repair or replace

Lath and plaster

Most of the older houses on the hill still have some lime on wooden laths overhead. Over the years the keys behind the laths snap, and the ceiling starts to dip or split. While most of it holds, we screw it back with wide washers and then plaster the surface. Where a ceiling is too far gone, it comes down and new board goes up, unless the house is listed and lime on new laths is needed.

Swirls and stipples

The post-war homes and bungalows in Rednal and Cofton often still have textured ceilings. A textured ceiling needs a condition assessment and appropriate asbestos advice before a method is chosen. Overboarding can disturb a coating when fixings pass through it; a positive asbestos test is not a reason to board over it without assessment. Do not sand, scrape or drill suspect coatings. Any asbestos work needs a suitable risk assessment, controls and appropriately trained people.

Fine lines under the loft

Lofts here often take extra weight from new boarding, storage or a whole new room. The ceiling below can show fine lines along the board joints as it takes the strain. Tape and a fresh finish see to most of them, and a weak ceiling can be boarded over.

Building up and building out

Big roofs, big lofts

The steep roofs on many Arts and Crafts and between-the-wars houses leave a lot of space up top. Owners turn it into bedrooms, playrooms and studies. Our part is the slopes, dormers and low side walls, with sharp beads on each edge and no joint lines showing.

Kitchen extensions

Big kitchen and family rooms at the back are popular. We finish the new boards and blend the edges into the old rooms, so you cannot tell where the house ends and the extension begins.

Garage rooms

When a garage becomes a study, gym or playroom, the builder lines it first. Our plaster then makes it feel like it was always part of the home.

Garden rooms

Big gardens mean room for a garden office or studio. Boarded and plastered inside, it feels like a proper room.

Jobs we are asked for most

A full room, top to bottom

In a house that has been patched for a hundred years, one more patch often makes things worse. When a room has cracks, hollow spots and old repairs all over, we strip it back to the brick, make good any soft joints, and put on fresh coats from floor to ceiling.

Tidying up after the trades

A rewire, new radiators or a new kitchen leaves chases, holes and torn paper behind. We fill each one and bring it flush, so the decorator has a clean wall to work on.

Shower rooms

In the wet zone of a shower, tiles need a board made for water behind them. The rest of the room gets a plaster finish and a good fan to keep it sound.

Coving and cornice

Plain coving is common in the between-the-wars homes, and richer cornice in the older villas. We fit new runs, match short lengths of old ones, and fill the joints so they vanish under paint.

Damp on the hill

Where it comes from

On these slopes, damp tends to come from a few places: soil or paths piled up against the uphill wall, gutters choked with pine needles, leaks round old chimneys, and steam from busy kitchens and bathrooms. Damp from the ground is less common on the high ground than people think.

Deal with the cause

We find the source before any plaster goes on. Clearing a gutter, lowering a bed or fixing a flashing does more good than any new coat.

The right mix

On a wall that has been wet, salts can come through. We use a backing that copes with salts, or lime on old solid walls.

Give it time

A soaked wall under trees can take months to dry. We will tell you plainly if it needs to sit for a while before we finish it.

How a Lickey job runs

Pictures first

Send a few photos or a short video on WhatsApp. Show the whole room and a close look at the problem. For the big houses, we will want to come and see the room too.

A visit and a plan

On site, we tap the walls, check the ceilings and look at how we will reach the high parts. You get a written quote that names each wall and ceiling, the work on each, and how many days we expect to be there.

Setting up

Floors, stairs, banisters and joinery are covered. Doorways are sealed so dust stays put. Towers go up where the ceilings are high.

On the tools

Backing coats go on where walls need building up, then the finish coat. Corners and reveals get beads for crisp lines.

When we leave

We clean up and walk you round. You get a rough date for when the walls will be ready for paint.

Once we have gone

Paint

Fresh plaster is dark at first and fades as it dries. In big, cool rooms under trees this can take longer than you expect. When the whole wall is a light, even shade, a watered-down matt emulsion goes on as a sealer, then your chosen colour. Read our plaster drying guide for more.

Fine lines

In the first heating season, a hairline may show where new work meets old. That is just the house drying. Fill it when you paint.

Look after it

Clear the gutters each autumn and keep air moving through the house.

Things that go wrong on old hill houses

• Gypsum put on old solid walls, which then blows within a few winters.
• New plaster put on a wall that is still wet from a leak.
• Gutters full of pine needles left for years.
• Old textured ceilings sanded before a test.
• Vinyl paint on bare new plaster, which then peels.

Rendering outside

Old render and pebbledash

Many homes here have render or pebbledash on the outside, some painted. When it cracks or blows, water gets in and the inside plaster suffers. We repair and replace render too.

K-Rend monocouche and silicone

For modern block or brick walls our first choice is K-Rend monocouche and silicone render. Both carry their colour all the way through and stay clean for longer. Older solid walls are often better in lime. There is a full write-up on the K-Rend monocouche page.

Render pages close by

Our render pages for Bromsgrove, Redditch and Halesowen cover the wider area.

Homes near the railway

Shaking and fine cracks

Houses close to a busy line feel a little shake as heavy trains pass. Over many years this can open fine cracks in old plaster, mostly at ceiling joints and round door frames. On their own these are not a worry, but when we re-plaster we use mesh tape at weak points to help the new work hold.

Noise

For bedrooms on the railway side, a layer of sound board on a frame before the plaster can make nights a lot quieter.

Sloping plots and lower floors

Built into the hill

Some homes on the slopes have a lower floor or garden room set partly into the ground. The back wall of such rooms is in contact with soil and needs a proper damp-proof system before it is plastered. Plaster alone will fail.

Steps and split levels

Split-level homes have short runs of wall at odd heights and many corners. These take more time to plaster neatly, and we allow for that in the quote.

Through the year in Lickey and Blackwell

Autumn

Leaf fall is heavy here. It is the best time to clear gutters and check downpipes, and a good time to plaster rooms before the cold sets in.

Winter

Short days, low sun and damp air under the trees all slow drying. We keep rooms steadily warm and aired, and allow longer before paint.

Spring and summer

Warmer, drier air speeds drying. In hot spells we protect fresh plaster from strong sun through big windows and wet the backing where needed.

Buying a house on the hill

Big old houses

A large old house may come with sagging ceilings, patched walls and damp in the old service rooms. Your survey will often list these. Send us the photos and notes, and we can say if it looks like a small job or a big one.

Empty houses are easier

If there is a gap between getting the keys and moving in, use it. Plastering empty rooms is quicker and cleaner.

Already moved in

If you are living there, we go one room at a time and keep the rest of the house clean.

Smaller work

One ceiling, one wall

Big houses do not always mean big jobs. A single ceiling after a leak, or a wall after new sockets, is fine with us.

After a new boiler or bathroom

Holes for flues, pipes and fans need filling and finishing so you can decorate.

Saving up a list

If you have a few little jobs, save them up for one visit. Each patch can set while we move on to the next.

Worth asking before you book

• Is it lime or gypsum for my walls, and what is the reason?
• How will you reach the high ceiling and the stairwell?
• What do you think is causing the damp?
• How will you keep the stairs, floors and panelling safe?
• When can I paint?

Getting to the house

Long drives

Lots of homes sit at the end of long, leafy drives. We agree where to park, unload and mix, so lawns and block paving are not marked.

Narrow lanes

Some roads near the hills are narrow and busy with walkers and cyclists. We keep our van tidy and the road clear.

Park weekends

On sunny weekends the roads by the country park fill up. We book deliveries for weekdays.

Consent and building rules

Listed and protected homes

A few older houses round Lickey and Blackwell may be listed or sit in a protected area. Plain repairs inside rarely need consent, but taking out old ceilings or cornice in a listed home might. Ask the council if you are not sure, and we will hold off until you know.

Building control

Loft rooms and extensions are checked by building control at set stages. We time our work to fit round their visits and your builder’s plan.

Cellars and service rooms

Cellars in the old villas

Many of the late Victorian and Edwardian houses have a cellar. Some were for coal, some for wine or stores. Most are damp to some degree, as the walls sit in the soil. Turning one into a usable room means fitting a damp-proof system first, often a membrane fixed to the walls with a drain behind. We then board or plaster over the system, ready for paint.

Back stairs and service wings

The bigger houses were built with a kitchen wing, a scullery and sometimes back stairs for staff. Today these are turned into utility rooms, boot rooms and family kitchens. The walls here are often the most patched in the house, with old pipe runs, blocked doors and damp from old sinks. We strip back, make good and plaster them so they match the main rooms.

Boot rooms for walkers

With the country park on the doorstep, a boot room by the back door is a popular change. Walls take knocks from boots, bikes and dogs, so a hard-wearing finish and moisture-resistant board near any sink make sense.

Rednal and the old tram days

In the early twentieth century, trams ran out to Rednal, and crowds came from the city to walk on the hills. Tea rooms and homes grew up near the terminus. Some of the homes from that time are still there, with solid walls and old plaster. They need the same care as other homes of their age: lime where the wall needs to breathe, and good gutters to keep the walls dry.

Cofton Hackett and Barnt Green edge

Cofton Hackett has an old church and hall, with farms and newer homes nearby. Barnt Green, on the other side of the hills, grew with the railway in the same way as Blackwell. We work in both, on the same mix of big period homes, between-the-wars houses and modern infill. Homes close to Cofton Park and the Longbridge side are more often semis and bungalows, where the work is ceilings, kitchens and bathrooms. Out towards Barnt Green, the houses get bigger and older, and lime and lath repairs come up more often.

Places nearby

Beyond Lickey and Blackwell, we plaster in Burcot, Rednal, Cofton Hackett, Barnt Green and Alvechurch. You can read more on our pages for Barnt Green, Alvechurch and Northfield, and for outside work, render in Bromsgrove.

Who you will be dealing with

RCR Connections Ltd is a small, hands-on team with 62 years of combined experience, on big period homes and modern houses alike. Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands, we are often out on the hills and in the villages round Bromsgrove.

Hours: Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm, Saturday 7am to 1pm, Sunday closed.

When you are ready, WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page. A wide shot of each room helps. Find out more on our services page, or look up your town on the areas we cover map. For render, see K-Rend monocouche and silicone.

More from RCR Connections Ltd: All plastering and rendering services · Areas we cover