Plasterer in Selly Oak

Selly Oak grew up where the Bristol Road crosses the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, a few minutes from the University of Birmingham and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. South of the Bristol Road, long streets of Victorian and Edwardian terraces fill Bournbrook and the roads around Selly Oak station, many of them shared student houses. To the east, Selly Park has large villas on generous plots protected by a conservation area. RCR Connections Ltd is Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands; locally our jobs take us to Selly Oak, Bournbrook, Selly Park, Weoley Castle, Bournville and Harborne.

Because so many Selly Oak homes are let, a big part of this page is written for landlords and letting agents. Owner-occupiers will find plenty here too, from the history of the canal-side lime kilns to what the Selly Park Conservation Area means for your house.

Canal, lime and the old oak

The oak that gave the name

According to Birmingham City Council’s archive, the Oak Inn on the Bristol Road, where Harborne Lane and Oak Tree Lane meet it, took its name from an old oak tree that stood close by until it was felled in 1909. The pub itself closed around the 1980s when the junction was altered.

Two canals meet

Selly Oak’s canal is the Worcester and Birmingham, and the Dudley No. 2 Canal, also called the Lapal Canal, once joined it here. The council’s Wider Selly Oak planning document lists the canal, the Bourn Brook and the former line of the Lapal Canal among the area’s historic assets.

Selly Oak’s lime kilns

The council’s archaeology pages tell a story every plasterer will appreciate. A map of 1828 shows five lime kilns at the junction of the two canals, between the canal and the Bristol Road. Limestone and coal came along the canal from Dudley, were carried up a ramp from the basin and tipped into the tops of the kilns. The burnt lime was drawn out through openings at ground level and used to sweeten farmland, in mortar for building, and as an industrial raw material. Two kilns were destroyed when a railway was built over them later in the 19th century. The other three were buried under Goodman’s timber yard, and when they were excavated they proved far better preserved than expected: horseshoe-shaped, built of unmortared brick, probably with domed or bottle-shaped tops. The council notes that lime kilns are very rare in Birmingham.

Lime from kilns like these went into the mortar and plaster of houses across the area, which is one reason we take care when repairing the oldest walls in Selly Oak.

A road, rail and canal crossroads

The Bristol Road is now the A38, and the Cross City line serves Selly Oak and University stations. The council’s planning document notes that the main residential areas lie south of the Bristol Road, mostly in traditional two-storey Victorian and Edwardian terraced streets, and that the local population rises noticeably in term time. Close by, the Scheduled Ancient Monument at Metchley Roman Fort lies between the university and the hospital.

Selly Park

From Domesday to Selly Hall

The Selly Park Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan traces the area back to the Domesday Book, which records two manors of Escelie, or Selly. Selly Park was originally the estate of Selly Hall, a Georgian house in the Palladian style sold in 1835. There’s evidence that the hall stood on the site of today’s St Paul’s Convent, whose 19th-century building incorporates the later version of the hall.

Robert Dolphin and the covenants

Selly Park owes much of its character to Robert Dolphin, who in 1854 sold land for housing subject to restrictive covenants, with similar covenants applied to more land sold in 1870. The appraisal calls this a prominent national example of covenants used to protect the character of a suburb. When terraced housing spread from Bournbrook onto part of the estate at the corner of Raddlebarn Road and Warwards Lane in breach of those covenants, the result in 1912 was a successful High Court case that became a landmark on enforcing covenants. The appraisal links this to the Selly Park Property Owners’ Association, founded in 1911.

St Stephen’s Church

St Stephen’s foundation stone was laid in 1870, and the church was consecrated in August 1871 on land given by Robert Dolphin. It’s built of Hamstead stone with a tall Bath stone broach spire, stands on the highest ground in the area and is listed grade II.

Houses of every age

The appraisal describes waves of building that reflect changing ideas of a good suburban home. There are Georgian houses on Selly Wick and Pershore Roads, country-house-sized Victorian villas such as the Uplands, Copperfield House and Beechenhurst, Victorian family houses with stable blocks on Oakfield Road, Arts and Crafts houses on Selly Park Road, Bauhaus-style 1930s houses on Kensington Road, post-war homes and 1980s and 1990s detached houses. Avon Lodge on Upland Road, from around 1870, has sharply pitched roofs and Gothic window details. The Stables and Southbourne Close were built in the 1980s in the grounds of Highfield House, which was demolished in the early 1980s.

Ground and water

The appraisal describes Selly Park as sitting on the almost flat Birmingham plateau, rising from about 120 metres at Oakfield and Pershore Roads to 142 metres near the convent in the recreation ground. It lies between the valleys of the Bourn Brook to the north and the River Rea to the east, and springs run from the high ground. Finds in the area include a Neolithic flint, Iron Age pottery and the line of a 15th-century road, and studies in the 1990s looked for a Roman road heading to Metchley fort, though no firm evidence was found.

Designation and Article 4

The conservation area was designated on 13 May 2009, and at the same time an Article 4(2) Direction was served, removing some permitted development rights from most houses within it. That means changes to the front of a house that would normally be allowed, such as replacing windows or doors, can need planning permission. A separate conservation area, Selly Park Avenues, covers nearby streets and also has an Article 4 Direction. In either area, a quick call to the council’s planners before changing anything on the outside avoids problems later.

Pressures on the area

The appraisal notes that large Victorian and Edwardian houses are vulnerable to conversion into institutional uses, with examples including nursing homes and a student hall. It also mentions houses in multiple occupation and an Article 4(1) Direction on HMOs, alongside traffic and parking pressures and new purpose-built student blocks nearby.

Plastering inside protected homes

Inside work on an ordinary house within Selly Park rarely calls for planning approval, but listed buildings, such as St Stephen’s and some of the larger houses, require consent for alterations to historic fabric, which can include removing historic plaster or cornices. Selly Park’s Victorian villas were plastered in lime, often with fine cornices and ceiling roses. Where these survive, we repair them like for like.

Free, no-obligation quote in Selly Oak: WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 with a few photos, or send us a message.

A landlord’s guide to plastering student lets

Use the summer window

Most student tenancies change over in the summer. That gap between one group moving out and the next moving in is the best time to plaster, because rooms are empty and there’s time for the plaster to dry before decorating. Book early: the same few weeks are busy for every trade in Bournbrook. Send us photos at the end of the spring term, and we can plan the work so it’s finished, dry and painted before the new tenants arrive.

Do several rooms in one visit

Shared houses usually have several bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a shared lounge. Grouping the repairs for the whole house into one visit saves time and keeps the house disruption-free during term. We work room by room, so finished rooms can be decorated while we move on.

Choose tough finishes

Walls in shared houses take a beating from furniture, bikes and blu-tack. A hard-wearing gypsum finish on solid walls holds up well, and impact-resistant boards in halls and stairwells can save repeat repairs. Metal corner beads protect the edges that get knocked most.

Fire separation

HMO licensing usually brings fire safety requirements, such as fire doors and fire-resistant ceilings and walls between rooms and escape routes. Ceilings under bedrooms, and the enclosure around the stairs, may need fire-rated boards. The council’s licensing team or your fire risk assessment will set out what’s needed, and we fit the boards specified.

Mould and condensation complaints

Bedrooms in shared houses are often occupied all day with laptops, drying clothes and closed windows, which leads to condensation and mould on cold outside walls. Damp and mould are the landlord’s legal responsibility, and the first fixes are good extractor fans, trickle vents and heating that works. Where the walls are cold, insulated lining boards make a big difference. Mould-stained plaster can be treated, or replaced if soft.

Records for deposits and inventories

When damage goes beyond normal wear and tear, photos before and after the repair, and our written quote, can help support a deposit claim. We’re happy to provide a short note of the work we did.

Access and keys

If tenants are still living in, give them notice and agree which rooms we’ll work in each day. Letting agents can hold keys for us. We keep shared areas clear and safe so tenants can use the kitchen and bathroom.

Planning work across a portfolio

Landlords with several houses in Bournbrook can save time by having us survey them together in the spring. We’ll list what each house needs, suggest which jobs can wait a year and which can’t, and schedule the work so every property is ready on time. Keeping a simple record of what was done where makes the next summer easier.

En suites in shared houses

Adding en suites to bedrooms is common in student lets. Each one means a new stud wall, a door, a waste pipe and an extractor. We use moisture-resistant board, form neat corners for the shower area, and give any wall outside the splash zone a smooth finish for paint. Shower enclosures are best tiled onto cement board rather than plaster.

Turning a lounge into a bedroom

Converting a front room into an extra bedroom often needs a new partition, a fire door and some making good where furniture was fixed. Check with the council whether the change affects the HMO licence or planning before starting, especially within the Article 4 area.

Quieter rooms

Noise between bedrooms is a common complaint in shared houses. A stud wall filled with acoustic insulation and finished with dense board cuts sound noticeably. Sockets placed back to back on either side of a wall let sound through, so offsetting them helps.

Kitchens that work hard

Shared kitchens see more cooking, steam and wear than most. Walls behind hobs and sinks should be tiled or protected with splashbacks, and the plaster around them sealed well. A good extractor that vents outside reduces grease and condensation on walls and ceilings.

Small jobs during the holidays

Not every repair can wait for summer. The Christmas and Easter breaks are useful for smaller jobs, such as a single ceiling or a damp patch, when many students go home. Avoid the exam season in late spring, when tenants need quiet.

Halls and stairs

The shared hall and stairs in a student house get the hardest use. Corner beads, impact-resistant boards and a tough finish reduce the number of repairs needed each year. Keeping stairs clear during work matters, because they’re the escape route.

Bournbrook’s terraces

Typical layout

Most Bournbrook terraces have two rooms downstairs and two upstairs at the front, with a narrower rear wing holding the kitchen and a bathroom above. Many have been extended at the back or into the loft to add bedrooms, and the original front and back rooms have often become bedrooms too.

What we find

• Solid brick walls, plastered in lime when built and patched over the years with gypsum.
• Damp at low level where the yard or path outside has risen, or a downpipe leaks.
• Ceilings of lath and plaster, often cracked or sagging.
• Chimney breasts in most rooms, many with blocked fireplaces.
• Party walls that carry noise between houses.

The rear wing

The rear wing is where damp and cracking are most common. Its walls face the yard, take water from gutters and downpipes, and often hold the kitchen and bathroom, so they see steam and leaks. We check the outside first and replace soft or salty plaster with a breathable mix.

Loft rooms

Many terraces have converted lofts with sloping ceilings and dormers. These need boarding and skimming, and fire protection along the stairs. The ceilings below often crack when the loft is converted and need repair afterwards.

The villas of Selly Park

High ceilings and grand rooms

Victorian villas on Oakfield Road, Selly Park Road and Upland Road have tall rooms, deep cornices and large bay windows. Re-plastering these needs proper access and careful planning so that walls are finished in one go without joins.

Cornice and rose repairs

Where a cornice has cracked or a section has been lost, we can run a new length to match or fit a ready-made profile. Ceiling roses can be cleaned of paint build-up and repaired. Where a whole ceiling is beyond repair, we aim to save the cornice or record its shape so it can be remade.

Converted villas

Some larger houses are now flats, care homes or shared accommodation. Conversions bring new partitions, fire separation between units, and making good around services. Freeholders and managing agents may control the common parts and some walls, so we can provide written quotes and photos for them.

Inter-war and newer homes

Towards Weoley Castle, Bournville and the edges of Selly Park, there are 1920s and 1930s semis with bays, hipped roofs and textured ceilings, and newer flats and houses near the canal. Inter-war homes usually have early gypsum plaster that suits modern repairs; newer homes are mostly plasterboard on block walls. Popped screws, cracked joints and hollow-sounding boards are the common faults in newer homes, and we fix and re-tape them before skimming.

Why old walls need lime

The lime from Selly Oak’s kilns was used in mortars and plasters for good reason. Lime gives a little with movement and allows water vapour to escape, so old solid walls can dry out naturally. Covering these walls with hard cement renders or dense gypsum plasters can trap moisture, which then shows up as damp patches, crumbling plaster or salt staining. For repairs to Victorian walls, we often use lime or a breathable plaster, especially at low level and on outside walls. On the inter-war and newer homes, modern gypsum is usually the right choice.

Cellars

Some of Selly Oak’s older terraces and villas have cellars. They’re naturally damp, because they’re below ground. If you want to use a cellar as a room, get a specialist to design a waterproofing system for it, often a membrane with a drainage channel and pump. We can then plaster or board over the system as specified. Plastering straight onto a damp cellar wall without waterproofing won’t last.

The entries between terraces

Many Bournbrook terraces have a shared passage, or entry, between pairs of houses leading to the back yards. The walls inside these entries are often damp, cracked or patched, and the bedroom above the entry can be colder than the rest of the house because it sits over an open passage. Insulating the entry ceiling, or lining the cold bedroom floor and walls, helps. Entry walls themselves can be repaired with lime or a suitable render.

Turning a student house back into a home

As some landlords sell up, families are buying former student houses. Turning one back into a family home often means removing extra partitions, taking out en suites, closing up fire-door openings that are no longer needed, and restoring the original room layout. Floors, walls and ceilings then need patching or a full skim so the house feels like one home again. If the original cornices were removed, new ones can be fitted in a matching style.

Lost period details

Conversions and years of letting have stripped many Selly Oak houses of their original features. Picture rails, cornices, dado rails and ceiling roses can all be reinstated. Looking at neighbouring houses on the same street that still have their features is the best guide to what’s right for yours.

Stable blocks and coach houses

The appraisal points out that many of the Victorian family houses on Oakfield Road came with stable blocks, and later houses had “motor houses”, or garages. Old outbuildings like these are often turned into studios, offices or annexes. Their walls are usually solid brick, sometimes only one brick thick, and were never meant to be lived in, so damp and cold are the main problems. We tend to use lime or breathable plasters on the old brick, or insulated lining where the walls are sound and dry. In the conservation area, check whether the conversion needs permission.

The 1930s modern houses

Kensington Road’s Bauhaus-style houses stand out with their flat roofs, plain rendered walls and metal windows. Inside, they usually have crisp, plain plaster with few mouldings. Flat roofs that leak can stain and soften ceilings below, so the roof should be checked before any ceiling repair. Metal windows can attract condensation around their frames, and the reveals often need careful patching. A smooth, clean finish without coving suits the style best.

Apartments near the canal

Newer flats near the canal and the Bristol Road usually have concrete or block walls with plaster or dry lining, and concrete ceilings with a thin skim. Before we start, the building’s management company may need to approve the work and set rules for using lifts, protecting common areas and taking waste away. We cover corridors and lift interiors, carry materials in small loads, and leave common parts as we found them.

Care homes and institutions

Some of Selly Park’s largest houses are now care homes or other institutions. Work in an occupied care setting needs extra planning: dust screens, keeping fire routes clear at all times, working around residents’ routines and following the home’s infection control rules. We agree a plan with the manager first and work one area at a time.

Repairs after a leak

Overflowing showers, burst pipes and leaking roofs are common causes of ceiling damage in shared houses. If water has come through, turn off the supply and, if it’s near a light fitting, turn off the electricity and call an electrician. Wet ceilings can collapse, so keep people out of the room. Once the leak is fixed, damaged boards or lath ceilings are taken down, the area dried, and new boards fixed and skimmed. Insurers often want photos and a quote, which we can provide.

Advice for tenants

If you rent in Selly Oak, report cracks, damp patches, bulging ceilings and leaks to your landlord promptly; small problems are easier to fix. Use the extractor fan when cooking and showering, open windows when you can, and avoid drying clothes on radiators in closed bedrooms. Use removable hooks rather than large amounts of blu-tack or nails, and check with your landlord before fixing anything heavy to the walls.

Weoley Castle next door

Just west of Selly Oak, Weoley Castle takes its name from a fortified medieval manor house. The council’s local history pages explain it was never a true castle, but it had a moat, curtain wall, towers, battlements, arrow slits, a gatehouse and a great hall. The ruins, more than 700 years old, are among the oldest buildings in Birmingham, listed grade II and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Weoley Castle Library holds a collection of photographs and maps of the area, including the Dudley No. 2 Canal where it joined the Worcester and Birmingham at Selly Oak. Around the ruins, most homes are inter-war council-built houses, and we plaster plenty of them.

Desks, shelves and wall beds

Student rooms often need a wall-mounted desk, shelving or a fold-down bed to make the most of the space. Those need solid support. On solid brick walls, good plugs and screws are enough once the plaster has set. On stud partitions, fit timber noggins between the studs before boarding, at the height where the desk or shelves will sit. Mark their positions on a photo so future tenants and tradespeople can find them.

Chimney breasts in the terraces

Most Bournbrook terraces have a chimney breast in each front and back room. Removing one gives a bedroom more floor space, but the masonry above has to be supported and building control notified, and the neighbour may need a party wall notice if the stack is shared. If the breast stays, fit an air vent in the blocked fireplace so the flue can breathe; soot staining that bleeds through new paint usually means the old plaster on the breast needs replacing.

Side returns and kitchen extensions

The narrow strip of yard beside the rear wing, often called a side return, is a popular place to extend a terrace kitchen. The result is a wider room with a glazed roof or rooflights. New walls and ceilings are boarded and skimmed, and the old rear wing wall, now inside, is brought up to the same finish. Rooflights need neat plastered reveals so condensation doesn’t gather around them.

Our checks before we leave

Before we hand a room back, we check the finish in raking light from a torch to spot any marks, look along corners and beads for straight lines, clean plaster from window frames, sockets and skirting, and sweep and vacuum. We’ll point out anything you should watch while the plaster dries, such as a corner that may need a dab of filler before painting.

Warmer terraces

Solid nine-inch brick walls lose heat fast, and the gable walls of end terraces are the coldest of all. Lining them inside with thin insulated plasterboard, then skimming, can make a bedroom noticeably warmer and cut condensation, at the expense of a little floor space. On walls that get damp, choose a breathable wood-fibre or lime-based system rather than foil-backed foam, which can trap moisture against old brick. Window boards, sockets and radiators need moving forward, so it’s a job best done when the room is being redecorated anyway.

Bathrooms over the rear wing

In most terraces, the bathroom sits above the kitchen in the rear wing, under a separate roof. Its outside walls face weather on three sides, so they’re cold, and steam from baths and showers condenses on them quickly. A powerful extractor, moisture-resistant boards and insulation in the roof space above make the room much easier to keep mould-free. Leaks from the bath or shower often show up on the kitchen ceiling below, so check seals regularly.

Selling a let property

If you’re selling a house that’s been let for years, fresh plaster and paint in the worst rooms can make a big difference to how buyers see it. Focus on ceilings with cracks or stains, damp patches and badly patched walls, since these are what surveyors and buyers notice first. Removing HMO extras such as door closers, fire-door signage and extra locks, then making good the holes they leave, helps a house feel like a family home again when buyers walk round.

Ceilings with smoke alarms and lights

Shared houses usually have interlinked smoke and heat alarms on the ceilings of halls, landings, kitchens and sometimes bedrooms. When a ceiling is replaced, the alarms come down and must go back up and be tested by an electrician before tenants return. It’s also a good time to add or move lights. Plan the cable runs before boarding, and we’ll leave neat openings for every fitting. A fire-rated downlight is needed where a ceiling forms part of the fire separation.

Which repair do I need?

If a wall feels firm but looks tired

A skim over the existing plaster is usually enough.

If plaster crumbles, sounds hollow or bulges

It needs taking off and re-plastering from the masonry up.

If a ceiling sags or has many cracks

Overboard it with new plasterboard and skim, or replace it.

If there’s a damp patch

Find and fix the cause first. Then replace the damaged plaster once the wall has dried.

If paint won’t stick

The plaster may have been painted too soon or without a mist coat. Strip back the loose paint, seal and repaint.

If cracks keep coming back

Movement may still be happening. Large, growing or diagonal cracks should be checked by a surveyor before repair.

Our plastering services

Skimming walls and ceilings

A thin, smooth finish over sound surfaces, ready for paint.

Re-plastering

Full removal of failed plaster and new backing and finishing coats.

Ceiling replacement

New boards fixed to the joists and skimmed, or overboarding where the old ceiling is secure.

Boarding and dry lining

For loft rooms, extensions, new partitions and cold walls.

Patching and making good

Filling chases, holes and gaps left by other trades.

Damp in Selly Oak homes

The canal, the Bourn Brook and the River Rea mean some low-lying streets hold more moisture, but most damp we see is down to the house itself. Raised ground outside, broken gutters, leaking pipes and condensation are far more common than rising damp. Once the cause is fixed and the wall has dried, we replace salty plaster with a lime-based or renovating plaster that copes with old, solid walls. If a specialist has installed a damp course, we use the plaster their specification calls for.

Textured ceilings and asbestos

Some Selly Oak homes still have textured ceilings from the 1960s to the 1990s. Texture applied before 2000 might contain asbestos, so testing comes before sanding, drilling or scraping. Covering it with a skim or new boards is usually simpler and safer than trying to remove it.

Before we arrive

• Clear rooms of furniture and belongings, or move them away from the walls.
• Take down curtains, pictures and mirrors.
• Have an electrician release socket and switch plates.
• Flag up any buried pipework or wiring you know of.
• Check parking: many Selly Oak streets are busy, especially in term time.

After plastering

Leave new plaster to dry fully. Darker patches mean it’s still damp; uniform light pink means it’s ready. Keep the room ventilated and warm but avoid direct heat. Seal with a mist coat before painting. Our plaster drying article has more detail.

Rendering

We also render outside walls, using silicone, sand and cement and K-Rend monocouche systems, and insulated renders. See our K-Rend monocouche and Birmingham rendering pages. In Selly Park, check with planning before rendering a brick front.

How we work

1. WhatsApp photos and room sizes to 07453 614095.
2. We’ll give you a guide figure, and arrange a visit for bigger jobs.
3. We agree a date that suits you or your tenants.
4. We protect the house, plaster, clean up and leave drying advice.

Nearby areas

We work across Selly Oak, Bournbrook, Selly Park, Weoley Castle, Bournville, Harborne and Edgbaston. See plastering in Bournville, plastering in Harborne, plastering in Edgbaston, plastering in Northfield, the Birmingham plastering page and all areas we cover.

Selly Oak homes we plaster

Selly Oak has Victorian terraces full of student lets, Edwardian streets in Selly Park and interwar homes towards Weoley Hill. Here’s where we work most, the homes you’ll find there and the plastering jobs that come up.

• Selly Oak centre and the Bristol Road. Victorian terraces and flats over shops. Patch repairs and ceilings.
• Bournbrook. Victorian terraces let to students. Rooms replastered between tenants.
• Selly Park. Victorian and Edwardian houses. High ceilings, coving and lath ceilings.
• Raddlebarn. Terraces and interwar homes. Blown plaster and rooms replastered after a rewire.
• Weoley Hill. Interwar houses. Artex ceilings covered and kitchen extensions.
• Stirchley. Victorian terraces. Chimney breasts and damp-damaged plaster.
• Ten Acres. Victorian and Edwardian terraces. Through lounges and ceilings.

Whatever the house, RCR Connections Ltd puts 62 years of combined experience into it. We’re Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands, and we work Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 1pm. WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page with photos of the room and your road or postcode in Selly Oak.

Outside, we also fit K-Rend monocouche and silicone render for homes around Selly Oak, see rendering in Birmingham. Next door, we’re also the plasterer in Bournville.

More services: Plastering repairs · Plastering and coving · Plastering extensions and lofts.

Get in touch

The team has 62 years of combined experience. Message us on WhatsApp at 07453 614095, drop a line to rcrconnectionsltd@gmail.com, or send the form on our contact page. Weekdays, 7am to 5pm, and Saturdays, 7am to 1pm, are our working hours.

More from RCR Connections Ltd: Rendering Contractors in Birmingham · All plastering and rendering services · Areas we cover