External restoration — JAG Construction London

A house's front is the part of it that everyone sees and most builders ignore. Painted brick, broken railings, cracked concrete paths, garden walls falling apart. The kerb appeal of a Victorian terrace is something specific, and getting it right means working in the right materials, in the right way.

External restoration is what we call the work on the outside of a house — front elevation, garden walls, paths, railings, gates, repointing, brickwork, sandstone, threshold steps. It is often a project on its own, sometimes the first stage of a bigger refurbishment.

The work is properly specialist. Stocks need to be sourced from a salvage merchant or a brickworks that still makes them. Lime mortar needs the right sand and the right ratio. Encaustic tile paths need to be hand-laid. Cast iron railings need to be made or salvaged, not bought from a chain. We do all of this — and we know which suppliers to call.

How we approach it

The way we work on every external restoration project.

Sourced correctly

Stocks from salvage. Reds matched to the existing course. Sandstone caps matched to the local vernacular. Tile from a maker who still fires encaustic, not a printed copy.

Lime, not cement

Solid-wall Victorians need lime mortar. Cement traps moisture in the brick face and causes spalling. We point in lime, mixed to the right ratio for the brick and the wall thickness.

Hand-laid where it counts

Encaustic tile paths are hand-laid in pattern. Brick paths are laid by hand in the right bond. Threshold steps are bedded properly in mortar, level the first time.

Cast iron, not aluminium

Railings and gates in cast iron, made to match originals or salvaged from period houses. Hinged off the brickwork. Painted in the right finish.

Conservation-aware

Front elevations are usually a planning matter in a Conservation Area. We check before we quote, get the consents in place where needed, and work within them.

Related projects

Recent external restoration work.

Acacia Road

A Victorian front, brought back from a hundred years of paint.

Cemetery Road

A Victorian front, taken back to the brick.

What is typical

Honest, specific, no price list.

Typical scope Front elevation restoration, paint removal, brickwork and repointing, sandstone and stone caps, garden walls, cast iron railings, encaustic tile paths, threshold steps.

Typical timeline Three to ten weeks depending on scope. Often delivered alongside an internal refurbishment.

Typical project size Front gardens and elevations from £25,000. Larger and more complex restorations scale from there.

Frequently asked

Real questions, answered honestly.

Can you remove paint from my front?

On stock and most period brick, yes. Not by pressure washing. We use a chemical poultice — painted on, covered, left to work, peeled off. Slow, careful, the brick comes through intact.

Where do you get matching brick from?

Salvage yards mostly. London stocks and reds from the period are widely available secondhand. We have suppliers we use regularly. New repro stocks are available too, but the tone is never quite right against the surrounding course.

Will I need planning permission?

For a front elevation in a Conservation Area, usually yes. For a front garden wall above a certain height, yes. For repointing and material-matched repair, often no. We check at the consultation and submit the application if needed.

How do encaustic tile paths hold up?

Beautifully — for a hundred years and counting. Properly laid encaustic tile is harder-wearing than concrete and looks better the older it gets. The maintenance is none beyond an annual sweep and a wash.

Do you do the railings as well as the brickwork?

Yes, we project-manage the lot. Brickwork, stonework, ironwork, tile, gates, hinges, painting — by us or by specialists we trust, all under one programme.