The need for a roughcast render capable of re-creating the typical vernacular of the English Lake District has been met by specifying an all-in-one lime-based solution from maxit Building Products.

Along with Lakeland slate roughcast renders have provided the “trademark” look of traditional buildings throughout the Lake District National Park for more than 200 years.

Preston-based main contractors Eric Wright Construction sought suitable materials for the reconstruction of the former Royal Hotel in Bowness-on-Windermere.

Working on behalf of developers Applethwaite Ltd, of Kendal, Cumbria, Eric Wright designed a scheme involving the demolition of the existing Royal Hotel, construction of basement parking, then a sympathetic reconstruction of the whole building to a traditional design based on the appearance of the original hotel.

Situated close to Lake Windermere in a prime central area of Bowness, The Royal is a mixed development of modern apartments and retail premises including a supermarket, stylish coffee shop and a variety of other retail units.

In seeking materials with a traditional appeal the contractors found that maxit Serpo 205 roughcast render had all the attributes they were seeking and significant advantages over more traditional materials.

By specifying Serpo 205 – a pre-blended render requiring only the addition of water – the developer was able to avoid the problems associated with the traditional methods.

In particular, the ability to apply Serpo 205 to a base coat, as opposed to direct application to the substrate, allowed for more efficient application and drying times, crucial in a region with variable weather conditions.

Factory-blended Serpo 205 gave the consistency in quality and appearance required and its combination of 8 mm aggregates contained within the mix provided the texture associated with traditional roughcast renders.

The white pigments within the mix provided a self-coloured surface, avoiding the need for over-painting following application.

Sub-contractors Walsh Plasterers of Windermere, firstly applied maxit Serpo 134 Basecoat, which was allowed to cure prior to the hand application of a single coat of Serpo 205.

Eric Wright Construction Project Manager Phil Richardson comments:

“When work first started we were coming out of the winter and we were concerned about the effects that inclement weather might have.

“The maxit system allowed us to apply the render to a hard back and offered quicker drying times.”

“Space around the development was also very tight and storage was limited, so having the material neatly stacked on pallets was a big advantage over other methods of bulk delivery, such as one tonne bags, which we didn’t have room for.”

He adds: “The overall appearance is crisp and clean and is brighter than traditional render, which tends to be off-white.