Plasterers in East Grinstead

East Grinstead's High Street has a long run of timber-framed buildings, and the town centre is a conservation area with many listed properties. The railway brought steady growth from the Victorian period, adding villas and terraces, followed by twentieth century estates as more people commuted to London. Further out, cottages and farmhouses towards Forest Row and Ashdown Forest are often older and built with solid walls. Each of these house types calls for a different approach to plastering and rendering.

Many Victorian and Edwardian houses in East Grinstead have solid walls that lose heat faster than modern cavity walls. External wall insulation fixes insulation boards to the outside and finishes them with render, which can make these homes noticeably more comfortable. It changes the look of the house and the depth of the walls, so planning permission may be needed, particularly in a conservation area or where the change is significant. Building regulations also apply, because the work counts as renovating a thermal element.

External wall insulation is not suitable for every home. On houses with attractive brickwork or tile hanging, insulating from the inside with dry lining may be the more practical route, although it takes a little space from each room. Our guide to EWI pros and cons sets out the trade-offs. Mid Sussex is also part of a council group that received Warm Homes: Local Grant funding for low-income households.

Published guides give quite different figures for external wall insulation, which shows how much the price depends on the system, the insulation material and the house itself. These are national figures, not East Grinstead prices. Our external wall insulation cost guide explains what drives the difference.

Checkatrade says its figures cover insulation board, fixings, render and labour, and that most contractors include scaffolding, though not all do. Its table is headed "Cost+VAT" without saying whether VAT is included, and FMB and HomeBuilding do not state VAT.