Age and type of house
Pebbledash on a 1930s semi sounds hollow at the front corner. Has the render been tapped over the whole elevation?
No. The render has not been tapped over the whole elevation. Hollow-sounding pebbledash at the front corner means that spot, where it was tapped, sounds detached. It does not map the rest of the front, and it says nothing systematic about the sides or the rear. A home survey samples surfaces it can reach. It does not sound an entire elevation on a grid. The report notes hollow render at the front corner. It has not decided how far the loss of bond extends.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Pebbledash is a render with stones cast in. Where it loses its bond it sounds hollow and may later bulge or fall. A hollow corner is a real defect at that corner. Water can sit behind the coat. Other areas may still be stuck fast, or the hollow zone may run past the spot that was tapped. The survey has not claimed a full sounding. Extending the finding across the house would invent taps that did not happen. The evidence matches the corner, and no further.
Tell your solicitor that hollow pebbledash was noted at the front corner and that the elevation was not tapped throughout. A render specialist can sound more widely and then advise whether the repair is local or larger. The survey has not specified hacking off the whole front and has not confined the work to a patch. Do not tell a lender the entire front is loose, or that only a tiny spot is, beyond what was actually sounded. The corner is the finding. The rest is not mapped.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How does the report describe the hollow area at that corner?
- Are there cracks or bulges, or only a hollow sound?
- Were the other elevations tapped at all, even as a small sample?
What are the typical next steps?
- Limit the hollow-render finding to the front corner that was sounded.
- Do not tell a lender the whole elevation was tapped.
- If you need the full extent, have the render sounded beyond this sample.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a hollow sound mean the wall behind the render has failed?
Not on this evidence. A hollow sound means the coat is debonded where it was tapped. The masonry behind was not exposed. The survey has not condemned the wall. It has noted the render. Someone who opens a small area can see the backing. Until then the recorded failure is the pebbledash bond at that corner.
Should the whole front be taken off because one corner sounds hollow?
The survey has not said that. One hollow corner is a reason to find how far the loss of bond goes. It does not, by itself, schedule the elevation for removal. Taking render off is a large job and may be more than the defect needs. Establish the extent first. This visit did not tap the whole front.