Filling a hole in exterior render

[Dadam]

My Mum's house had an ancient extractor kitchen fan that hasn't worked for years and the housing let in a load of draughts. That is now gone and yesterday I filled the hole with breeze block cut to size and mortared in. The outside wall has what I believe is a sand and cement render with a rough texture like a drying sandcastle. I set the block about 20mm deep. I want to fill this gap and match it with the other render reasonably well. Whatever I do I'm never going to be able to do an invisible repair as roughly 1/4 of the hole had a pebble dash render and I'm not recreating that!

What is the easiest and cheapest way to fill, more or less matching it? This is at the back so is going to be seen hardly at all.

I don't have a photo of the filled hole but here is a before:

 

[oxoman]

The pebble dashbit you could just hurl the pebbles at the wet render then push in slightly and brush down once its gone off a bit, thats pretty much how the pro's appear to do it, i believe. The smooth bit just mix sharp sand cement mix up until level and smooth down and its a case of brush with stiff brush and float once its gone off abit. The colouring won't match unless painting, but you should get a reasonable finish.

 

[MontyVeda]

as Oxoman says, the pebble dash part shouldn't be at all hard to mimic... it's just some gravel in wet cement on the top quarter of the render.
Give it a go. you've nothing to lose.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

If I were doing it I suspect (for me) it would be matching the render colour rather than the pebble dash render texture. Not an issue if the walls are then painted.

I have once tried cement dyes to change cement colour (for filling between slabs in terrace) which was OK but the colour faded or washed out after a year'ish.

 

[T4tomo]

I'm not sure I'd be trying to match the patch to both parts, I'd either pebble dash it all or plain render it all

 

[Dadam]

I take the point that it's not difficult to recreate pebble dash but It is more expense. I'd have to buy a bag of gravel to use a handful.

And however much time I take I'm never going to achieve an invisible repair. At the moment I'm minded to just find the exterior filler with the closest colour match and call it job done. I might mix some sand into the outermost layer as I've got a bag kicking round the garage.
My mum is 83 bless her, and almost never goes out of the back. Nobody else can see this wall apart from the neighbours.

 

[MontyVeda]

I take the point that it's not difficult to recreate pebble dash but It is more expense. I'd have to buy a bag of gravel to use a handful.
...

do you live near a river?

Just grab a handful.

 

[YMFB]

I know very little about building but I know a bit about aggregate. I expect the pebble used for the dash it’s what they call 6 mm, you can’t get it in a river as it’s usually sharp edged particles that are created by crushing then sized by wet screening.

I expect your local builders merchant will sell it.

 

[Dadam]

Yes it’s sharp pointy stuff not little rounded pebbles.