argghh!!!

Why does it always happen ! You start a job and uncover more work.

In an old victorian house I thought I was used to coming across
'little' things that set the job back. Just started the kitchen which
was a job I really didn't have time to do myself so have got a next
door neighbour in to do the work.

The existing kitchen (a 70's flat roof extension looking from the
outside) was dry lined so the plan was to gut the kitchen back to the
brick, plaster and fit the kitchen etc etc. (there was damp and I
needed to get a chemical DPC in so needed gutting anyway)

First day on the job and I get home tonight to find behind the dry
lining the wall was painted..looks older on the inside than the
outside also..hmmmm...I guess that's why they dry lined :-( The paint
is very flakey and the old brickwork quite crumbly.

Now I have until next Tuesday to remove the flakey paint so that the
plasterer has something to key into.

my thoughts....

Old Drill with a metal brush attachement was my thought (several metal
brush attachments no doubt), but have no idea how long these will
last, and how long it'll take me to do.

Plasterer recommended an Air-needle gun but these look like a very
small area of impact and not sure how long that will take...

HSS also have a 'Hand-Held Scabbler' that looks fun, about brick size
by the looks of it but I'm worried that these power tools will just
destroy the crumbly brickwork...

anyone have any experience of doing this ? any one with any
recommendations ? any clues how long it'll take ?

exposed wall so far is 4.5M long * 2.4M high (recon the opposite wall
will be the same, but at least that has a window in it)

yet to find the other end of the 'mysterious' ring main that comes in
from upstairs.....

cheers,
Ant.