Reveal block on inside
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Its been my experience that block/brick homes such as yours are also stick built homes. Meaning: there is a wood wall built on the inside of your brick so you would have to tear not just the plaster off but the wall too from the brick. However, if that's not the case, you would just need to hack the plaster off the brick, it would be messy but probably turn out really cool!
Well, you’re in Santa Barbara so you probably don’t really need insulation, but I think I’d talk to a structural engineer, or look it up, to know that the block wall was sufficiently strong to hold up my roof or resist seismic shifts. They are just blocks after all.
If you’re artistic, or energetic, take a great photo, borrow a projector, aim it at your plaster wall and paint the design. Wouldn’t that be a hoot!
Hmmmm. Problematic. Removing plaster isn't all that easy depending on how it was initially applied, and there's no telling what condition the "slump block" will be in underneath the plaster. You may be in for a TON of work for a not very satisfactory look afterwards. Then you'd probably want to cover it up again - additional expense. Are you looking to create a specific kind of look that you have seen done in other homes that are built with the same materials as yours?
Structurally it is the block holding up the wall, but Jlnatty makes a good point, the prep on the inner block may be pretty labor intensive, and there may still be a moisture issue once the inside of the block is exposed. I like the idea of using a projector to create a block look for your wall.
Crrrazay. I ain’t in Santa Barbara no more! I’m in Mesa, AZ. so moisture isn’t an issue. Just a layer of plaster over the block.
From your picture, it looks like the inner wall is sheetrock. That means there's furring strips or 2 x 4's in the inside that will also have to be removed from the block. And then the holes will have to be filled in. You may also have insulation behind the sheetrock.
Having lived in Phoenix, you really don't want to do this as you need as much insulation (even if it's a layer of sheetrock over the block) during the summer. What you have is called slump block and it's not a very effective insulation barrier against the summer heat.
I am wondering what would be your goal in exposing the blocks on the interior side of the wall? What sort of look to the room would you be hoping to achieve by doing this?