Monocouche Render Cost

In this article, we’ll be looking at the average cost of monocouche rendering, including supply, labour, and any hidden costs you should be aware of when booking your job.

We can also get your quotes from monocouche render contractors in your area.

How Much is Monocouche Rendering?

Monocouche render is a time-effective external property coating that offers all the benefits of traditional render with a sleek, pre-coloured finish. Once applied, the dry powder settles to give breathability, durability and weather resistance for ten years.

Due to this, popularity is growing in the UK for monocouche render. Unlike conventional renders, such as sand and cement, monocouche comes pre-coloured so that the colour and render are applied in one go, adding to the efficiency of the product.

Monocouche render cost per m² starts at around £35 and can rise to £75 for more bespoke colours. The overall cost of your render will be determined by the size of your house, with a semi-detached house of 200m² costing £7,000, and a detached home of 300m² starting at £10,500.

Monocouche Rendering Prices

Property Type	Service	Estimated Cost	Time Required
2-bed bungalow (100m2)	Monocouche render application, standard colour	£3,500	5 hours to 1 day
2-bed bungalow (100m2)	Monocouche render application, bespoke colour	£4,000	5 hours to 1 day
3-bed semi-detached (200m2)	Monocouche render application, standard colour	£7,000	5 hours to 1 day
3-bed semi-detached (200m2)	Monocouche render application, bespoke colour	£7,500	5 hours to 1 day
4-bed detached (300m2)	Monocouche render application, standard colour	£10,500	1 to 1 1/2 days
4-bed detached (300m2)	Monocouche render application, bespoke colour	£11,000+	1 to 1 1/2 days

Supply Costs

Monocouche render is available in bag form, and for 25kg you can expect costs of £10 to £25, with higher costs being associated with more specific colours and higher-quality brands. Unlike cement or sand rendering, you don’t need to add a separate layer of colour when using monocouche rendering, which speeds up your project time and cuts down additional costs.

Where possible, it’s a good idea to take advantage of contractor price benefits, such as from bulk buying, as this will help to trim down your costs more than if you were to buy your supplies individually.

Additional Costs

Scaffolding

Scaffolding is likely to cost between £750 to £900 to fit a semi-detached house for painting or plastering access, with the cost rising to £900 to £1,150 for a detached property. This is for a 1-week hire period, and prices can fluctuate based on your location and the period of your hire.

Waste Disposal and Skip Hire

If you are having old rendering removed, you are likely to need a skip present. Mini skips are around £90, while the largest skips can cost closer to £800.

Large skips are most suited to rendering projects. A 20-yard skip will cost between £300 to £600, with a 40-yard costing between £400 to £800.

Costs in London are expected to be between £50 to £350 higher than in other locations, such as the North of the UK, due to increased demand. You will need to ensure that your skip is suitable for the type of waste you will be producing, as incorrect labelling can lead to fines.

Permits

You’ll need to check with your local council to see if you need a permit for your skip hire, which can range from £10 to £70 depending on your location. You can face fines of £1,000 if you don’t get a permit before having your skip delivered if you’re storing it on the roadside.

Labour Costs and Timescales

Be careful not to be caught out by additional labour charges in your initial quote - always ask if labour is included before agreeing to any contract. For rendering services, labour costs are likely to be between £130 to £250 per day, per rendering specialist.

Rendering can’t be rushed, as the layers need to dry and cure, meaning that long project periods are to be expected - which can unfortunately lead to high labour costs. But, tradesmen can help to bring your supply charges down as they will be able to take advantage of bulk-buying costs, rather than you buying items individually.

Monocouche rendering will take far less time than traditional cement or sand rendering, so although the supply costs are higher, the labour fees are likely to be lower.

Cost Factors for Monocouche Rendering

By now, we are aware that monocouche rendering is amongst the most expensive wall coatings - but there are some ways to keep the costs down, as we’ll now discuss.

Location

It’s prudent to start with a non-negotiable fact, which is your property’s location. You’ll see higher labour charges in cities compared to smaller towns due to the increased demand.

You should also consider the need for parking permits if your home doesn’t have a driveway or off-road parking available. Similarly, if you need skip hire and haven’t got a private area to store it on, you’ll need a permit, which can range from £10 to £70 depending on your area, with fines of £1,000 if you are found to not have a permit and store your skip on the road.

Ease of Access

Another non-negotiable is the ease of access to your property. Special considerations need to be taken if your property overhangs a public pavement, as you may need to obtain a closure permit from your local council to ensure your contractor doesn’t breach any health and safety regulations while working on your property.

Similarly, if you have a multiple-storey home, or have a house built on uneven land, you will likely have higher scaffolding charges due to the complexity of the project.

Condition of Substrate

The removal of old rendering can lead to damage to your substrate - most commonly seen with pebbledash rendering due to the trickiness of the removal process. Before you install your monocouche render, you will need to replace and repair any damage to your brickwork as this can negatively impact your property’s structural integrity.

Repairs commonly cost between £150 to £350, depending on the type of existing render, with prices being higher for more premium materials.

Complexity of Application Process

As there are different finishes available with monocouche rendering, the price can vary depending on what you choose. A smooth finish will be quicker to apply, therefore yielding a lower price, while a patterned or render mixed with additional aggregates will be higher.

For homeowners wanting to stay on budget, opting for a smooth finish is the way to go, as well as choosing an off-the-shelf colour instead of having something bespoke colour-matched. It is not recommended that you attempt to DIY monocouche render as failure to lay the render correctly can lead to costly repairs further down the line.

Building Regulations Related to Monocouche Rendering

If your home is classed as a listed property, the exterior will be protected to prevent you from changing its appearance from the original state. For example, if you own a Grade 2 listed building, classed as a structure of special interest, you will not be permitted to apply render to change the colour of the property or the overall texture.

Similarly, if you live in a conservation area, you will encounter restrictions. These are in place to ensure that the properties keep a similar look to one another to tie in with the legacy characteristics of the area.

For those not living in listed buildings or conservation areas, the rules will change - but you may still be subject to building regulations approval.

If you are applying monocouche render to your home’s exterior for the first time, or removing an existing external coating to replace it with something new, you will need to ensure that your property’s insulation isn’t compromised in doing so. Your rendering specialist will need to consider both the U-value (thermal transmittance) and the reciprocal R-value (minimum thermal resistance) to calculate the need for additional insulation as a result of the change.

While monocouche render application is likely to fall under permitted development, you may still need to have an assessment as alterations to the exterior can have impacts on fire safety, structural stability and insulation, all of which fall under the jurisdiction of building regulations approval.

You should always check with your local planning authority or conservation officer before you start any external rendering project to ensure that you adhere to all of your guidelines.

Types of Monocouche Rendering Finishes

There’s not just one set way of applying monocouche render to your home’s exterior - it can be smooth or textured - making it highly customisable to your style. Your choice of finish can impact your overall project cost, however, so if you are working to a budget you will want to opt for simpler designs.

A traditional method is to have a smooth finish, which gives a sleek look to your home - especially favoured by homeowners who have just removed pebbledash rendering and want something more contemporary in style.

You can opt for a textured finish if you prefer, either finished with a sponge or trowel. It’s possible to have coursing lines added to give the effect of masonry courses if desired - all of which will come at an additional labour charge.

Alternative Render Types to Monocouche Rendering

Perhaps you haven’t fully decided on the type of rendering you want to install - let’s look at a few different options, covering render, cladding and painting - to give you a broader idea of what’s available.

Render Over Existing Render

For homeowners with a stable layer of render on their homes, it’s possible to render over the existing render to save the time and effort of removing the original layer. It’s important to note that if you have any surface issues such as cracks or breaks, these will need to be repaired before the new monocouche render is added, which will cost between £100 to £350 for small patch repairs, depending on your type of render.

This solution will still be less labour-intensive than complete removal and can give satisfying results if you simply want a clean canvas. This can cost anywhere from £3,000 to £6,000, depending on the size of your home and the height, and duration of equipment hire such as scaffolding and skips.

Clad Over Existing Render

If you want to change the look of your home’s exterior, but not necessarily use rendering as your medium, you can opt to install cladding over your rendering. This is subject to your render being in good condition, as any problems with the surface will just be locked in and harder to fix once the cladding has been installed.

The cost of cladding installation is around £3,800 and will take anywhere from two to three days, making it more time-efficient than removal of the existing render. Depending on your cladding material - timber, UPVC or aluminium - you will encounter different costs, with timber being the cheapest and aluminium being the most expensive option.

Paint Over Existing Render

If your existing render surface is in good condition, you can choose to paint over your existing render. This is a good option for homeowners who want to inject new life into their home’s exterior, but don’t want the hassle of a full render removal if it’s not necessary.

To ensure this is the case, your contractor must assess your property’s exterior for any defects, and fill these in before any masonry painting happens, as the cracks will become more obvious when paint is used. You also want to preserve the structural integrity of the existing rendering, so opting to fix these problems before you install something new is the best route for success.

Prices for masonry paint vary, but you can find 5-litre tubs for around £15, giving you a cost range of between £10 to £25 per m² - which equates to £800 to £2,000 for supply costs only for a two-bed semi-detached house. You will then need to add on equipment costs, such as scaffolding, as well as factoring in your labourer’s day rate.

Different Types of Render

Here are some other types of render you may be interested in:

• Cement render
• Polymer render
• Lime render
• Acrylic render
• Silicone render

Removing Existing Rendering: Considerations and Costs for Monocouche Rendering

The condition of your existing rendering will directly impact the price you pay for its removal - and subsequent repairs to the substrate, if needed. If your existing rendering is in poor condition, chipping and breaking away, it’s best to have it removed entirely before applying new rendering - failure to do so can lead to a catastrophic failure of both new and old render, and cause both layers to fall off your property.

For example, if you currently have pebbledash rendering on your property, you will likely want to remove it to ensure you get an even application of your new monocouche render. The cost of removing the existing pebbledash render can be anywhere from £2,100 to £7,800 and above, depending on your house size.

Additional costs should be factored in for any necessary repair work to your substrate before work on the new render can begin.

Hiring Contractors Checklist for Monocouche Rendering

Now that you have a good understanding of the estimated costs and pros and cons of monocouche rendering, let’s finish up with our contractor checklist to ensure you hire the best trader for the job.

Past Experience

It goes without saying - you’ll want a contractor who has undertaken monocouche rendering before. If you’re looking for someone to remove the existing monocouche render, as opposed to someone to touch up or replace the monocouche render, it’s worthwhile finding a specialist who is particularly skilled in that specific area.

Qualifications, Accreditations and Licences

There isn’t a clear path for qualifications when it comes to external renderers, but general construction skills, handling hazardous materials and rendering/plastering experience can be good indicators of a contractor’s skill.

You should always ensure the trader has liability insurance to cover both themselves and you in the event of an accident during the project - and if someone doesn’t have insurance, it’s best to steer clear of them altogether.

Customer Reviews

Having solid experience and licences can sadly mean little if the contractor doesn’t have good customer reviews. Be sure to check not just their website, but independent review websites to ensure the feedback you’re seeing hasn’t been enhanced.

Take special note of any comments on their work ethic, if they leave the site clean and tidy, as well as any communication issues as these can be early red flags for you to consider when choosing your trader.

Compare Quotes

It’s best to gather several quotes from different contractors to ensure you’re getting a good deal. Make sure you’re clear on what’s included in your quote, and ask any questions you feel necessary to understand the entire scope of the project.

Be sure to check for any hidden or unexpected costs, and only when you’re entirely satisfied with the terms should you sign the contract.

FAQs

Sources

https://www.uk.weber/blog/choosing-right-products/what-monocouche-render
https://www.rendit.co.uk/what-is-monocouche-render-and-why-should-i-use-it
https://advanceddamp.co.uk/monocouche-rendering
https://monocouche.co.uk/colours-finishes
https://www.fmb.org.uk/resource/house-render-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-start.html