House Rendering Cost

Want to find out how much rendering costs?

This complete price guide on wall rendering covers all you need to know about the cost of house rendering, including the prices of materials and labour, frequently asked questions, cost per m² and everything else you need to consider when rendering a wall.

If you'd like to find and hire a renderer, take a look at MyJobQuote's professionals.

On average, you're looking at a spend of £5,000, but this cost can change on a few factors we discuss further below.

So let's get started!

How Much to Render a House?

Rendering your home can cost from just over £2,000 to upwards of £8,000 depending on size, difficulty, and methods chosen.

For example, a small bungalow will cost considerably less than rendering a large detached property.

Also, an essential factor to consider would be the specific type of rendering process and materials used, as these can drastically reduce or increase the overall cost of the job.

The quality of the final process is also a significant factor, saving money with a DIY job or hiring a qualified tradesman and spending a little more for a more professional job.

All these are critical considerations that only really you, as the homeowner, can decide accurately.

Everyone loves to save money wherever possible, yet in many instances, it may be better to pay a little more and get a higher quality, less stressful experience.

Therefore, in the following article, we shall go over not just the costs involved, but also the entire process from start to finish.

The basic render for external walls starts with a scratch coat, followed by a finer topcoat, which is painted using masonry paint. The basic choice costs around £40-£60 per metre squared. This means for a simple garden wall (measuring around 5m²) it would cost approximately £250, and for a typical semi-detached three-bed property measuring 80 m², it could cost up to £5,000.

It is important to factor in all the costs, overthinking the charges like hiring the scaffolding and waste removal my result in a surprise when you calculate the total cost of the job.

Rendering Prices

Lime Render Cost

The best option, when looking for a breathable, flexible, and damp proof solution, would be the basic lime render. This also is fitting for older properties, as it fits the period aesthetics. The material cost for lime render is around £20 per m².

Cement Render Cost

As the modern industry-standard on external walls, cement render is the most common form chosen. The cheapness of the materials is a massive factor in the choice of this type of render. However, before selecting this process, you will need to consider it requires multiple coats and frequent repainting to maintain a neat appearance. The material cost for cement render is around £10 per m².

Finishing Costs

Pebbledash, Roughcast and Decorative Aggregates

The finish of render is a critical consideration. Pebbledash and roughcast renders are when a coarse medium (small pebbles or gravel), is applied to the base coat. This provides the property with increased resilience to weather and gives a unique texture.

There are many types of aggregates, which when used in place of pebbles add an “even more” unique finish, with modern equivalents even increasing the insulation properties of the render itself. The costs of pebbledash render start at around £30 per m².

External Paint Costs

With the multitude of masonry paints available on the market, it is not just the choice of colours available that need to be considered; the decision of finished texture, weatherproof rating, and coats required, also involves careful consideration.

All these factors can reduce or increase the cost of the final job. On average, exterior masonry paint costs £10 to £25 per m². Meaning for a small-sized two-bedroom semi-detached house of 80m², it would cost around £800 to £2,000 for just the paint.

Pre-coloured/Finished Render Costs

Polymer Render Cost

Polymers are types of plastics which when added to a render base can reduce the risk of it cracking in the future. This also has the added advantage of having the colouring built-in, allowing you to avoid the cost of painting the final coat. The price for polymer render usually starts at around £30 per m².

Acrylic Render Cost

Used solely as a final topcoat over existing, or new, renders. Usually, a silicone-based substance is included in the render to reduce the amount of future cleaning required; however, this could increase the price substantially. The cost of acrylic render usually starts at around £30 per m².

Monocouche Render Cost

This style of render consists of a single coat, rather than multiple layers. Monocouche is a cement-based render and comes ready to mix with water, then usually sprayed on to the property.

It is by far the most expensive material out of the options; however, this increase in price becomes offset when considering the reduction in labour and maintenance costs. The cost of monocouche render begins at around £35 per m².

Supply Only Costs

The below table shows some common rendering jobs along with their average supply only cost.

Render Removal Costs

If you’re replacing your current render you’re going to need to remove it all and clean your walls. Most renderers will include this expense in their quotes but make sure that you indicate that you need render removed and the waste taken away.

These are added costs you may need to incorporate because you might need to hire a skip as well as hiring scaffolding.

Render removal may also uncover damage from underneath. You may need to hire a sand blaster which will also affect the cost. The cost of render removal will depend on the render type, property, current condition and any damage found but you can expect it to take 1-3 days on average.

Your specialist is likely to charge a rate of around £150-£400 per tradesman, per day. Alternatively if you are handy enough this could be a good way to lower the costs of your project.

If you have pebbledash you need removing, check out our cost guide here.

Labour Costs and Time Frames

Labour costs are usually one of the most important factors to consider when planning home renovations. You should expect to pay around £130-£250 per day for your rendering specialists.

Rendering can be a time consuming and complicated process, taking up to 2 weeks for larger properties. A skilled DIY-er may not struggle much with rendering a garden wall with cement but applying Monocouche render to a detached house is likely to be too much. The average house rendering job will run between 4-10 days on average but time frames will adjust depending on render type and weather for example.

By employing a qualified tradesman, you also can benefit from a discount on materials, depending on the job size. This can drastically reduce the overall cost of the project and offset part, if not most, of the cost of the labour itself.

For example, for the cost of £3,000, you could hire a qualified tradesman to render a 200 m² semi-detached property with a basic cement render. However, if done yourself, it could cost up to £3,000 for the materials alone.

Besides, the timescale of the work, and the processing time each type of rendering takes should be considered. Some modern Acrylic renders can (on a hot day) dry rapidly, and once applied to be touch-dry within a few hours.

Conversely, some renders can take multiple days to dry, and the majority of renders require dry weather to apply. These factors also are useful to consider when planning the job.

Choosing a Brand of Render

There are several brands of render considered high-quality and are favoured by many renderers, each manufactures a variety of render types, and come in a range of prices depending on what type and finish you want:

K Rend

K rend is the UK’s largest independent coloured silicone render manufacturer. They offer two products: silicone thin coat and silicone scraped texture. Both are available in a variety of colours and saves you the job of painting any render.

K Rend is known to last longer than traditional sand and cement, as it doesn’t crack, keeps clean, is waterproof and needs no maintenance. It is more expensive than traditional render, but it does have more benefits than negatives. You can expect to pay £30-£70 per square metre for K Rend’s silicone render depending where you are in the country.

Parex

Parex is a well-know company in the world of construction. They not only produce render, but construction repairs, hard landscaping, highway maintenance and are the UK leader in construction chemicals.

Parex offers a range of different renders including monocouche, silicone and acrylic renders that are used not only on buildings, but large infrastructure such as bridges, road and railways. You can expect to pay £20-£60 per square metre depending on location and render type.

Weber

Weber offers a variety of products, including tile adhesive, grout, concrete repair, structural strengthening, and of course, render! Weberend has an assortment of renders from traditional products, to modern styles.

They also have a one coat pebble dash render that can save a lot of time and money. For the Weberend products, prices range from £25 to £65, depending on your location in the country and the type of finish or product you want.

When Can I Paint My Render?

Once your wall is rendered you may want to paint it. The time until it's ready to paint depends on the weather and render type. The below table indicates when your render will be ready to paint.

What Is House Render?

House render is an external wall covering, which when applied by a plasterer or rendering professional, protects the exterior exposed walls of a house from rain and cold weather.

It is finished with a top coat of paint to reduce the chance of the render layer from cracking and damp penetrating.

As you are aware, the exterior of a home is subject to a large degree of weathering and erosion. Therefore, if it is not protected with some form of covering, problems are likely to arise over time.

In order to negate the amount of weather damage and erosion, a house undergoes, a layer of cement, lime, or modern resin-based render is applied.

This will increase the life expectancy and thus reduce the maintenance costs of the exterior of your building. The amount of protection relies heavily on the choice of render materials, quality of the work carried out, and the local weather.

Render will consist of cement, lime, or resin base powders or liquids, which when mixed with water, or other chemicals form a paste-like substance.

The paste is then smoothed over the walls, using hand tools such as a plasterer’s trowel, to create a barrier layer impervious to water.

Unlike traditional cement and lime based renders, modern resin often comes in liquid rather than powder form, premixed ready to apply.

Pros and Cons of Rendering

There are both pros and cons of rendering your property, these include:

Pros

• There is a variety of renders available to suit even those on a fixed budget.
• Rendering a home allows you the freedom to choose from a countless number of paint colours available on the market, giving greater freedom to the aesthetic look of your property.
• Covering mismatching brickwork, cracks, stains, and all manner of unsightly marks, which make your home stand out for all the wrong reasons.
• Render can provide a direct defence against moisture, damp, and mould.
• Economic improvements to the property, this includes a possible increase of the insulation rating of the property.
• With some high quality renders, an added benefit can be a higher degree of defence against vandals, such as graffiti.
• Render can increase the value of your property.

Cons

• Render requires regular maintenance to avoid possible weathering issues, such as cracking and peeling of the topcoat of paint.
• The cost can be a substantial outlay for a homeowner, and the return on the value can be extremely slow.
• Area dependant, your property may require planning permission to install various wall renders, and there may be a limit on the style or colours used.
• If your property has air vents, alarm boxes, or external features, these may need extending, increasing the costs of the process.

Benefits of House Render

As previously mentioned, external rending is applied to increase the weather resistance of the property, reducing the cost and difficulty of maintenance which is required.

The outer layer of a house, if built of brick, is actually quite porous and without a render or glaze layer will end up absorbing moisture from the air and rains, resulting in damp penetrating the building with ease.

Render is simply the best solution to reducing the amount of moisture that is absorbed into the clockwork.

Also, in the modern-day, renders can have various additives within the formulas that increase in the insulation levels of the property. This, in turn, can be a good way of not just saving money but decreasing the environmental impact of your home.

Modern renders such as a resin-based polymer, acrylic resins usually hold a higher insulation rating than their cement and lime-based counterparts.

Not only do you have the advantages of saving money and time on maintenance, saving money on heating, and reducing the ageing process of your home; render minimises the risk of damp penetrating your walls.

Damp and mould are a big concern when owning a home. Not only can they be unsightly and off-putting to look at, but they also form a substantial health hazard.

Once damp and mould have infected a property, they can be a costly nightmare to get rid of, and therefore prevention is often a lot simpler than a cure.

Render, as a result, forms the first barrier against such invasions. With good quality, well-maintained render coat, water and moisture cannot permeate the exterior of the home, stopping damp from ever entering your walls themselves.

If you have issues with rising damp then consider damp proofing your home start at around £30 per m². and inserting a new damp proof course.

What Does Rendering a House Entail?

Rendering your home can be a straightforward task. Whether you try the DIY option or hire a qualified tradesman, it is good for you to understand the entire process.

• Wall Preparation

It is extremely important for a building to have its walls prepared first before the render is applied. This includes having the structural stability accessed and any repairs made to the brickwork.

• External Feature Preparation

Features such as alarm boxes, drainpipes, and weather flashings will need to be removed. This includes around every door and window frame.

• Insulation Options

There is the option of applying a base insulation layer before applying your chosen render. This usually would come in the form of sheets, or block cladding.

• Render Foundation

As with most building jobs, a good foundation is vital to the final product. Render mesh (usually a type of special fabric) is used, by embedding it into the first layer of render applied.

• Render Layers

The layers of render can vary depending on the materials chosen and the desired result. Some may include polymer cement, silicone or acrylic.

• The Finish

If your render has a modern resin base, then these often-come pre-coloured. If you are not using pre-coloured render. You may also decide whether you desire a smooth or textured finish to your render.

• Final Touches

Once the render has cured, and the paint has dried, you then have to reattach the drainpipes and external features, which you removed from your walls.

Are My Walls Suitable for Rendering?

The first consideration when planning a rendering job is; are my walls capable of actually being rendered. Well, to answer this you must look at the walls themselves. Are the walls damaged or eroded? Do the walls have a render coat already? Are the walls of your home already glazed or painted? What is the structural condition of the walls?

Simply hiring a surveyor, or even getting a rendering tradesman to quote you a job can answer most of these questions. If however, you plan to do the job yourself, then begin with checking for erosion and weather cracks. Should any be evident, you will have to fix them before applying any form of render to the walls.

Secondly just because a wall has already been rendered does not mean it cannot be updated. Usually, if the wall has an old coat of render, it can have the old render material removed, cleaned, and new materials applied. Thirdly if there is paint present, depending on the quality, age, and type of paint, it can often be cleaned properly before new render is purchased and applied.

One of the main considerations when deciding if the render is going to end in a good quality finish is the structural condition of the walls. As render is usually a hard, inflexible layer, it requires structurally stable walls. Any movement within the wall, once the render has been applied, will result in a cracked and poor finish.

Therefore, it is always advisable to have a qualified professional survey the stability of the walls to be rendered. This is less likely to be required in newer builds, but in older builds, this becomes more and more of a requirement as the age of the property increases.

DIY House Rendering

The most important factor to consider if planning on doing your own render work is the difficulty of such an undertaking and the amount you could save in undertaking it yourself.

Rendering a home is a huge job to do yourself. Surveying, planning, preparation of the materials, preparing the walls, applying the rendering, finishing the render, and then knowing how to undertake the correct maintenance, is beyond the average DIY enthusiast.

The money you would look to save in purchasing materials is negated by the fact most tradesmen will receive a lower purchase price from suppliers than the one-off retail customer.

Then once you factor into the decision the value of your own time, the expertise you lack, and the stress of doing it all alone. It is usually the best option to just bite the bullet and hire a quality rated and qualified tradesman to undertake the job in your stead.

If however, you were one of these super self-dependant types, then it would be best to start small and get your practise in before you decide to take on an entire house.

A garden wall or inconspicuous external wall of your house would be a great place to “give it a go”. Then if you do not meet your expectations, it does not cost the earth to put right your work.

Render Repair Costs

Render, as almost everything is subject to damage from time to time. If you find your old render is not in such poor condition that it requires a complete re-do, yet there is still some damage visible; then maybe a repair job could be your first port of call. Isolated cracks, missing chunks and discolourations are all examples of types of render damage, which are all fixed quite easily.

Missing chucks usually can be patched with the same type of render as the original. For a tradesman to do this, you will be looking at around £15 per m² for basic cement render, increasing to around £25 to £30 per m² for modern acrylic and polymer renders. This is a great time to try the DIY route if you are so inclined.

However, depending on the size and location of the piece, it could be simpler and cheaper to hire a professional. Discolouration can be the simplest of fixes (costing around £20 per m²) and often is just a case of cleaning the render and reapplying a coat of paint to match the other non-discoloured areas.

If you decide to hire a tradesman to undertake a repair, it is always best to search for one that has a good level of experience in repair work, if not a tradesman that specialises in repair work.

The price of repair work is a great deal lower than a complete re-rendering; however, it can still be quite pricey depending on the damage and style of render required. It is always best to estimate the job using the above prices.

Render Maintenance and Painting

Not all types of render require the same levels of maintenance. Most, if not all, render will require a fresh coat of paint from time to time. This can be almost as difficult as the original paint job. However, luckily refreshing the painting is only required approximately every five to ten years.

A good way to increase the life of your top layer finish; be it paint or coloured render, is a simple yearly clean. A professional can undertake this, yet it is often easier and cheaper to take on the cleaning yourself.

There are a lot of devices and equipment designed to clean the exterior of your home. From “magic brushes”, which are just brooms with various hose attachments, to different types of soaps designed to remove built-up grease and grime. If kept clean render can last an extremely long time before it needs any form of renewing.

However, render does not last forever. Even modern forms of rendering, such as acrylic and polymer, will eventually require the topcoat reapplying. This would cost a considerable amount and may cost nearly as much as the original job. Therefore, it makes sense to maintain and clean the render while it is still in a good state of repair.

Insulation Grants

In certain circumstances, there are grants available from the government to assist in insulating a property. These come part of the Energy Company Obligation or ECO, which is a governmental scheme set up to help low-income, fixed budget households increase the levels of insulation within their homes.

This specific type of grant is funded by the utility companies and is available to houses in England, Wales, and Scotland. To qualify for the grants, you must hire one of the registered installers to perform the work, as well as fulfilling other criteria.

Not every person will qualify for this grant scheme, yet if you do qualify; it can provide money towards costs, if not cover the entire cost, of the re-insulation of the property. To check whether you are eligible for the grant, it is always best to contact your local authority as rules can change depending on your location, and personal circumstances.

Is House Rendering Worth It?

This can be a complicated question, depending on how you categorise worth. If you are talking about a return on your investment, as in a specific return of the financial commitment you have made to render the property, then probably not. Rendering a home may increase its overall value, yet it may not.

If you take into consideration the protection you’re providing the building, from weathering, erosion, and damp, followed by the reduced amount of maintenance a rendered building will face compared to a non-rendered property, and the aesthetics of the finished job, then it could be considered a sound investment. It all boils down to personal preference and future plans for the property.

If you have purchased a property to increase its value and sell at a profit, then rendering it will seldom provide the returns, which would not make the process worthwhile.

However, if you have purchased a home for you and your family, or even purchased with the mind to rent to another family, rendering the exterior will forgo a lot of future problems later down the road.

All these aspects should be carefully thought over, as rendering being a costly and time-consuming process, is not the type of job that should be rushed into.

Alternatives to Rendering

There are alternatives to rendering your home; these could be simply painting the external walls or even a wooden cladding system.

This varies drastically in price, as simply just painting your home will usually only cost around £10-£15 for per m², and cladding can cost as much as rendering costs at around £20 per m² for a simple plastic or acrylic cladding system, to £50 per m² for a quality wood or metal cladding system.

These also do not just come with different price tags, but also different results.

Painting your home without providing proper stable base protection will not afford the same levels of weather protection as a full render, and wooden cladding can be a pain to maintain in wetter climates.

It is always best to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of each method before deciding on the process. However, a budget will usually be one of the deciding factors as rendering an entire property is rarely a cheap process to undertake, and there are more affordable options available on the market for those on a fixed budget.

Specialists and Qualifications to Look Out For

In the building trade, most jobs are covered by specialist qualifications and skills. These are important when planning to hire a tradesman to perform a job for you. The best place to start is to ask where they were trained, what course they have undergone and what their actual qualification gained was specialising in.

One qualification to look out for is the City and Guilds award; these begin with level one and progress upwards, so the higher the number, the more qualification a person has gained. When it comes to rendering, plasterers are usually the first port of call. Not all interior plasterers perform exterior work. However, a significant degree of them do have particular specialisms.

Secondly, referrals should not be overlooked, as a tradesman with a bad reputation should always be avoided; no matter how much money they claim they could save you. Finally, an important factor to be considered before you hire a specific tradesman is, are they fully insured to do the work.

Insurance is your safety net if the project was to go wrong; this is what saves you having to shell out costly amounts from your pocket to fix the mistake. Not only should they possess public liability insurance, to cover any accidents on-site; but they should also have job insurance to cover their work if they accidentally damage your property or make a mistake on the job.

Without insurance, you could become liable for a mistake you had no hand in creating. Therefore, tradesmen without adequate insurance to cover the level of job you are requiring should not be hired to undertake the work.

Hiring a Renderer Checklist

You have decided to go ahead and render your property, and do it through a tradesman. Well, the next step is to find the right person, tradesman, or company for the job. Local tradesmen are always the best place to start.

• Always arrange for the company to provide you with an estimate, or quote before you consider hiring them.
• Look out for City and Guild qualifications. They may also have other qualifications and awards which demonstrate their abilities.
• Ask to see proof of insurance and liability. This protects from any damage caused to your property.
• Remember to get a written receipt after making any payments. This will protect you from any disputes in the future.
• Ensure you get a written agreement in place for the work that you need. A written agreement will give you a clear outline of what the job includes and a breakdown of the costs.
• Ask to see photos of their work and look out for reviews and references.

FAQs

Sources

https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/18/external_wall
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5199873
https://www.self-build.co.uk/how-get-render-right/
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/insulation_grants
https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/render-faqs/