How much does rendering a house cost in the UK?
House rendering costs £65 on average in the UK. Most jobs fall between £40 and £100 per m². Render type: Sand and cement £40 to £60, Monocouche £55 to £85, Acrylic thin coat £60 to £90. Prices reviewed June 2026.
Rendering is priced by the area of wall covered, plus scaffolding. Traditional sand and cement is cheapest, and a through-coloured silicone or monocouche render costs more but needs less upkeep.
House rendering cost calculator
Use the calculator to price your house rendering in 2026. Adjust the options and area for a UK cost range. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Need to know how much material to order? Try the paint calculator. To price the whole job, use the scaffolding cost calculator.
House rendering cost breakdown
Typical house rendering costs, by the unit:
| What | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Per m², supplied and fitted | £40 to £60 per m² |
| + Silicone / through-coloured render | add £20 to £40 per m² |
| 50 m² | £2,000 to £3,000 |
| 100 m² (typical) | £4,000 to £6,000 |
| 200 m² | £8,000 to £12,000 |
House rendering cost by render type
Render is priced by the type of system as well as the wall area. Sand and cement is the cheapest to buy and the dearest to keep looking right. The thin-coat systems cost more up front and need almost no upkeep.
| Render type | Cost per m² installed | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Sand and cement | £40 to £60 | Tight budgets. Needs painting, and can craze as it ages |
| Monocouche (K-Rend, Weber) | £55 to £85 | One-coat colour-through finish, no painting needed |
| Acrylic thin coat | £60 to £90 | Flexible and quick to apply, less breathable than silicone |
| Silicone thin coat | £60 to £100 | Most crack and dirt resistant, breathable, 25 years plus |
| Lime render | £60 to £100 | Solid-wall, period and listed buildings that must breathe |
Supplied and applied per m², including wall preparation and scaffolding. Insulated render (external wall insulation) is a different system and costs more, see the external wall insulation guide.
House rendering cost by property size
Rendering a whole house is quoted on the total wall area. Semi-detached and terraced homes are often done on two elevations only, which is why the same house can be quoted two very different figures.
| Property size | Wall area | Typical total |
|---|---|---|
| Bungalow, front and one side two elevations | 60 m² | £2,400 to £6,000 |
| 3-bed semi, front and back two elevations | 100 m² | £4,000 to £10,000 |
| 3-bed semi, whole house three elevations | 130 m² | £5,200 to £13,000 |
| 4-bed detached, whole house all four elevations | 180 m² | £7,200 to £18,000 |
Totals are the guide rate of £40 to £100 per m² applied to each size. Indicative, not quotes.
What's included in the price?
Typical house rendering prices include:
- Preparing the walls
- Render coats and finish
- Beads, mesh and detailing
- Scaffolding
What changes the price?
The things that move house rendering prices most:
Total wall area in square metres
Render type: sand and cement, monocouche or silicone
The condition of the walls and any repairs
Height, access and scaffolding
How the price is built up
The price is built up per square metre, and the rate covers both the render and the labour to apply it. Basic sand and cement rendering sits near the £40 floor because the materials are cheap and it is painted afterwards. The rate climbs towards £100 for a monocouche or a silicone, through-coloured system, where the material is dearer and the colour is baked in rather than painted on. On top of the per square metre rate, the condition of the walls matters, since knocking off blown render and preparing a poor surface adds time. Height, access and scaffolding push a two-storey job higher, and in London and the South East the total rises again, mostly on labour and scaffolding. Labour is usually the larger share on a rendering job, roughly 55 to 65 percent of the total, with the render itself and any scaffolding making up the rest. The split tilts towards materials on a silicone or through-coloured system, where the render adds £20 to £40 per m² on top of the base rate.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Sticking with sand and cement keeps you near the £40 per m² floor. It needs painting and repainting over the years, but the upfront rate is the lowest of the render types.
- Render only the walls that need it. Doing the front elevation rather than the whole house cuts both the area you pay for and often the scaffolding, since the sides and rear may be reachable another way.
- Get quotes from firms based further out if you can, as the London and South East premium is mostly labour and scaffolding.
- Fix any damp or blown patches before the renderer arrives rather than leaving it as extra prep on the day, since wall repairs are charged on top of the per square metre rate.
Does where you live change the cost?
In London, house rendering typically costs around £85 per m², about 30% above the UK average of £65. In the North, Scotland and Wales the guide figure is nearer £60.
| Region | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlands / East (UK average) | £40 | £65 | £100 |
| London | £50 | £85 | £130 |
| South East / South West | £45 | £75 | £110 |
| North / Scotland / Wales | £35 | £60 | £90 |
Guide prices per m², scaled with the same regional multipliers as the calculator. Not quotes.
House rendering cost in major UK cities
| City | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | £35 | £55 | £85 |
| Birmingham | £40 | £65 | £100 |
| Bristol | £45 | £70 | £110 |
| Cardiff | £40 | £60 | £95 |
| Edinburgh | £40 | £65 | £100 |
| Glasgow | £35 | £60 | £90 |
| Leeds | £35 | £60 | £95 |
| Liverpool | £35 | £60 | £90 |
| London | £50 | £85 | £130 |
| Manchester | £40 | £60 | £95 |
| Newcastle | £35 | £60 | £90 |
| Sheffield | £35 | £60 | £90 |
City guide estimates, scaled by local labour costs. Indicative averages for house rendering, not quotes.
Two things move together here, scaffolding and labour.
Common questions
How much does it cost to render a house?
Rendering a typical semi works out around £4,000 to £9,000 including scaffolding, depending on the wall area and the render type. Sand and cement is cheapest and silicone or monocouche costs more.
What is the cheapest type of rendering?
Traditional sand and cement render is the cheapest to apply, usually £40 to £60 per square metre. It is then painted, and needs repainting over time, which silicone renders avoid.
Is silicone render worth the extra cost?
Through-coloured silicone render resists cracking, sheds dirt and does not need repainting, so many people pay the extra for lower upkeep over the years. On a budget, sand and cement still does the job.
Do I need planning permission to render my house?
Usually not: re-rendering in a similar appearance is normally permitted development. The exceptions are listed buildings, conservation areas and some flats, where you should check first. Building regulations do apply though: if you re-render more than about a quarter of a wall, the wall may need to be brought up to current insulation standards at the same time.
Does rendering add value to a house?
A tired or patched wall finish drags on kerb appeal, so fresh render can help a sale, and modern silicone systems keep their colour for 20 years or more. Treat it as protection and appearance rather than a guaranteed value-add: render exists to keep weather out of the wall, and that is what a survey will judge it on.
What time of year is best to render a house?
Spring and early autumn are the safest windows. Render needs to be applied above roughly 5C and kept from freezing or drying too fast, so frost and strong summer heat both cause problems. Working in the milder months lowers the risk of cracking and a botched finish, and it can also mean shorter waits for a good renderer. The per square metre rate, £40 to £100 depending on the system, does not change with the season, but a rushed winter job can cost you in repairs later.
How long does render last before it needs redoing?
A well applied render typically lasts 20 to 30 years, though this depends heavily on the system. Sand and cement, the cheapest at around £40 per m², needs repainting every 5 to 10 years and is more prone to cracking. A silicone or through-coloured system costs £20 to £40 per m² more but is self-coloured and water-shedding, so it holds its look for longer with little more than an occasional wash. Good wall prep at the start is what makes either last.
How much does it cost to render a semi-detached house?
Budget from around £4,000 for a smaller semi and up from there. The figure comes straight from the wall area times the rate, so a 100 m² job at the £40 per m² floor lands near £4,000, while the same area in silicone or through-coloured render at £100 per m² reaches about £10,000. Two storeys mean scaffolding, and London and the South East cost more again.
Can I render my house myself?
It is legal but rarely a good DIY job. Labour is around 55 to 65 percent of the £40 to £100 per m² cost, so the saving looks tempting, but working at height off scaffold and getting an even, crack-free finish across a whole wall is skilled. A patchy or cracking render traps damp and looks poor from the street. Most people leave full walls to a renderer and only try small, low patches themselves.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing.