Our published guide prices are £40–£70 per m² for rendering, £2,500–£5,000 for a three-bed semi and £9,000–£12,000 for a detached house, with insulated render at £90–£140 per m². What moves a real quote within and beyond those ranges is access, how much preparation the wall needs, and whether existing render has to come off.
- Access is often the largest single variable. Scaffold on a two-storey elevation is a real line item.
- Preparation is the part that cannot be priced from a photograph — it needs the walls tapping.
- The render system moves the price less than most people expect. Labour and access dominate.
- A quote well below these ranges is usually excluding scaffold, removal or preparation.
Our published guide prices
These are the figures we publish across this site. They are guide ranges for planning, not a quotation for your property — every job is surveyed and quoted in writing before anything is agreed.
| Job | Typical Coventry guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rendering | £40–£70 per m² | System & access dependent |
| Three-bed semi | £2,500–£5,000 | Full elevation render |
| Detached house | £9,000–£12,000 | Larger area & scaffolding |
| External wall insulation | £90–£140 per m² | Insulated render system |
Where a property sits within those ranges depends far more on its condition and access than on the system chosen.
The five things that actually move a quote
1. Access
Frequently the largest single variable. A bungalow reachable from a tower is a different proposition from a three-storey townhouse with a conservatory on one elevation and a shared boundary on another. Scaffold has to be designed, delivered, erected, stood for the duration and removed, and that cost barely changes with the area of wall being rendered. It is also the strongest argument for doing roofline, chimney and rendering work in one visit.
2. Preparation
Covered in detail elsewhere on this site, and it is the part that genuinely cannot be priced from a photograph. How much existing render is debonded, whether coatings have to come off, whether the brickwork needs repair, how many fixings and airbricks need dealing with. This is why we tap the walls before quoting.
3. Removal
Taking existing render or pebbledash off is a separate operation with its own labour, waste disposal and, usually, some making good to the masonry underneath. On a wall that was rendered to cover poor brickwork in the first place, that making good can be substantial.
4. The system
Through-coloured silicone and scratch renders cost more in material than sand and cement, and insulated render costs considerably more because you are buying insulation as well as a finish. But across a whole job the system is a smaller share of the total than people expect — labour and access dominate.
5. The detailing
Beads, movement joints, reveal and sill treatment, sleeving airbricks, extending a boiler flue, refitting meter boxes and pipework. Individually small; collectively a real part of a proper job, and the part a thin quote omits.
What should be in a rendering quote
- The system, named by manufacturer and product, with the build-up and total thickness.
- What preparation is included, and specifically how much render removal is allowed for.
- Scaffold: included or excluded, and expected standing time.
- Beads and movement joints, with their positions.
- What happens to airbricks, meter boxes, the boiler flue, pipework and external fittings.
- Where the render starts and stops at the base, relative to the damp-proof course.
- The colour and finish, agreed from a physical sample rather than a brochure.
- A programme, and what happens if the weather intervenes.
- Payment stages tied to progress.
- What is guaranteed by the contractor, and separately by the manufacturer.
Why quotes differ so much
Rendering quotes vary more than most trades, and the variation is nearly always scope rather than margin.
A cheaper quote is usually cheaper because it assumes nothing will be found, excludes scaffold, skips the levelling coat on a textured wall, omits beads, or leaves removal as an unpriced extra. Those are not savings; they are items that reappear as variations, or as a failure in a few years.
If one quote is dramatically lower, the most useful thing you can do is take its scope to the other contractors and ask what they would have to leave out to reach that figure. The answers are generally specific.
A much higher quote is not automatically padded either. Difficult access, extensive removal, a solid wall needing a specialist breathable system, or a conservation-area constraint can all legitimately explain it. The quote should simply say which.
Where you can genuinely save
- Bundle the work. If scaffold is going up, do the roofline, the gutters and any chimney work at the same time. Scaffold paid for once rather than twice or three times is the biggest real saving available.
- Cover rather than remove, where the existing surface is sound. Removal is the expensive option and is not always necessary.
- Do complete elevations rather than patches, where appearance matters. It costs more up front and avoids paying twice when the patch shows.
- Fix the cause first. Repairing the gutter that has been soaking a wall costs very little and stops you paying for the same render twice.
- Survey out of season. A winter survey puts you in the diary for spring rather than competing for it.
- Be realistic about colour matching on a repair. Accepting a visible repair at the back and doing the front properly is a legitimate way to spend less.
What we will not do
Two things worth stating plainly, because both get asked for.
We will not quote without looking. The variables that decide a rendering price — how much is debonded, what the suction is like, where the damp-proof course sits, what is fixed to the wall — are not visible in a photograph or over the phone. A number given without a survey is a guess, and guesses move once the scaffold is up.
We will not render over a problem to make a price work. If the gutter above is leaking, if the render bridges the damp-proof course, or if the wall is a solid one that needs a breathable system, the quote reflects that. It occasionally makes us more expensive than the next contractor, and it is the difference between a render that lasts and one that does not.
We tap the walls, check the damp-proof course and list every fixing before pricing, so the quote is the price.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to render a three-bedroom semi?
Our published guide figure is £2,500–£5,000 for a three-bed semi, with the per-square-metre rate at £40–£70. Where a specific property sits in that range depends mostly on access, how much preparation and removal is needed, and the system chosen. Every job is surveyed and quoted in writing first.
Why will nobody quote over the phone?
Because the things that decide the price cannot be seen that way. How much existing render is debonded, what the wall is built of, where the damp-proof course sits, what the suction is like and how many fixings need dealing with all need a visit. A phone figure is a guess that moves once the scaffold is up.
Is rendering cheaper than re-pointing or cladding?
It depends on condition. Repointing is usually cheaper if the brickwork is sound and only the joints have failed. Rendering makes sense where the masonry itself is poor, mismatched or already rendered. Cladding is generally the most expensive. The right comparison is what the wall actually needs, not the rates.
Does scaffolding cost extra?
It is a real cost, and in our quotes it is stated rather than hidden. Be careful comparing a quote that includes it with one that does not — on a two-storey house it is a substantial figure. It is also why doing roofline and chimney work during the same scaffold period is such good value.
Can I get a grant towards rendering?
Not for standard rendering, which is a maintenance and appearance measure. Funding schemes exist for external wall insulation as an energy-efficiency measure, subject to eligibility, and work funded that way falls under PAS 2035 assessment and design requirements. Eligibility changes, so check the current position before budgeting on it.
How much deposit should I pay?
Enough to cover materials ordered specifically for your job, and no more. Payments after that should be staged against completed work. A large proportion of the total demanded before anything happens is the clearest warning sign on any trade job, rendering included.
Surveyed first, then priced
We tap the elevations, check the detailing and list what has to come off the wall before giving you a figure. Free survey, fixed written quote, no obligation.