You have decided to render. Here is everything you will want to know before we start, what can be rendered over, permissions, timings, colour, and looking after it afterwards.
Rendering a house is a big, permanent job, and most people have the same handful of questions before committing. Here they all are in one place.
If you have not decided on the system yet, start with is silicone render worth it or the comparison of render types. This page assumes you are going ahead and want to know what actually happens.
Often, yes, and it saves a considerable amount, because stripping old render off a house is a big, dirty, expensive job in its own right.
Over existing render: if the existing render is sound and properly bonded to the wall, it can usually be prepared and rendered over. That is the ideal outcome and we will always check for it first.
Over pebbledash: the same principle. Pebbledash that is firmly stuck down can generally be built out and rendered over, which is a lot cheaper than hacking it all off. Loose or hollow pebbledash has to come off.
The test is simple and we do it on the survey: tap it, and look for hollow-sounding areas, cracking, and anything lifting. If it is sound, we go over it. If it is not, it has to come off, and we will tell you which before you commit to anything.
Usually not. Sometimes definitely.
Rendering an ordinary house normally falls under permitted development, as it counts as improvement or maintenance rather than an alteration.
Listed Building Consent is required in every case. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise, and the material will almost certainly need to be lime.
If rendering changes the external appearance of a property in a conservation area, permission may well be required.
Different permitted development rules apply, and there may be a freeholder to satisfy too.
Re-rendering an already-rendered house does not usually need approval. Rendering previously un-rendered masonry, or adding external wall insulation, is a different matter and thermal requirements can apply.
A five-minute call to the local planning department is free and settles it. We are happy to talk it through with you first.
For a typical house, allow around one to two weeks on site, and longer if the old render has to come off first or the weather turns.
Roughly, the job runs like this. Scaffolding goes up. Then prep: cleaning down and taking off anything unsound, sorting cracks, fitting beads. Basecoat goes on and has to cure. Then the through-coloured topcoat, scraped or floated to the finish you have chosen. Then scaffolding down and clearing up.
The curing time between coats is not padding. It is the part that decides whether the render is still on the wall in twenty years. Anyone rushing that stage is doing you no favours.
Yes, but the window is narrower than people expect. Silicone render cannot be applied below 5°C, and it should not be going on when there is frost forecast overnight or the wall is soaking wet.
In practice, in Devon, that means we can often work through a mild winter but not a cold snap. We would rather tell you we are waiting a week for the weather than put render on a wall in conditions that will compromise it, because if it goes wrong, it goes wrong permanently and it is your house.
Spring through autumn is the easy window. If you are planning a render, book it early in the year rather than late.
This is the bit people agonise over, and rightly. It is through-coloured, so it is not like paint. You are not changing it in three years without re-rendering.
A few things worth knowing. Colours look lighter on a whole house than on a sample card, a shade that looks quite dark on a chip can come up much paler across a full elevation in daylight. Very dark colours absorb heat, which puts more thermal stress on the render, so most people stay in the mid-range. And in a Devon village, it is worth glancing at what the neighbours have got, not to copy it, but because a house that fights its street rarely looks as good as the owner hoped.
We will get sample boards up on the actual wall before anything is committed. Look at them in the morning and again in the evening light. It is worth the extra couple of days.
Genuinely very little to do, which is most of the point.
If it ever needs freshening up, a low-pressure wash with warm water and a mild detergent or a fungicidal wash will do it. Do not go at it with a high-pressure jet wash. You can damage the surface and drive water in behind it. Keep gutters clear so water is not running down the face of the wall, and keep planting off the render itself.
That is it. There is no five-yearly repaint, and that was the whole reason for choosing it.
We handle the whole thing, survey, scaffolding, prep, render, and clearing up after ourselves. One firm, one price, one point of contact, and a fixed quote before we start.
Send us a photo of the house on WhatsApp and we will come back to you with what is involved, usually the same day.
The ones we get asked most.
Often yes, provided the existing render is sound and properly bonded to the wall. Rendering over it avoids the considerable cost of stripping the old render off. If the existing render is hollow-sounding, cracked or lifting, it has to come off first. A renderer should tap the wall and check for hollow areas before quoting.
Yes, if the pebbledash is firmly bonded to the wall. It can be built out and rendered over, which is significantly cheaper than hacking it all off. Loose or hollow pebbledash must be removed first.
For most houses, no, rendering normally falls under permitted development. However, Listed Building Consent is always required for listed buildings, permission may be needed in conservation areas if the appearance changes, and flats and maisonettes have different rules. Building regulations can also apply when rendering previously un-rendered masonry or adding external wall insulation.
For a typical house, allow one to two weeks on site. The job runs as scaffolding, preparation, basecoat, curing time, then the through-coloured topcoat, then scaffolding down. Longer if existing render has to be removed first or the weather interrupts. The curing time between coats cannot be rushed without compromising the finish.
Silicone render cannot be applied below 5°C, and should not be applied when overnight frost is forecast or the wall is saturated. In a mild UK winter there are often workable days, but a cold snap will stop work. Spring through autumn is the reliable window.
Use a low-pressure wash with warm water and a mild detergent or fungicidal wash. Do not use a high-pressure jet wash, which can damage the surface and force water behind the render. Keeping gutters clear and planting away from the wall also helps keep it clean.
Colours appear lighter across a full elevation than they do on a sample card, so a shade that looks dark on a chip may come up much paler on the house. Very dark colours absorb more heat, placing extra thermal stress on the render. Because the render is through-coloured, the choice is permanent, get sample boards mounted on the actual wall and view them in both morning and evening light before committing.
If your house is pebbledashed and you assumed removal was the only route. It isn't. Cork render sprays directly over it. No hacking off, no skips, no dust.
Send a photo on WhatsApp. We'll tell you straight, even if the answer is that there's nothing wrong.