London & South-East England
External Render & Cladding
Silicone render, brick slips and cladding by the team that finishes external wall insulation every week.
Is render and cladding right for your home?
- Houses with cracked, hollow or blown sand and cement render
- Pebbledash owners who want a smooth, coloured modern finish
- Cavity walls or already insulated walls that need a new weatherproof face
- Extensions and dormers to be matched to or contrasted with the main house
- Owners changing the look of a house with brick slips or timber cladding
External Render & Cladding: key facts
- A full silicone render system on an existing wall is £60 to £100 per m²; a 3-bed semi front and side is typically £6,000 to £12,000.
- From our quote book: silicone finish coat £25/m² over a prepared base, render removal £18/m², brick slips £85/m², timber cladding £45/m².
- Silicone thin-coat render is flexible, breathable and coloured through the coat, so it does not need painting.
- Scaffold for a typical house is around £3,500 and is shown as its own line on the quote.
- Render on its own is 20% VAT. Over external wall insulation the same finish is part of a 0% install until 31 March 2027.
- Applied by our own team, who finish EWI systems in the same render systems.
What is render and cladding?
External render and cladding replace or cover the outside face of a wall. A silicone thin-coat render system is a reinforced base coat with a mesh, a primer and a coloured silicone top coat, applied over sound existing render or masonry. Brick slips give a real brick face on a wall that is rendered or blockwork. Fibre cement lap boards (Cedral or an equivalent) and timber boards are fixed to battens over a breather membrane for a cladded finish.
Across London, Kent and Surrey there are hundreds of thousands of houses with tired pebbledash, cracked sand and cement render, or painted brick that no longer keeps the rain out. Cracked render lets water into the wall and holds it there, which shows as damp patches and blown plaster inside. A new render system or cladding makes the wall weathertight and changes how the house looks, which is why it is often done with a new front door and windows.
Before we quote, we check whether the wall is solid brick. If it is, we price external wall insulation as well as render on its own, because the render finish comes with the insulation, the insulation is 0% VAT and the wall ends up warm as well as weathertight. Where the wall already has insulation or is a cavity wall, our own team removes any failed render, prepares the base and applies the new system from a scaffold.
Who does the work
Render and cladding are applied by our own trained team, the same crew that finishes our external wall insulation systems in silicone render every week. We are licensed installers of Licata EWI systems and TrustMark registered (2259022).
External Render & Cladding cost guide
Indicative 2026 market ranges for London and the South-East, with unit rates from our quote book where shown. Your fixed quote follows a free survey.
| Job type | Indicative cost |
|---|---|
| Full silicone render system on an existing wall | £60 – £100 / m² |
| Silicone finish coat over a prepared base | £25 / m² |
| Removal of failed render or pebbledash | £18 / m² |
| Timber cladding (£45/m²) or brick slips (£85/m²) | £45 – £85 / m² |
| 3-bed semi, front and side elevations | £6,000 – £12,000 |
VAT: 20%. Render or cladding on its own is charged at 20% VAT. The same finish applied over external wall insulation is part of a 0% energy-saving install until 31 March 2027 (HMRC VAT Notice 708/6), so if your walls are solid brick ask for an EWI quote too.
Finishes and systems we apply
How render and cladding works
Free survey
We check the wall construction, tap for hollow render, note damp and cracks, and confirm whether EWI would be the better option on a solid wall.
Fixed quote
A written, itemised quote for removal, preparation, the finish, the colour and the scaffold, with an EWI comparison where the wall is solid.
Installation
Scaffold goes up, old render comes off if needed, the base is repaired and levelled, then the render system or cladding is applied with all bead and edge details.
Sign-off and guarantee
Final inspection with the scaffold still up, photographs and a written guarantee for the finish.
Free survey & fixed quote
Book a free, no-obligation survey and we will send a clear, fixed written quote. One point of contact from survey to sign-off, and a written guarantee on the work.
Get a free quoteExternal Render & Cladding FAQs
How much does rendering a house cost in London?
Should I render or insulate?
Can you render over pebbledash?
What colours can I have?
Do I need planning permission to render or clad?
How long does silicone render last?
Areas we cover
We arrange render and cladding across Greater London, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire. See all areas we cover →
Related guides
In-depth, independent guidance to help you decide.
Last reviewed September 2026 by Stay Warm Insulation.
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