House rendering cost in Sydney (2026): what drives the price

This guide covers the whole house. Each finish also has its own Sydney cost guide: cement rendering, acrylic rendering, texture coatings, white set, polystyrene cladding and render repairs.

What does house rendering cost in Sydney in 2026?

These are the Sydney ranges published by What's The Damage, an online cost guide, last verified in October 2026. All prices include GST.

Read the table as a guide to proportions, not a quote. It shows that the coating, the repairs and the scaffolding can add as much again as the render, and that a two-storey house carries a cost a single-storey one doesn't.

What does it cost to render a whole house?

As a worked example from the market figures above, not a quote: a house with 150 m² of wall costs about $7,800 to cement render at the typical $52, and about $3,450 more to paint at the typical $23. The same walls in acrylic render come to about $9,450 at the typical $63. A two-storey house adds scaffolding, typically about $2,875. Measure your own walls, leave out the windows and doors, and multiply by the rate for the finish you want.

What changes the price of rendering a house?

• Wall area. The more wall, the more render and the more days on site.
• Height and scaffolding. Two-storey walls usually need scaffolding, which the market figures above price as a whole job rather than per square metre.
• The state of the walls. Cracks, drummy (hollow) render, salt, damp and flaking paint all have to be dealt with before new render goes on, and that work isn't visible in a per-square-metre rate.
• What the walls are made of. Hebel, polystyrene and fibre cement need an acrylic system, which costs more per square metre than plain cement render.
• The finish and coating. Cement render has to be coated after it cures. Whether the quote includes a texture coat, a membrane topcoat or paint makes a large difference.
• Detail. Every window, door, sill, reveal and corner takes time to form straight. A plain box costs less per square metre than a house with lots of openings and edges.
• Access and protection. Narrow side passages, steep blocks, gardens against the walls and neighbours close by all slow the work down.
• Approvals. Heritage-listed houses and homes in conservation areas need council consent to change the exterior, and polystyrene cladding always needs a complying development certificate or development application.

White set inside a house is priced on the same logic: wall area and ceiling height, the state of the render underneath, and how many corners and reveals there are.

Is painting included in a rendering price?

Ask, because quotes differ. New cement render needs about 28 days to cure before it is coated, according to Dulux's AcraTex data sheets, so the coating is often a separate visit or a separate trade. The market table above lists painting over new render as its own line. Our quotes say which coats are included.

How does our quoting work?

1. Ask for a free quote on 0421 541 336 (call or WhatsApp) or through the enquiry form. Photos of each wall, close-ups of any cracks and a note of what the walls are made of help.
2. We reply with a rough estimate from the photos.
3. We visit to measure, tap the walls for hollow render, check for damp and cracks, and agree the finish with you.
4. You get the final quote, with what is included.

Ali Dandan owns the business, holds NSW Contractor Licence 298643C (Wet Plasterer) and quotes every job himself.

Where can you save, and what shouldn't you cut?

You can save by doing all the walls that need scaffolding in one job, by clearing garden beds and furniture away from the walls before the work starts, and by choosing a finish suited to the wall instead of a more expensive system it doesn't need.

Don't cut the preparation, the curing time or the coating. Render makers require a clean, sound wall for the render to bond; Davco warns that render which dries too fast can't cure properly; and Rockcote's maintenance guide points out that the coating on a rendered house is there to protect the render, not just to look good.

What should you check in any rendering quote?

• The licence. In NSW, residential wet plastering and rendering work over $5,000, including GST, needs a contractor licence (NSW Government: wet plastering work). Check the number on Verify NSW.
• The system. Which render and which coating, and whether they suit your walls.
• Preparation. What repair work is included, and what happens if more hollow render turns up.
• Coats and finish. How many coats, which texture, and whether painting or a topcoat is part of the price.
• Protection and clean-up. How paths, windows and gardens are protected, and who takes the waste away.

To get a figure for your house, ask for a free quote, or read how we approach cement rendering in Sydney.