If you’re looking at selling your property, you will likely be trying to think of ways to add value to your home. There are lots of ways to add value, some easier than others. But is rendering a house a good way to increase your property value?
What is rendering?
Rendering a house is the process of adding a coating to the brickwork on the exterior walls. There are several types of render, including:
- concrete render
- acrylic render
- lime render
- monocouche render
- polymer render
Render protects the property from weathering and moisture and is best done by a professional.
Does rendering a house add value?
Research shows that rendering property can add value to your home for several reasons. The render finish will add value by:
Improving your home exterior
Cement render and other forms of render can increase the curb appeal of a property, making them look much more stylish and modern, and this helps when it comes to first impressions. A new render will show the house in good condition, which is why prospective buyers are likelier to like a house with a smooth finish like a freshly rendered property than one with an old render or timber cladding. The increase in curb appeal will inevitably alter the house’s worth.
Render protects the property.
The render was designed to protect the property from weathering and penetrating dampness. By preventing moisture from accessing the property’s walls, the cladding can help protect the external walls from structural damage, mould, and leaks. This helps the owner of the house to save money that they would otherwise have to spend on repairs.
Render is a form of insulation.
When you render a house, you provide another layer between the inside of the house and the elements outside. The cladding has a slight insulating effect, helping to improve the energy efficiency of the living space and thus making the house worth more.
External insulation is a great way to save money on energy bills, too, which can be a useful selling point for coastal properties once you have had render applied. However, render is not as good for this as full external insulation.
Is getting a house rendered to improve property value worth it?
Whilst rendering does improve the value of a home, and it is a big job. So is it actually worth it in the long run? There are a few things to consider if you’re debating whether or not to bother rendering your home.
Rendering does not usually require planning permission.
So long as you are not planning to use a garish colour or a material too different from your house’s original walls, the rendering does not require planning permission. It is one of the few big home improvements that you can do to add value to your home that does not involve spending months waiting for planning permission and studying the building regulations.
Rendering can be a costly investment.
Render adds value to your home, but it will also cost you a pretty penny. The average render costs upwards of £5,000 for a normal family home. The rendering cost will increase for larger homes, too. It is worth considering whether the value of your home would increase enough to justify such a cost.
We May have to remove the old render.
Many homes are already rendered, and if this existing render is cracked and damaged, you will likely have to remove it. This is another rendering cost to consider unless, of course, you can simply patch the existing render instead.
Rendering is a time-consuming project.
Since rendering requires professionals to cover your entire home in cladding, and they have to make the cladding on site much of the time, it is a particularly lengthy process. If you have to remove rendering, then the process is even longer. Many professionals will charge by the hour or by day, so the process can get exceedingly costly.
Limited options
You can choose from any one of the different types of render, but when it comes to colour, there are limited choices. You have to stick to a colour which will:
- match the local houses
- appeal to potential buyers
- age well
This means that you have a limited selection of colours to choose from. You might be able to get a hot pink render, but it is likely a poor choice to make unless you live in Balamory.
Does not always add value to your home
Typically, the answer to ‘does rendering a house add value?’ is yes. However, if you’ve got a brick house and the brickwork is particularly stylish or old, and especially if it matches the homes and other buildings around you, then there is every chance that rendering will actually detract from the value of your property.
Are there other ways to add value to a house?
If you’re not sure that rendering will add value to your home, there are a few other things that you can do instead. Consider, for example, a fresh coat of paint on your uPVC windows and doors or investing in a loft conversion. You could enhance and expand the living space to get square footage or invest in double glazing to make the house more eco-friendly and efficient. Then there are bigger changes like adding in a new bathroom, a new kitchen, or an extension out the back of the property to increase living space and storage space.
Whatever you do to increase the value of your home, make sure to balance the costs with the increase in value. There is no point in spending thousands on an extension that will only increase your property value by a few hundred!