How much does house rendering cost in Geelong?

Rendering the outside of a typical single-storey Geelong house runs $7,450 to $16,750 according to a published local cost guide, and a two-storey home runs $11,150 to $25,100. By the square metre, the same guide lists cement render at $28 to $56 per sqm. Where your job lands in those ranges depends mostly on wall area, how much preparation the old surface needs, the render system and access. The figures below are a guide for comparing quotes, not a price for your home.

Published price ranges for Geelong

All ranges come from What’s The Damage, Rendering Cost Geelong 2026, last verified in October 2026. The guide states its prices include GST and are based on the Geelong metro area.

Work	Published range
Cement render	$28 to $56 per sqm
Acrylic render	$37 to $65 per sqm
Texture coat render system	$46 to $93 per sqm
Re-coat over sound existing render	$28 to $56 per sqm
Crack repair and patching	$46 to $93 per sqm
Removal of old render	$14 to $37 per sqm
Single-storey house, about 150 square metres	$7,450 to $16,750
Two-storey house, about 300 square metres	$11,150 to $25,100

The guide does not publish prices for coating AAC panels or foam cladding. For those, compare written quotes on the same system and scope. See the AAC and foam cladding page for what that system should include.

What drives the price of a rendering job?

Wall area, measured properly

Render is priced by the square metre of wall, so the measurement matters. Ask whether window and door openings have been deducted, and whether the quote includes reveals, sills, piers and fence walls. Two quotes can differ by a wide margin simply because one measured the gable ends and the other did not.

Preparation

Preparation is where cheap quotes cut corners. Removing failed render, stripping flaking paint, cutting out cracks and treating rusted lintels all take time before any new render goes on. Old render removal is listed separately in the table for this reason. On older brick homes in central Geelong, damp and salt at the base of walls can add a diagnosis step and sacrificial render that a newer home would not need.

The render system

Cement render costs less per square metre than acrylic render in the published guide. A texture coat system costs more again in the same guide. The right choice depends on the wall, not the price. Read the acrylic rendering and cement rendering pages for when each suits.

Height, slope and access

Two-storey walls need scaffold. The published guide is not consistent about whether its two-storey house range covers it: the summary says it does, yet the same page lists two-storey scaffolding as a separate line and tells readers to ask whether scaffold is in the house price. Ask every provider to show scaffold as its own line. Sloping blocks, like many in Highton, can turn a single-storey street front into a two-storey back wall. Narrow side paths, steps and limited parking add labour.

Coastal preparation

Near the coast, walls may need washing with fresh water before coating and corroded beads replaced. The CSR Hebel guide treats AAC walls within 1000 metres of a shoreline as coastal and adds requirements for them. Owners in Ocean Grove should expect those steps to appear in a quote.

Painting and finishing

Cement render is usually painted once cured, and that painting may be quoted separately. Acrylic and texture systems may include a coloured finish or a top coat. Check the quote says which.

Permits and paperwork

If a Heritage Overlay applies, a planning permit is needed before rendering a wall, and the application carries a fee. Check the current fee with the City of Greater Geelong when you apply rather than relying on an old figure. Look up your property on VicPlan first.

What should a rendering quote include?

Usually included	Often excluded unless stated
Protection of windows, paving and gardens	Painting after cement render
Cleaning and basic preparation	Removal of large areas of failed render
Beads, mesh and control joints	Lintel replacement or structural repairs
Render coats to the stated system	Planning permit applications and fees
Clean-up and rubbish removal	Scaffold on single-storey jobs with difficult access
	Moving garden beds or paving that bridge the damp course

How do you compare rendering quotes fairly?

1. Same scope. List every wall, fence and pier you want done and give the same list to each provider.
2. Same system. Ask for product names for every coat. A quote that says only “render” is not comparable with one that names a primer, base coat, mesh and membrane.
3. Measured area. Ask each quote to state the square metres it is based on.
4. Preparation spelled out. Look for what will be removed, repaired and treated before the new render.
5. Who paints. Confirm whether painting is in or out.
6. Registration and insurance. Ask each provider for their BPC registration number if the quote covers rendering plus painting or another trade, because a combined contract above ten thousand dollars has to be signed with a registered builder. Look the number up on the BPC practitioner search. On bigger jobs signed as a major domestic building contract, Home Warranty cover applies above twenty thousand dollars for homes up to three storeys, so ask for the notice of cover.

How much deposit can a provider ask for?

For work under a major domestic building contract, Victorian law caps the deposit at 10 per cent of the price on contracts under twenty thousand dollars and 5 per cent on contracts of twenty thousand dollars or more, according to the Consumer Affairs Victoria payments checklist. On smaller single-trade jobs, agree in writing what you pay and when, and hold back the final payment until the wall has been inspected.

Red flags in a rendering quote

• No measurement, no product names and a single lump sum.
• A request for a large cash payment before any work starts.
• A promise that a coat of render will fix rising damp.
• Cement render offered over AAC panels, against the panel maker’s guidance.
• A provider who says no permit or planning check is needed without asking where the house is.
• Pressure to sign on the day of the visit.
• A quote far below the others with the preparation section missing.

Where this site fits

Geelong House Rendering does not set prices or carry out work. Enquiries go to independent renderers, and every price comes from the provider who quotes; how that works is on the about page. When you have your scope and photos ready, request rendering quotes and compare them against the ranges above.

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