External wall areas measured off the elevations by substrate and by coating system, with basecoat, mesh, trims and access all on their own lines instead of buried in one rate.
Texture coating over blueboard, over blockwork, over off-form concrete and over an existing painted render are four different systems with different basecoats, different mesh requirements and different labour, even where the finished look is identical.
We measure the external wall area by substrate off the elevations, then apply the specified system to each, so the estimate shows what is actually being built up on each wall rather than one blended square metre price for the whole building.
External wall areas are measured off the elevations with openings deducted at actual size, grouped by substrate and by exposure. Reveals and returns around openings are measured on their own, because they are slow detailed work and they are what a bulk area figure always misses.
For each area we quantify the specified build-up: primer or bonding agent, basecoat by area and thickness, reinforcing mesh where required, and the texture or topcoat itself by area and by coat. Where a rendered finish is called for, sand and cement volumes are worked from thickness rather than a flat rate.
Then the items that live around the coating: corner and stop beads by the metre, movement and control joints by the metre, bell casts and drip beads, and access — scaffold, lift or swing stage — noted with an indicative duration for anything above ground floor.
Nothing here is an allowance. Each line is measured off your drawings in its own unit, so you can check it against the plan yourself.
| Item | How it is measured | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Wall area by substrate | Off the elevations, openings deducted at actual size | Blueboard, blockwork, concrete and existing render are different systems |
| Reveals and returns | Linear metres around every opening | Slow detail work that a bulk area figure never captures |
| Primer / bonding agent | Area by substrate | Adhesion is substrate specific and a real material cost |
| Basecoat | Area and thickness, by system | Thickness drives material volume far more than area alone |
| Reinforcing mesh | Area where the system requires it | Required over sheet joints and substrate changes |
| Texture or topcoat | Area by coat and by finish type | Coarse and fine textures have very different spread rates |
| Beads and trims | Corner, stop, bell cast and drip beads by the metre | Detailed items, always needed, easily left out |
| Control joints | Linear metres at specified spacing | Cracking follows a missed joint straight to a warranty claim |
| Access | Scaffold, lift or swing stage with indicative duration | Above ground floor this is often the largest single cost |
| Substrate | Typical build-up | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre cement sheet | Bonding, basecoat, mesh, texture | Mesh over every sheet joint |
| Concrete block | Bagging or basecoat, then texture | Joint profile decides basecoat volume |
| Off-form concrete | Bonding, skim, texture | Surface defects need patching first |
| Brickwork | Render coat then texture | Render thickness set by wall tolerance |
| Polystyrene / EPS | Basecoat with mesh, then texture | Mesh is structural to the system |
| Existing painted render | Wash, prime, then topcoat | Condition decides preparation, not area |
On a two storey render job the scaffold can be a substantial share of the total, and it is driven by perimeter and duration rather than by wall area. Absorbing it into a square metre rate is how a job that looked profitable stops being one.
We read the elevations for wall heights and the site plan for access constraints, then show the access requirement and an indicative duration separately so you can price the hire against a real quote.
The same five steps on every job, whether it is a single slab or a full tender package.
Email the architectural and structural drawings, the specification and the scope of works in whatever format you have — PDF, DWG, or photos of a marked-up set. If something is missing we will tell you before we start, not after.
External wall areas are measured off the elevations with openings deducted at actual size, grouped by substrate and by exposure. Reveals and returns around openings are measured on their own, because they are slow detailed work and they are what a bulk area figure always misses.
Every measured item gets its own colour and legend entry on the drawing. When the takeoff comes back you can see exactly what was counted and what was not, so you are never asked to trust a number you cannot trace. This is the part clients tell us they did not know they needed until they had it.
The takeoff is delivered as a working spreadsheet, not a locked PDF. Your rates sit in their own column, so you can change a supply price or a labour rate and watch the total move. Plug in your own numbers and the sheet is yours to reuse on the next job.
Quantities are re-measured independently and cross-checked against the drawing before anything leaves here. You get the marked-up plans, the priced spreadsheet and a plain-English note on anything we flagged as unclear or excluded.
The takeoff arrives as a live Excel spreadsheet with the colour-coded marked-up plans beside it. Your rates go in your own column, so you can plug in your own supply and labour numbers and reuse the sheet on the next job. Nothing is locked.
First estimate free. After that the fee is confirmed in writing as a fixed amount before any work starts. No retainer, no subscription, no lock-in contract. Full pricing detail here →
Texture coating has application temperature limits and cure times between coats, and both are affected by where and when the job runs. A coastal exposure may also change the specified system to a more durable one.
Where the specification nominates a system we price that system. Where it does not, we state the system we priced against so a substitution is a decision you make deliberately rather than a surprise on site.
Quantities are measured against the standards and the specification for your job. Where a drawing and a standard disagree, we flag it rather than quietly picking one.
| Standard | Covers | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| AS 3958 | Render and coating substrates | Substrate preparation requirements |
| AS 2311 | Guide to the painting of buildings | Coating application and preparation |
| AS 3700 | Masonry structures | Render over masonry and control joint spacing |
None of these are unusual. They are the things that get missed when a quote is put together at 9pm after a full day on the tools.
If your question is not here, email it through and you will get a straight answer, not a sales call.
Yes. Wall areas are grouped by substrate off the elevations and each group carries its specified build-up — bonding agent, basecoat, mesh and texture. A blended rate across four substrates hides where the money actually goes.
Yes, as linear metres around every opening. They are slow, detailed work and they are the single most common omission on a fast render price.
As its own line with an indicative duration, based on the wall heights from the elevations and the access constraints on the site plan. Above ground floor it is frequently the biggest cost on the job, so it needs a real number rather than a rate adjustment.
Yes. Sand and cement volumes are worked from the render thickness and the area rather than a flat allowance, because thickness is what actually consumes material and it varies with the wall tolerance.
Yes, with the basecoat and mesh quantified as part of the system. On EPS the mesh is structural to the finish, so it is measured rather than allowed for.
The elevations, the floor plan for the perimeter, and the external finishes schedule or specification. The specification is what tells us the system, and the system is what sets the quantities.
Most residential texture coating packages come back within 24 hours of the plans arriving. Multi-level commercial facades take longer, and we confirm the timing up front.
Most jobs cross more than one trade. We can price the whole package in one spreadsheet.
Your first estimate is free. Email the drawings and the scope, and you will have a marked-up takeoff and a priced spreadsheet back within 24 hours on most residential jobs. Prefer to talk first? Reply with "KEEN" and your number.