Rendering in Cardiff: the planning rules, in plain English
Most houses in Cardiff can be rendered without asking anybody. Some can't, and the ones that can't are exactly the streets people most want to render. Here is how to tell which you are on before you book a scaffold.
The default: cladding and rendering is permitted development
In Wales, putting render, cladding, tiles or pebbledash on the outside of a house is normally permitted development — no planning application — provided the materials are of a similar appearance to what is already there.
That last clause does more work than people expect. Render over brick is a change of appearance, and a council can take a view on it. In practice the risk is low on an ordinary post-war estate house and much higher on a Victorian terrace with original stonework.
Source: Welsh Government — Planning permission: external walls
The exceptions: conservation areas, listed buildings, flats
The permitted development route is switched off in a conservation area, a national park, an AONB or a World Heritage Site. Cardiff has 27 conservation areas, designated for their special architectural or historic interest — Llandaff, Pontcanna, Cathedral Road, Roath Park, Cathays Park and the Bay waterfront among them.
Several also carry an Article 4 direction, which strips out permitted development rights for minor alterations that would be automatic anywhere else. Llandaff's was extended as recently as December 2020 to take in The Avenue and the eastern end of Fairwater Road.
If the building is listed, rendering needs listed building consent regardless of planning. And flats and maisonettes never had these permitted development rights in the first place — they are for houses.
Source: Cardiff Council — Conservation of the built environment
External wall insulation: the 16cm rule
Rendering and insulating are two different jobs and two different sets of rules. If you are putting external wall insulation on and then rendering over it, the insulation must not project more than 16cm from the original wall for it to stay within permitted development.
Sixteen centimetres sounds generous until you add 90mm of board, a base coat, mesh and a top coat, and remember it has to clear the eaves, the sills and the boundary.
Building regulations can bite even when planning doesn't
An external wall is a thermal element. Under the Welsh building regulations, if you renovate one — and stripping a wall back and re-rendering it counts — you can trigger a requirement to upgrade its insulation at the same time.
This is the one that catches people out on a straight re-render of a solid-wall house. Worth a call to Cardiff Council building control before the scaffold goes up rather than after.
Source: Welsh Government — Building regulations: external walls
What to do about it
Check whether your address is in a conservation area on Cardiff Council's conservation pages, and check whether it is listed. If it is either, talk to the council's planning team before you commit to anything.
If it is neither, and you are matching or improving on what is there, you are almost certainly fine — but get the answer in writing from the council if the job is a big one. Jetnor will quote either way; he would just rather quote a job that is going to happen.
Sources
- Welsh Government — Planning permission: external walls
- Cardiff Council — Conservation of the built environment
- Welsh Government — Planning permission: insulation
- Welsh Government — Building regulations: external walls
Checked on 2026-08-27. Rules change, so if you are relying on one of these for a decision, follow the link and read the current version.
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Read itWhat customers say
Every review below is printed word for word from the profile it came from. Nothing is trimmed and nothing is cherry-picked.
I would highly recommend Jetnor. He was super quick to respond, and explained what was a very tricky job working around all the existing bathroom and kitchen. The standard of work is fantastic and like a glass finish! Jetnor left the place the as clean and tidy as possible and generally is a great guy! Any job around Cardiff I would highly recommend him! Any future job I would come to him first.
Jetnor's work is fantastic. Punctual polite man. Gave us a great quote. Was able to start quickly. Would definitely use again and recommend. If I could rate him higher I would.
Jetnor responds quickly to requests, gives fair quotes and keeps his commitments, being punctual, hard working and providing quality work. Thoroughly recommend
Quality service. Clean, tidy, polite and very responsive. Lovely hardworking guys, highly recommended.
I cannot rate Jetnor and his team highly enough - they have just finished work on our rendering this afternoon and have done a brilliant job. The work was completed within the agreed timeframe and they have done a brilliant job. All rubbish was taken away after each day and they cleaned up well after themselves. Jetnor was very responsive to my questions and his quote was very competitive compared to others received. I will definitely use Jetnor again and will recommend them to all my friends and family.
I would highly recommend Jetnor. He was super quick to respond, and explained what was a very tricky job working around all the existing bathroom and kitchen. The standard of work is fantastic and like a glass finish! Jetnor left the place the as clean and tidy as possible and generally is a great guy! Any job around Cardiff I would highly recommend him! Any future job I would come to him first.
Jetnor's work is fantastic. Punctual polite man. Gave us a great quote. Was able to start quickly. Would definitely use again and recommend. If I could rate him higher I would.
Jetnor responds quickly to requests, gives fair quotes and keeps his commitments, being punctual, hard working and providing quality work. Thoroughly recommend
Quality service. Clean, tidy, polite and very responsive. Lovely hardworking guys, highly recommended.
I cannot rate Jetnor and his team highly enough - they have just finished work on our rendering this afternoon and have done a brilliant job. The work was completed within the agreed timeframe and they have done a brilliant job. All rubbish was taken away after each day and they cleaned up well after themselves. Jetnor was very responsive to my questions and his quote was very competitive compared to others received. I will definitely use Jetnor again and will recommend them to all my friends and family.
I would highly recommend Jetnor. He was super quick to respond, and explained what was a very tricky job working around all the existing bathroom and kitchen. The standard of work is fantastic and like a glass finish! Jetnor left the place the as clean and tidy as possible and generally is a great guy! Any job around Cardiff I would highly recommend him! Any future job I would come to him first.
Jetnor's work is fantastic. Punctual polite man. Gave us a great quote. Was able to start quickly. Would definitely use again and recommend. If I could rate him higher I would.
Jetnor responds quickly to requests, gives fair quotes and keeps his commitments, being punctual, hard working and providing quality work. Thoroughly recommend
Quality service. Clean, tidy, polite and very responsive. Lovely hardworking guys, highly recommended.
I cannot rate Jetnor and his team highly enough - they have just finished work on our rendering this afternoon and have done a brilliant job. The work was completed within the agreed timeframe and they have done a brilliant job. All rubbish was taken away after each day and they cleaned up well after themselves. Jetnor was very responsive to my questions and his quote was very competitive compared to others received. I will definitely use Jetnor again and will recommend them to all my friends and family.
I would highly recommend Jetnor. He was super quick to respond, and explained what was a very tricky job working around all the existing bathroom and kitchen. The standard of work is fantastic and like a glass finish! Jetnor left the place the as clean and tidy as possible and generally is a great guy! Any job around Cardiff I would highly recommend him! Any future job I would come to him first.
Jetnor's work is fantastic. Punctual polite man. Gave us a great quote. Was able to start quickly. Would definitely use again and recommend. If I could rate him higher I would.
Jetnor responds quickly to requests, gives fair quotes and keeps his commitments, being punctual, hard working and providing quality work. Thoroughly recommend
Quality service. Clean, tidy, polite and very responsive. Lovely hardworking guys, highly recommended.
I cannot rate Jetnor and his team highly enough - they have just finished work on our rendering this afternoon and have done a brilliant job. The work was completed within the agreed timeframe and they have done a brilliant job. All rubbish was taken away after each day and they cleaned up well after themselves. Jetnor was very responsive to my questions and his quote was very competitive compared to others received. I will definitely use Jetnor again and will recommend them to all my friends and family.
9.91181 Checkatrade reviews
The 181 reviews on his Checkatrade profile average 9.91 out of 10, and 144 of them are a straight ten.
Checkatrade
Plastering hallway and bathroom
Amazing service quality and price would highly recommend jetnor is a true gent thank you
Checkatrade
Skimmed entire room in one day!
Amazing job - skimmed an entire room in 1 day for us and had some horrendous walls. Jentor was polite, had great communication and left the place nice and clean afterwards. Absolutely no complaints here & would 100% hire again.
Checkatrade
skimming both sides of stud wall separating lounge from dining room
Jetnor was excellent from start to finish. Clear, polite and prompt communication and transparent pricing in response to my advert. Arrived on time, made sure to contain any mess and clean up thoroughly after the work was completed. The quality of the work was first class, we're very pleased with the final product. And most of all, Jetnor is a lovely humble guy who always works with a smile on his face. Would 100% recommend to anyone looking for plastering work.
Checkatrade
skimming 6 artex ceilings
brilliant work by a hard working guy - definitely would use him again for any future work
Checkatrade
Skimming around patio door
Amazing job looks brilliant, great communication, very friendly chap highly recommend
Checkatrade
Ceiling repair
We had a ceiling that was covered in wallpaper and had been damaged by a number of leaks, so we needed it plaster boarded and skimmed. Jet did a great job, was very polite and left the place clean. Would definitely recommend.
Checkatrade
Plastered 2 ceilings
Jet did an outstanding job of plastering both ceilings in our new home. I would highly recommend him and his work. Lovely guy and he was reasonably priced. 5 stars
Checkatrade
Skimming job
had a small section of skimming that needed doing after a fireplace was removed. Jetnor came round and did an absolutely fantastic job. Will definitely be hiring again.
Checkatrade
Ceiling plastering and major touch up repairs
Jet was super reliable and his communication was brilliant. Fast turnaround, his quality was excellent. He left my utility and kitchen immaculately clean and tidy, will be using again when I need a plasterer - 10/10!
Checkatrade
Great work
Jet did some great work on our ceilings, which were previously in a pretty poor state having been covered by wallpaper for many years. He's a really nice guy and got the job done quickly.
Checkatrade
Render repair
The work was to a great standard and Jetnor was very reliable. Excellent communication from the initial quote to completing the job over two days as it was weather dependent.
Checkatrade
Plaster over Kitchen Artex Ceiling
Needed kitchen Artex ceiling plastered. Jetnor was quick to respond and arrange a date & time to quote. Quote was very reasonable and job was carried out to an excellent standard (photos attached). He turned up on time, was very polite and cleaned up after he finished. He used Blue Grit on the Artex first and plastered when dry the next day. We would highly recommend Jetnor if you need any plastering done. You will not be disappointed. 10 out of 10 from us.
Checkatrade
Very satisfied would recommend
Jetnor very quick to respond wanted a bedroom plastered, my house is very old terrible walls no problem to him did an excellent job, nice gentleman hard worker would recommend.
Checkatrade
Great Tradesman
Jetnor was great to deal with and maintained good communications before and during the work. A significant past ceiling movement crack needed repairing. Jetnor was able to offer multiple dates, including the weekend. Work was carried out quickly and efficiently providing the materials needed, and removing any waste. Leaving the area clean, tidy and ready for redecoration. I've retained Jetnor's contact details and would recommend his plastering services to others.
Checkatrade
Would use again, I recommend
Jetnor was amazing and very clear with the work to plastered our ceiling, the quoted amount was very reasonable and time to complete was perfect as we needed it done.
Checkatrade
Excellent plasterer - attention to detail, cleanliness.
I would highly recommend Jetnor. He was super quick to respond, and explained what was a very tricky job working around all the existing bathroom and kitchen. The standard of work is fantastic and like a glass finish! Jetnor left the place the as clean and tidy as possible and generally is a great guy! Any job around Cardiff I would highly recommend him! Any future job I would come to him first.
Checkatrade
Ceiling plaster
Absolutely fantastic! Couldn't have asked for a better job. Have already booked this company up for additional jobs
Checkatrade
repair historic settlement cracks
Highly recommend Jetnor Elezi, he was quick to respond, he explained the work to us and did an amazing job, he left everything clean and tidy. He is a nice guy too so we would not hesitate to use him again.
Checkatrade
Minor skimming job to repair blown plaster
Jetnor was very responsive with information and quality of work was very good. We thought that it may be difficult to get a plastererer for a small job but Jetnor was keen and even came out on a Sunday. A very pleasant man, he was courteous and hard-working. We have now agreed a much larger package of work with Jetnor and look forward to using his services again. Good job!
Checkatrade
Plaster bathroom ceiling
Excellent job. Came when he said he would do the work, excellent finish, highly recommended
Checkatrade
Plastering hallway and bathroom
Amazing service quality and price would highly recommend jetnor is a true gent thank you
Checkatrade
Skimmed entire room in one day!
Amazing job - skimmed an entire room in 1 day for us and had some horrendous walls. Jentor was polite, had great communication and left the place nice and clean afterwards. Absolutely no complaints here & would 100% hire again.
Checkatrade
skimming both sides of stud wall separating lounge from dining room
Jetnor was excellent from start to finish. Clear, polite and prompt communication and transparent pricing in response to my advert. Arrived on time, made sure to contain any mess and clean up thoroughly after the work was completed. The quality of the work was first class, we're very pleased with the final product. And most of all, Jetnor is a lovely humble guy who always works with a smile on his face. Would 100% recommend to anyone looking for plastering work.
Checkatrade
skimming 6 artex ceilings
brilliant work by a hard working guy - definitely would use him again for any future work
Checkatrade
Skimming around patio door
Amazing job looks brilliant, great communication, very friendly chap highly recommend
Checkatrade
Ceiling repair
We had a ceiling that was covered in wallpaper and had been damaged by a number of leaks, so we needed it plaster boarded and skimmed. Jet did a great job, was very polite and left the place clean. Would definitely recommend.
Checkatrade
Plastered 2 ceilings
Jet did an outstanding job of plastering both ceilings in our new home. I would highly recommend him and his work. Lovely guy and he was reasonably priced. 5 stars
Checkatrade
Skimming job
had a small section of skimming that needed doing after a fireplace was removed. Jetnor came round and did an absolutely fantastic job. Will definitely be hiring again.
Checkatrade
Ceiling plastering and major touch up repairs
Jet was super reliable and his communication was brilliant. Fast turnaround, his quality was excellent. He left my utility and kitchen immaculately clean and tidy, will be using again when I need a plasterer - 10/10!
Checkatrade
Great work
Jet did some great work on our ceilings, which were previously in a pretty poor state having been covered by wallpaper for many years. He's a really nice guy and got the job done quickly.
Checkatrade
Render repair
The work was to a great standard and Jetnor was very reliable. Excellent communication from the initial quote to completing the job over two days as it was weather dependent.
Checkatrade
Plaster over Kitchen Artex Ceiling
Needed kitchen Artex ceiling plastered. Jetnor was quick to respond and arrange a date & time to quote. Quote was very reasonable and job was carried out to an excellent standard (photos attached). He turned up on time, was very polite and cleaned up after he finished. He used Blue Grit on the Artex first and plastered when dry the next day. We would highly recommend Jetnor if you need any plastering done. You will not be disappointed. 10 out of 10 from us.
Checkatrade
Very satisfied would recommend
Jetnor very quick to respond wanted a bedroom plastered, my house is very old terrible walls no problem to him did an excellent job, nice gentleman hard worker would recommend.
Checkatrade
Great Tradesman
Jetnor was great to deal with and maintained good communications before and during the work. A significant past ceiling movement crack needed repairing. Jetnor was able to offer multiple dates, including the weekend. Work was carried out quickly and efficiently providing the materials needed, and removing any waste. Leaving the area clean, tidy and ready for redecoration. I've retained Jetnor's contact details and would recommend his plastering services to others.
Checkatrade
Would use again, I recommend
Jetnor was amazing and very clear with the work to plastered our ceiling, the quoted amount was very reasonable and time to complete was perfect as we needed it done.
Checkatrade
Excellent plasterer - attention to detail, cleanliness.
I would highly recommend Jetnor. He was super quick to respond, and explained what was a very tricky job working around all the existing bathroom and kitchen. The standard of work is fantastic and like a glass finish! Jetnor left the place the as clean and tidy as possible and generally is a great guy! Any job around Cardiff I would highly recommend him! Any future job I would come to him first.
Checkatrade
Ceiling plaster
Absolutely fantastic! Couldn't have asked for a better job. Have already booked this company up for additional jobs
Checkatrade
repair historic settlement cracks
Highly recommend Jetnor Elezi, he was quick to respond, he explained the work to us and did an amazing job, he left everything clean and tidy. He is a nice guy too so we would not hesitate to use him again.
Checkatrade
Minor skimming job to repair blown plaster
Jetnor was very responsive with information and quality of work was very good. We thought that it may be difficult to get a plastererer for a small job but Jetnor was keen and even came out on a Sunday. A very pleasant man, he was courteous and hard-working. We have now agreed a much larger package of work with Jetnor and look forward to using his services again. Good job!
Checkatrade
Plaster bathroom ceiling
Excellent job. Came when he said he would do the work, excellent finish, highly recommended
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- Phone 07988 455215
- Based in Pant Glas, Pentwyn, Cardiff CF23 7EW
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- Google rating 5.0 from 5 reviews, every one of them five stars