We get this question asked all time from people who are thinking or wanting to cement render their house, terrace or apartment.

You would think there would be a simple answer of yes or no, but there are a few steps required to ascertain if you do require council approval to cement render your home.

Speaking with a few of the local councils, all mentioned that for minor external and non structural alterations, the guidelines in the State Environment Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 or the NSW Planning & Infrastructure Exempt and Complying Development (which outlines and aims to ‘streamline approvals for low impact development, like renovating or building a home'), are the best to follow.

•   SEPP - http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/inforcepdf/2008-572.pdf?id=6041d1ad-eb39-45a7-f7a2-9e3acb4f2f73

•   NSW Planning & Infrastructure - http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/en-us/buildinginnsw/exemptandcomplyingdevelopment.aspx

However, take note you will need to meet provisions in part 1 and 2 of the SEPP document to be exempt from council approval. If you are still unsure if you are exempt, the local councils recommends to contact an independent expert that would be able to direct you further.

There are also a few things to take into consideration, and this is mainly onsite matters i.e. access, scaffolding and noise restrictions – which all may need some level of approval from council. A simple phone call to your local council will clear up any questions you may have.

Access
Depending on the location of your home, access for tradesmen in very important. Make sure that your neighbours are aware of any works being completed, so that it does not inconvenience them or hinders the progress of works through the duration of the project. The last thing you want is problems which could damper your renovation experience.

Don’t forget to also remove any obstructions around the house so that the tradesmen have a clear run and to also minimises any potential accidents or slowing the process of the job.

Scaffolding
This applies to a house, terrace, apartment which is more than one storey high or where the house is sitting on uneven land and has a split level design. Again depending where the house or apartment is situated, you may require council approval. For example, a terrace which is located on a main road, with the entrance of the house being the front footpath for passers-by will require council approval as it is impacting the general public and it is on council property i.e. the footpath.

The scaffolding application does not take long, it is very easy and will only take 1-2 weeks depending on how our quick your council can process it. We can help you with this if need be.

Noise restrictions
In regards to noise restrictions, councils are very strict. All local councils have limits on when noise can be made to reduce noise pollution. General working hours on your property are between the hours of 7am to 6pm on weekdays and up to 2pm on Saturdays/Sundays.

So, before you consider cement rendering, place a quick call to your local council and they should be able to answer any lagging questions you may have. However, make sure that you have a licensed and reliable tradesman on site – this will provide you with confidence and for a stress-free experience.

Case Study: Render My Home - Sydney
Jan 30, 2014 by Craig Gibson 

Published: hipages.com.au

Topic: Case Studies, Trades.

Surviving in the small business jungle is a real test, no matter how good your workmanship or service may be. Besides getting your job done right (and on time) there is the not so small matter of marketing your business and standing out from the crowd. hipages.com.au caught up with Allen Cetinic of Render My Home – who are active on social media and have an active blog – about the challenges involved.

Render My Home - Top Business Tips:

1. Believe and trust in what you do
2. Project a professional image
3. Don’t discount, instead add value to your service
4. Perform all day, every day
5. Set your own standards

Tell us how you came to be in business.

We became fed up with how other cement rendering companies were providing poor customer service levels and workmanship, leading to poor public opinions of renderers. In actual fact, rendering is a highly skilled trade and a good renderer can make all the difference to the appearance of a home. This is especially evident when you see a well rendered home versus a bad one, of which there are a plenty in Sydney!

What qualification and accreditation do you hold?

I completed a Bachelor in Applied Science after high school and then used these business management skills, knowledge and work experience in construction to establish our business. I also furthered my education by completing a Diploma & Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building).

Tell us one common misconception about rendering.

There are quite a few actually. Some people actually expect render to hold their home together. It’s almost like they think render will magically just fix everything. A render system has its limitations and is only as good as the substrate beneath it. We’ve dealt with our fair share of poor bricklaying and formwork, and no matter what we do, when expansion joints are not positioned correctly, you can bet that the render will crack.

Besides rendering what other services do you offer?

Since we position ourselves as an exterior façade home improvement specialist, we can assist in everything from roofing, balustrades, tiling and painting. We work very hard to maintain solid networks with other key trades that we believe are on the same level as us. We then recommend them to our clients and this produces a win-win outcome for all those involved, especially the client. We are really a non-stop shop for anything external.

Is there a rough cost per square metre that you work off for rendering?

Square metre rates are a dangerous guide to budget your projects on, as the rates have actually declined over the last 15-20 years. Not surprisingly - the decline in rates has translated into a significant decline in workmanship quality. However, rates for external rendering should be anywhere from $50 per m², yet there are quite a few render teams charging as low as $30m². I’d be steering clear of these guys for the sake of your home!

You have a blog and are active on social media – what is the strategy behind this?

It’s something I actually find quite therapeutic. I guess it’s my own little domain where I can vent any thoughts or opinions that are relevant to me at the time. It’s also an opportunity to inform and educate both the public and fellow tradespeople about the industry the way I see it. Sometimes I use the blog to relay a message or point I may have got from a fellow tradesman.

Your business was recently featured in the SMH – tell us how this came about.

I read an article in the SMH titled “The Trouble with Tradies”, as well as the 300+ comments that followed it. It inspired me to write a blog, which morphed into an article. I thought I’d get some feedback from the business editor at SMH and she loved it. I’ve been shell-shocked with the positive response and support the article has managed to attract.

The article focuses on professionalism – do you think this is something lacking in the industry?

Definitely. There is this so-called “cool” culture that currently exists on job sites amongst tradesmen everywhere, that is really just not cool at all. There are many cowboys in the industry that keep moving from job to job and give us a bad reputation due to their lack professionalism. We should be quite concerned about this, as it drags our industry down as a whole and makes it harder for those good tradesmen who are professional to gain the respect they deserve.

How do you ensure that you maintain your standards?

We simply just ask the customer, they are our biggest critic. Having an open and honest exchange with our clients daily means we are constantly kept on our toes. Our business relies solely on word of mouth referrals and if we were ever to drop our standards, this would mean that we would be out of business pretty quickly. We need to perform all day, every day.

What is the secret of your success?

Believe and trust in what we do and to not pay too much attention to our competitors. By having a clear vision on what we would like to provide to our customers, and being innovative in our delivery has allowed us to really set our own standards. And in a trade such as ours, this has then enabled us to shine through and become a breath of fresh air for our customers.

What three tips do you have for running a successful business?

 1. Work hard on projecting a professional image for your business – this may not necessarily translate into volumes of work at the start, but it will draw in the right type of clientele and will set your business up on the right path. If a customer makes a connection with your business’ image, chances are it will result in a win-win outcome and you may even get your next job through them.

 2. Don’t discount, instead add value to your service – when you give a discount, you are taking money directly out of your pocket and directly from your bottom-line profit. Instead, create added value options to your services and look to hold your price. Again it’s a win-win outcome.

 3. Positive cash flow – this is your lifeline to your business and you simply can’t grow without it. Be firm on your terms, but be sure to deliver your end of the bargain by delivering exceptional levels of workmanship and service. Your clients will be delighted to pay you on time with the service they’ve just received.

Tradie bashing: valid or not?
SMH Small Business Trends
January 22, 2014
Allen Cetinic

http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/trends/tradie-bashing-valid-or-not-20140122-31868.html


Many consumers prefer tradespeople who are unprofessional. So don't complain next time a tradie fails to meet your expectations.

I have little sympathy for homeowners who use second rate tradespeople, then tell the world about how bad all tradesmen are. The question I’d like to ask is what criteria are they using to make decisions about hiring the right tradesman?

I am a tradesman and can say unequivocally ‘professionalism’ is something few people are prepared to pay for when selecting a tradesperson. Qualifications, reputation, skillset, past knowledge and experiences stand for very little when it comes to comparing quotes. Ultimately, it comes down to who is the cheapest. As a result the industry continues to fail on delivering reasonable standards in workmanship and customer service.

Being ‘professional’ in the building industry is just not worth it to the tradesperson, as it does not translate into business. It’s not appreciated by homeowners until the job goes horribly wrong and they wish they’d paid more for a tradesperson with better experience.

In fact, sometimes promoting a professional image can be counter-effective. A tradesperson can have more chance of winning a job by parading him or herself as vulnerable, uneducated, sloppy and cheap, instead of being professional, thorough, conscientious, honest, caring, diligent and successful.

People don’t want to hire someone who looks successful; instead they want someone who appears down on their luck, desperate for the work and easier to take advantage of at the end of the job when it’s time to pay. In my experience, society has pigeonholed builders and tradesmen as uneducated morons who should be spoken down to, treated with contempt and made to beg for their final payment.

Indeed, lack of security of payment is a huge issue many tradespeople have to endure. These experiences create deep scars that impact their family’s wellbeing, and trigger sometimes paranoid behaviours, that make it hard to come across as ‘professional’.

There is a lot of talk about reforming building codes and standards, industry regulations, customer service and compliance coming from those at the top, but way too little action taken. There are government departments, industry associations and business groups that need to get serious about cleaning up the shonks in the industry by sticking to their words and taking severe action to clean them out.

At the moment, the cost of running a compliant business is significantly greater than running one that’s not compliant. Yet both compliant and non-compliant businesses compete for the same job in the same market. Half the contractors I know are unlicensed, uninsured or operating while insolvent, yet are knee deep in work. But many compliant ones that carry all the compulsory insurances and overheads are sitting idle, unable to land a job.

The industry needs to stop following the path of its past and start providing new, professional service levels that are on par with other service industries. Otherwise, the trades will continue to operate as a black market and never be taken seriously.

Educational institutes such as universities and colleges, which are responsible for issuing trade qualifications, need to include business management in curricula that cover basic accounting, marketing and customer service. Most apprentices coming through the system don’t know what a basic business model is, let alone the true meaning of professional services. And they are the future of the industry.

We are all responsible for changing attitudes and opinions about the building industry. But until we all start respecting tradesman for the qualified individuals they are, we can’t expect professionalism or customer service to improve.

Courtesy also needs to go both ways. It’s a small thing, but when I make contact with someone for the first time, I expect them to look me directly in the eye and show me the respect I deserve as a human being.

On the other hand, if a tradesperson isn’t punctual, fails to answer calls or return messages, can’t provide a clear and detailed quote, asks for cash, doesn’t have an email address, doesn’t have a bank account, can’t provide insurances and doesn’t present well, don’t reward him or her with the job. Continue looking until you find someone that ticks all those boxes. This degree of scrutiny is really the only way to eliminate or at least minimise risk.

Professionalism is more than just a flashy business name or logo, or even a website. It needs to be about the whole package. The industry needs to raise the bar. But it needs the community’s help to know how high to place it.

Allen Cetinic is a director of Render My Home.