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TL;DR: scroll down to "So my questions are about the render" or if you fancy a read about the context... We have a fully rendered house. The render is about 15 years old in its newest spots, maybe 20-25 years old elsewhere. The render is sand and cement. The problems with this are: It has popped (taps hollow) in the more exposed locations Rusted corner beads There are cracks everywhere Signs of water ingress in some of the worst places Numerous bits crumbling away around the bead at DPC level My original plan was to install EWI at the same time as also replacing the windows (which are also in a bad state of repair). The trouble with this is the cost. Not only in terms of the EWI, but in terms of what the EWI has a knock-on effect on. For example: Making sure EWI meets loft insulation Digging, parging, insulating below DPC Moving drains Bricking up windows that are overlapped by insulation Converting lean-to roofs to warm roofs. Moving the electricity meter Changing other services running in and out Probably replacing rainwater goods Probably replacing soffits/fascias I definitely intend to install EWI in the future. The reality for most people though is that this is extremely expensive. So I wondered what my other options were, and if I can make this project much financially tolerable for my family. Here's what I know I can do to plan for the future: Follow details to allow new windows to be moved into the insulation layer later Get the cavities fully filled (currently crap partial fill - will source some sort of foam... or something) If I have a lower initial project cost, I can spend a little more on quality for what I am actually buying, e.g. window quality If I were to not install EWI and just fix the render, I would want at least a decade, I would hope, to save for EWI with ideally NO maintenance in that time period. So my questions are about the render: Is there much point in "patching up" S&C render? What should I fill the removed sections of render with? Won't other areas go, or crack at the join between the two? Is it better to rip the lot off and start over with a modern render, e.g. silicone? Could we render over the top of the existing render? (This would reduce the space for insulation later if we also don't convert the roof to a warm roof at the same time). Would really appreciate people's knowledge on this one...