Wymondham Roofers fits exterior cladding across Bowthorpe and the surrounding area, and this page gives you a straight account of what cladding typically costs and what drives the price up or down.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Ask three cladding contractors for a price on the same house and you may get three very different figures. Some of that difference reflects genuine differences in material choice, preparation work and detailing. Some of it reflects contractors pricing for different scopes of work, or cutting corners they have not told you about. Understanding what drives the cost helps you compare quotes on a like-for-like basis.
The main factors that affect exterior cladding costs are: the material chosen, the size and shape of the area being clad, access requirements, the condition of the existing wall, and how much preparatory or remedial work is needed before the cladding can go on.
The cladding material you choose will have the largest effect on the overall cost. Here is an honest breakdown of where the main options sit in the market:
A single gable end rather than a full house will obviously cost less. Smaller sections of cladding to a bay, a porch or one elevation typically run from £800 to £2,500 depending on size and material.
Several factors can increase the cost of a cladding job beyond the base material and labour figures above.
Access difficulties. If the wall is not easily reached from standard scaffold, costs rise. Properties with extensions, conservatories, outbuildings or mature planting close to the wall can make scaffold erection more complex. High gable ends on detached or semi-detached homes require taller scaffold lifts, which costs more to erect and hire.
Poor existing wall condition. If the render beneath the cladding is heavily cracked, delaminating or damp, preparation work increases substantially. Loose render has to be cut out, the wall made good, and in some cases a damp investigation carried out before any cladding system goes on. Skipping this preparation is the wrong answer - it just means the problem re-emerges behind the new cladding in a year or two.
Complex elevations. A straightforward flat gable is the easiest thing to clad. Add in dormer windows, bay windows, multiple pipe penetrations, satellite dish fixings or decorative features and the time required increases significantly. Every penetration and junction needs to be properly sealed and detailed.
Window and door reveal extensions. Insulated render systems add thickness to the wall face, which means the existing window and door reveals become too shallow. The reveals need to be extended with additional render or trim boards, which adds both material and labour cost. This is sometimes left out of initial quotes - always ask whether reveal extensions are included.
Removal of existing cladding. If there is existing cladding or old pebbledash to come off before new work starts, the removal and disposal adds to the cost. Ask whether this is in the scope before you agree to anything.
Simple, unobstructed elevations on a standard two-storey house will always be at the lower end of the cost range. Choosing uPVC over composite or fibre cement is the clearest way to reduce material costs. Doing the whole house in one visit rather than one elevation at a time is more efficient and therefore usually cheaper per square metre.
Good preparation and a well-conditioned wall also keep costs down in the long run. A wall that is dry, sound and free from damp is cheaper to clad correctly than one that needs remedial work first. Keeping gutters and downpipes clear so that water does not run repeatedly down the wall face is one of the simplest things a homeowner can do to protect their cladding investment.
When you receive a quote, check that the following are explicitly included or excluded so you can compare properly:
A price that looks low should prompt you to check the list above carefully. Contractors who price without scaffolding, or who do not include preparation work, are not quoting for the same job as one who includes everything.
For a wall that is failing or damp, cladding is not cosmetic spending - it is maintenance. Water ingress into the wall structure causes damage to insulation, timber lintels, internal plasterwork and decorations. The cost of remedying structural water damage is typically much higher than the cost of a properly installed cladding system. Acting on a deteriorating wall face before it fails completely is nearly always cheaper than dealing with the consequences later.
For a wall that is structurally sound but visually tired, cladding is a genuine improvement to the property. uPVC and composite boards require no ongoing maintenance beyond occasional cleaning, which removes the cost of repainting or re-rendering every several years.
The only way to get a reliable cost figure for your specific property is to have it inspected and measured. Call Wymondham Roofers to arrange a survey and get a clear, itemised price for the work your walls actually need.
No obligation · We'll call you to arrange a free visit
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
