Exterior Cladding in Aylsham

Expert Exterior Cladding
in Aylsham

What does exterior cladding cost?

It is one of the first questions homeowners ask, and a fair one. Exterior cladding costs in the UK typically fall somewhere between £60 and £150 per square metre installed, depending on the material chosen, the condition of the wall behind, access requirements and the size of the elevation. That is a wide range, and the section below explains what sits at each end of it and why.

These figures cover the full job: stripping existing cladding where present, fitting a breather membrane, battening out, supplying and fitting boards, and finishing trims. They do not cover scaffold, which is costed separately and varies by the height and perimeter of the building.

Material choice is the biggest single variable

The boards themselves account for a large proportion of the overall cost, and the range between the cheapest and most expensive options is significant.

• Treated softwood timber (featheredge or shiplap): Typically the lowest material cost, with supply-and-fit prices for straightforward elevations starting from around £60-£75 per square metre. Softwood needs re-treating every few years, so the whole-life cost over ten years is higher than the upfront figure suggests.
• UPVC cladding boards: Mid-range in cost, typically £70-£90 per square metre supply and fit for a straightforward job. No painting or re-treating needed, which reduces ongoing costs compared with softwood timber.
• Composite cladding boards: Higher upfront cost, commonly £90-£130 per square metre supply and fit, rising further for premium products. The surface finish on quality composite boards can last ten to twenty years without refinishing, so the lifecycle cost compares well against softwood once maintenance is factored in.
• Hardwood or thermally modified timber: At the top of the price range for board cladding, often £110-£150 per square metre or more supply and fit. Hardwood and modified timber products are more durable and need less maintenance than softwood, but the upfront cost is substantially higher.

Wall condition - the factor that surprises people most

The price estimates above assume the wall behind is in reasonable condition. When existing cladding is stripped, or when an elevation that has been rendered is inspected properly for the first time, issues sometimes come to light that add to the cost.

Common additional work that affects the final price includes:

• Repointing deteriorated brickwork before battens are fixed
• Cutting out and replacing blown render areas
• Treating or replacing rotted timber lintels above window or door openings
• Repairing damaged wall ties identified during inspection

None of this is unusual on a property of any age. The key point is that it needs to be identified and priced before work starts, not discovered halfway through the job when the budget has already been committed.

Access and scaffold costs

Scaffold is a genuine cost that some initial quotes leave out, and homeowners are then surprised by when the final figure arrives. The cost of erecting and hiring scaffold for a typical two-storey elevation ranges from around £600 to £1,500 depending on the height, the length of the elevation, how long it needs to be in place and what access restrictions exist on the property.

On single-storey extensions or garage walls, ladder access or a low-level tower is often sufficient, which significantly reduces this element of the cost. If a property has multiple elevations being clad at the same time, the scaffold cost per square metre comes down because the erection and strike costs are shared across a larger area of work.

Size of the job and whether it is a full strip or an overlay

Larger jobs cost less per square metre than small ones. A full gable end of a two-storey house might be 30-40 square metres, which gives enough area to absorb the fixed costs of setting up materials, making waste arrangements and getting to site. A single small elevation of 10 square metres will cost more per square metre because those fixed costs remain broadly the same.

Overlaying new boards directly over existing ones is sometimes technically possible but is generally not advisable. It adds weight to the wall, it means any problems in the existing system are sealed in rather than addressed, and it makes future inspection or replacement more complicated. A full strip-back to the wall is the right approach in almost all cases.

What a quote should include

When comparing cladding quotes, it is worth checking that each one covers the same scope. A quote that looks cheaper may be excluding scaffold, waste disposal, or the cost of the breather membrane and battens. Ask each contractor to confirm:

• Whether scaffold is included or quoted separately
• Whether stripping and disposing of the old cladding is included
• Whether the membrane and counter-batten system is included
• What happens if additional wall repairs are found once stripping starts - is there an agreed day-rate for unforeseen work?
• What product is being used for the boards, so you can check it against the quoted price

Budgeting realistically

For a typical semi-detached house with one main elevation clad, a realistic budget including scaffold and waste disposal is often in the range of £3,000-£6,000 depending on the material chosen and the condition of the wall. Larger detached properties or those with multiple elevations will be proportionally higher. These are indicative figures only and a proper price requires a site visit and measurement.

An exterior cladding job done properly should give many years of trouble-free performance before any significant maintenance is needed. Cutting corners on the installation to save money upfront tends to cost more over any reasonable period once remedial work is taken into account.

Cladding in Aylsham and nearby

North Walsham Roofers installs and replaces exterior cladding in Aylsham and the surrounding area, including work in nearby North Walsham, Cromer and Norwich. Call us to arrange a survey and we will give you a clear, itemised price based on what we actually see at the property.