What is cladding?
Not only can house cladding completely change the appearance of the house, but it also has a huge impact on performance and how much maintenance you must commit to.
House cladding has several purposes. This protects the walls under the elements, can add a layer of insulator and, equally important, acts as one of the main ways to shape the overall appearance of your home.
The choices you make when it comes to cladding a house are really as important as the layout, design, and method of construction – these decisions ultimately determine what the house looks like, how well its performance and the type of care it will need. many years.
What is House Cladding?
Property cladding is an exterior front-facing material that is mounted directly to a wall, such as with stone cladding, for example or fixed to a wooden batten, as in the case of wooden cladding.
Traditionally, houses in England were built with sturdy walls, built using local materials, such as stone.
However, during the 20th century, standard wall construction practices began to incorporate cavity designs that divide the walls into inner and outer walls, often referred to as leaves or bark.
This means that the burden-bearing task can now be carried out by the inner leaves, weather resistance is handled by the outer leaves and heat retention is maintained by including additional insulation between the two leaves.
The outer wall can now be positioned elsewhere than directly sitting on the ground and can instead be hung on the inner skin which means it can be made from a much thinner part because it doesn’t have to be independent. All you have to do is keep the weather out – this is what cladding houses do.
Do I Need a Planning Permit for Closing Houses?
Changes to the cladding of houses are usually included in Permitted Development.
This will not apply to registered buildings or to any house on a specially protected type of land, inside the National Park or AONB.
If you live in a terraced or semi-detached house, you need to think about how the new cladding will affect your neighbours.
What House Cladding Options Are There?
The main reason most people choose certain house covering materials over others tends to come down to appearance. Therefore, your choice may be determined by local planners, especially if you build it yourself. Often you may be expected to choose materials that are suitable for your environment. For more information on Brick Cladding, visit www.telling.co.uk/architecture/brick-cladding/
Other factors that you should consider are how much maintenance you want to do, your budget and who will install your cladding (for example, some wooden cladding can be installed on a DIY basis).
Your choices include:
wood
brick
stone
give out
vertical tile
flint
metal
porcelain tile
fiber cement
PVCu
modern synthetic material
Updating Your Home Cladding
Get ideas and inspiration by looking at things like magazines and websites like Pinterest to see what others have achieved. It’s also worth checking the manufacturer’s website, which often displays project image galleries.
Research your choices. Contemporary manufacturing methods mean that traditional building materials are ever evolving. Wood has remained a traditional cover, many have chosen not to use it, with the ongoing upkeep it requires. Research some other materials, such as composites and brick, which also offer low upkeep options.
Order a sample. It’s important to be able to see exactly what you are buying. Many manufacturers provide sample services.
Find a local installer. One of the most important parts of any project is finding the right trader. Use sites like Trust a Trader and Rated People. Look for the installer scheme yourself from the manufacturer. They will be familiar with various products and offer expert installation.
