Building

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To Clad or Not to Clad? Types of Cladding Part Two

24th February 2023

In an era of saving money and electricity, cladding can be a great, low maintenance and low cost way of insulating your home while giving it an aesthetic update. In this series, we have looked at the benefits and disadvantages of cladding and started exploring the wealth of different types of cladding available. This week, we will focus on brick, metal, uPVC and tile cladding.

Brick cladding

There are few things that can beat the curb appeal of a beautiful bricked home, and brick cladding allows new builds and existing properties to achieve the grandeur of natural brick at a fraction of the cost. Brick cladding allows you to replicate a brick pattern on an extended area of your property and provide an insulating, weather-proofing layer to your home’s exterior. With a choice of a range of style and colours, when fitted properly, brick cladding gives you a high end, low maintenance finish that will transform your home’s exterior.

Metal cladding

As one of the cheapest options on the market, metal cladding may not be suitable for some homes. However, for modern, minimalist properties, commercial buildings and agricultural buildings, metal cladding can offer excellent protection from the elements and good insulation. A range of finishes and colours are available, with steel and aluminium generally being the preferred metals. When combined with wood or high quality composite, metal cladding can offer a lower cost, high quality industrial feel to the right property, whilst being perfectly functional for agricultural or commercial purposes.

uPVC cladding

uPVC cladding is a popular choice in rentals and holiday homes. Quick and easy to install, the cladding offers great protection from the elements and requires virtually no maintenance. What’s more, it is easy to repair – and cheap. With its fire resistance and low cost, this option is ideal for landlords who value quality and longevity, but don’t want to outlay large sums of money.

Tile cladding

Aesthetically pleasing and with high levels of insulation and protection, tile cladding looks great, is easy to install and requires virtually no maintenance. There are a host of different colours and styles available at various price points; the lower end of the scale includes flat tile cladding panels, while hanging tiles offer a more traditional finish, but can be considerably more expensive.

When choosing the right cladding for you, it is useful to consider your priorities:

Purpose – is your cladding for looks, protection against the elements, or insulation?
Aesthetics – are you obliged to make sure any adaptations are in keeping with the local area, and do you have any loves (and hates) when it comes to cladding?
Maintenance – do you want to install and ignore, or are you happy to maintain annually?
Installation – do you want to install it yourself or will you be getting a professional in?
Budget – what is your maximum budget?

If you want help finding the right cladding for your property, get in touch with some local cladding services and ask for samples and quotes. For more advice, follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

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Not for everything - but if structural changes are involved, yes. Removing a load-bearing wall, putting in a steel beam, touching the roof structure, or adding a sizeable extension all need a structural engineer to design the solution and produce the calculations for Building Regulations approval. A builder might tell you whether a wall is load-bearing, but only a structural engineer can specify the right beam and carry professional liability for that advice.
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