Exterior cladding in Dereham varies considerably in cost depending on the material, the condition of the wall behind, and several other factors that are worth understanding before you ask for a price.
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Exterior cladding is one of those jobs where two properties on the same street can produce very different costs. The wall area is an obvious factor, but the material choice, access requirements, prep condition and junction detailing all push the final number up or down significantly. Understanding what drives the cost helps you budget realistically and compare quotes fairly.
We install and replace cladding on homes in Dereham and across Norwich. Below is an honest guide to the cost drivers, with approximate price ranges to give you a starting point.
The board material you choose has more impact on cost than almost any other single decision.
These are indicative figures for typical conditions. They are not fixed quotes, and your property may sit outside these ranges depending on the factors described below.
Cladding is work at height. For a single-storey elevation, platform steps or a low tower scaffold may be sufficient and adds relatively little to the overall cost. For a two-storey elevation, a proper scaffolding structure is required. Scaffold hire typically adds £400-£800 for a single-elevation, two-storey scaffold on a standard semi-detached property, and more for larger or more complex structures. This is a real cost that should appear in any honest quote - beware of prices that omit it.
If access is difficult - a narrow side passage, a sloping garden, or an extension roof that needs protecting - scaffold costs will be higher because the structure takes longer to design and erect safely.
If you have existing cladding, it needs to come off before anything new goes on. Stripping old boards, removing old fixings and disposing of waste material all takes time. On a typical two-storey semi-detached house, strip-out adds roughly half a day to a full day of labour. The disposal cost depends on the material - uPVC and composite can usually go to a local recycling facility; treated timber is handled differently.
Prep work underneath is where cost surprises most often occur. Once the old cladding is removed, the batten framework and breather membrane behind are inspected. If battens are rotten - which is common on properties where cladding has been in place for fifteen years or more without inspection - they need to come out and be replaced. Replacing a complete batten framework on a two-storey elevation adds several hundred pounds to the job. A contractor who does not mention this possibility before stripping back is setting you up for a difficult conversation mid-job.
Cost per square metre is a useful guide but it does not tell the whole story. A plain 30 square metre wall with no windows is much cheaper to clad per metre than a 30 square metre wall with four windows, two doors, an airbrick, a tap boss and a metre of angled soffit. Every junction - every place where the cladding has to be cut, trimmed and sealed around a frame or fitting - takes time and requires the right detailing materials.
Properties with complex rooflines, bay windows, or external pipework have more junctions and therefore higher costs per square metre than a simple flat wall. This is not an upsell - it is just an accurate reflection of the time involved.
Sound prep conditions are the biggest cost-saving factor. If the existing battens are sound, the breather membrane is intact and the wall surface is dry and stable, a large proportion of prep cost is avoided. This is one reason why getting cladding inspected before it fails completely saves money - replacing individual boards while the frame is still sound costs far less than a full strip and re-frame.
Choosing uPVC on a straightforward elevation also keeps costs down. If you are not wedded to a particular aesthetic and just want a weatherproof, low-maintenance finish, uPVC delivers that at a lower installed cost than any alternative.
A cladding quote that is produced without seeing the wall is not a real quote. The prep conditions can only be assessed on site, and anyone quoting blind is either padding the price to allow for worst-case prep, or not allowing for it at all and planning to add it later. Neither is in your interest.
Ask any contractor you approach the following before accepting a price: Does the quote include scaffold? Does it include strip-out and waste disposal? What happens to the cost if the battens behind need replacing? These are the three most common sources of cost surprises on cladding jobs, and the answers will tell you quickly whether a price is realistic.
If you want an honest assessment of what exterior cladding will cost on your specific Dereham property, call us to arrange a survey. We will look at the wall, check the prep conditions and give you a price that reflects what the job actually involves. Call Norwich Roofers to book a cladding survey for your home.
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