If you are thinking about exterior cladding for your Poringland home, knowing exactly what the job involves from start to finish means you can plan properly and know what to expect from your installer.
Exterior cladding work is not just the fixing of boards to a wall. It involves assessment, preparation, the supply and handling of materials, careful installation around windows, doors and rooflines, weatherproofing at every junction, and a thorough clear-up at the end. Each stage affects the end result, and a job done in the right order holds up far better over time than one that rushes past the preparation stages.
We carry out exterior cladding installations for homeowners in Poringland and across the wider area. Here is a plain account of how a typical job runs, from the initial visit through to handing the property back.
Before any materials are ordered or any scaffolding is planned, the wall needs to be looked at properly. The condition of the existing wall surface matters - whether it is render, brick or blockwork, any areas of damp, cracking or movement need to be identified before anything goes over the top.
If existing cladding is being replaced, the assessment includes checking the substrate beneath it. The batten frame that holds cladding away from the wall can deteriorate, particularly if water has been getting behind the old cladding. Rotted or damaged battens need to come out - you cannot fix new cladding to a frame that will not hold the fixings securely.
The assessment also covers the junctions: where the wall meets the roofline, the soffits, the windowsills and door surrounds. These are the points where water most commonly finds a way in, and they need to be thought about before work starts rather than improvised on site.
At this stage, measurements are taken and the material quantities calculated. Ordering the right amount - allowing for waste and cuts but not over-ordering significantly - is part of running a job professionally.
Most exterior cladding work on a two-storey home requires scaffolding. Ladders alone are not a safe or practical way to carry full-length cladding boards up a wall and fix them accurately. Scaffolding also protects the garden and paving below if anything is dropped, and it allows the work to be done at the right pace without rushing for safety reasons.
Once access is in place, preparation of the wall surface begins. If old cladding is coming off, it is removed carefully. Any fixings left in the wall are pulled out or cut flush. The wall behind is checked again at close range - problems that were hard to see from ground level are easier to assess from a scaffold board.
A breathable membrane (also called a vapour-permeable underlay) is typically fixed to the wall surface before the battens go on. This adds a secondary line of defence against any water that makes it past the outer cladding, allowing moisture to escape outward rather than sitting against the masonry.
Treated timber battens are then fixed to the wall. These create a flat, level surface for the cladding boards to be fixed to, regardless of any irregularities in the wall behind. They also create the ventilation gap between the wall and the cladding, which is important for preventing moisture build-up. Battens are fixed at centres determined by the cladding material - heavier boards need closer batten spacing to prevent sagging or movement.
With the battens in place and checked for level, the cladding boards are installed from the bottom of the wall upward. Starting at the bottom and working up is not arbitrary - each course of boards overlaps the one below it, so water running down the face of the cladding is always directed outward and downward, not behind the boards.
Fixings need to be the right type for the material. uPVC cladding boards expand and contract considerably with temperature changes, so fixings that allow a small amount of movement prevent boards from buckling in summer or cracking in cold weather. Timber boards are typically face-fixed or secret-fixed depending on the profile, and the fixing points need to avoid splitting the board - pre-drilling is standard practice for many timber types.
Cuts around windows, doors and corners require care. A badly cut board that leaves a visible gap or puts the joint in the wrong place does not just look poor - it is also a potential entry point for water. Internal and external corners are usually finished with purpose-made corner trims that keep water out and give a clean finish without requiring precise mitre cuts in the boards themselves.
Each run of boards is checked for level and alignment as the work progresses. Over the height of a two-storey wall, small errors compound quickly if they are not caught early.
Once the boards are fitted, the junction points are finished. Flashings - typically aluminium or lead - are fitted where the cladding meets rooflines, soffits, or any projecting features. Their job is to direct water away from the joint and clear of the wall rather than letting it run behind the cladding.
Window and door surrounds are sealed with a suitable exterior-grade sealant. The sealant joint is tooled smooth so it sheds water and makes proper contact with both surfaces. Sealant applied carelessly to a dusty or damp surface will not adhere properly and will fail prematurely.
Any pipework, cables or fixings that penetrate the cladding are also sealed at this stage. Penetrations through cladding are a common source of water ingress if they are not dealt with properly.
Before scaffolding comes down, a check of the whole installation is done from the scaffold. It is much harder to spot a problem once you are back at ground level. Any sealant joints that have not tooled cleanly, any fixings that are proud of the surface, or any boards that are not sitting correctly against their neighbours are dealt with at this point.
Once the scaffold is struck, a ground-level inspection checks the overall appearance and alignment. Good cladding work should look straight and consistent, with corner trims and sill trims sitting flush.
Cut-offs, off-cuts of batten, sealant tubes, fixings packets and packaging all need to go. A job is not finished until the garden or driveway is back to how it was found. Any smears of sealant on windows or frames are cleaned off before the team leaves.
If the scaffolding company is a separate contractor, they typically collect their equipment once the roofing or cladding team has confirmed the work is complete. The timing of scaffold strike should be co-ordinated so there is no gap during which the building is exposed and unfinished.
A few questions worth putting to any installer before you agree to the job: Are they stripping the existing cladding fully or over-cladding? Are they fitting a membrane behind the battens? What fixing type are they using and why? How are they handling the junctions at the roofline and around windows? These questions will tell you quickly whether you are dealing with someone who knows the job properly.
If you are planning exterior cladding for your Poringland property, call us to arrange a proper site visit. We cover Poringland, Norwich and the surrounding villages including Hevingham, and we will walk you through exactly what the job involves on your specific building.
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Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
