If your cladding in Spixworth has failed or is clearly letting water in, knowing what to do in the short term - and what to leave well alone - can make a real difference to the outcome.
Exterior cladding - boards of uPVC, fibre cement, composite or timber fixed to the outer face of a wall - protects a property from rain and wind. When it's working correctly, the wall behind stays dry, the interior is easier to heat and the building looks well-maintained. When it fails, the consequences range from cosmetic (staining, fading, boards that look untidy) to structural (moisture in the wall cavity, damp inside the property, rot in the supporting batten framework).
Cladding problems rarely announce themselves dramatically. More often, a homeowner notices something minor - a board that's come loose, a dark stain appearing on an internal wall, a gap at a corner joint - and isn't sure whether it warrants urgent action or whether it can wait. This page covers how to handle that gap between noticing a problem and getting a contractor on site.
Not all cladding problems are equally urgent. A rough guide:
There are a handful of temporary measures that are safe, sensible and genuinely useful while you wait for a contractor to visit.
Cover exposed areas. If a board has fallen off or been badly damaged - perhaps by an impact or a branch in high winds - the membrane or bare wall behind it is now exposed. Taping a piece of heavy-duty polythene over the gap with exterior-grade tape keeps rain out until the repair can be done. Make sure the cover extends beyond the edges of the gap so wind can't get behind it. Check it after any rain or wind.
Temporary sealant on a failed joint. If a sealant joint around a window or at a board edge has cracked open, applying a bead of exterior silicone from a tube is a legitimate short-term fix. Clean the joint first with a dry cloth, apply the silicone and smooth it with a wet finger. This won't be as durable as a properly prepared permanent seal, but it reduces water ingress while you wait. Use a product rated for exterior use.
Move anything away from the base. If garden furniture, plant pots, compost bags or soil have been pushed up against the base of the cladding, move them clear. Anything holding moisture against the bottom boards accelerates deterioration and can block the ventilation gap that the system depends on.
Document what you can see. Take photos of the damage from ground level before you do anything. Photos are useful when describing the problem to a contractor and may be relevant if you're making an insurance claim through your own policy.
This is the more important section. Well-meaning DIY on a cladding problem can make it significantly worse and more expensive to fix.
Don't climb a ladder to investigate or fix upper-storey cladding. Working at height without the right access equipment is dangerous. A ladder leant against cladding boards can also damage fixings and boards. Leave anything above head height to a contractor with proper scaffolding or access equipment.
Don't use a pressure washer on damaged cladding. High-pressure water forces itself into gaps, behind boards and into any joints that have already failed. On damaged cladding, this makes the moisture problem worse, not better. If you want to clean an undamaged section while waiting for a repair elsewhere, use a soft brush and low-pressure hose only.
Don't remove boards to see what's behind. If you suspect damp in the wall, it's natural to want to investigate. But removing cladding boards without knowing what's behind them - and without the right tools and fixings to re-secure them - risks leaving the wall exposed, damaging the membrane and making the repair more complex. Let a contractor do the investigation as part of their assessment.
Don't apply expanding foam to gaps. Expanding foam seals gaps but it also traps moisture, doesn't allow for movement and is difficult to remove properly when the repair is done. Exterior silicone or a polythene cover are better temporary options.
Don't leave a loose board banging in the wind. If a board is partially detached and moving, the temptation is to ignore it until the contractor arrives. But repeated flexing breaks the board and can pull the adjacent fixings. If the board is low enough to reach safely from the ground, pressing it back against the wall and applying a strip of exterior tape over the fixing point is better than leaving it to move.
A useful call saves time. Tell the contractor: where the damage is (which elevation, roughly how high), what the cladding material is if you know it, whether you've noticed any internal damp nearby, how long the problem has been visible and what the weather has been like since it appeared. This helps them assess urgency and come prepared with the right materials.
Mention if there are any access restrictions - a narrow gate, a low overhead cable or limited parking - so the contractor can plan accordingly.
When a contractor arrives to assess the cladding, they'll inspect the affected area and the surrounding boards, check the fixings and framework behind, and look at all junctions with windows, roof edges and corners. If they need to remove a board to inspect what's behind, they'll do that carefully and re-secure it before they leave, even on a first visit.
For isolated repairs - replacing a board, re-fixing a section, re-sealing joints - the work can often be done in a single visit once materials are sourced. For larger failures or full replacement, the contractor will give you a written quote covering materials, access equipment and the work itself. A typical full replacement on a semi-detached property in Norfolk costs from around £4,000 to £9,000 depending on material choice and the condition of what's behind the existing cladding.
If you've spotted a problem with your cladding in Spixworth and you're not sure how serious it is, call us to arrange a survey. We'll give you an honest assessment of what needs doing now, what can wait, and what the job involves. Don't leave a cladding fault longer than necessary - what starts as a failed seal or a loose board can become a damp wall if rain gets in over several weeks.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
