If you are having cladding fitted or replaced on your Sturmer home, knowing what the job involves at each stage helps you plan and means you know what to expect.
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Exterior cladding protects walls, dormers and extension faces from the weather and changes how a building looks. We fit and repair timber, fibre cement and composite cladding on homes, extensions and outbuildings in Sturmer and the surrounding area. Whether you need a full reclad or a section repaired, the process follows the same logical sequence.
Here is what a cladding job actually involves from the first conversation to the point where we leave your property tidy.
Before any material is ordered or any price is agreed, the wall needs to be looked at properly. On a ground-level extension that means a close-up inspection from the ground and hands-on checking of any boards that look suspect. On a dormer or an upper-storey wall it may mean setting up a ladder to get a proper look at the boards, battens, flashings and the junction with the roof.
The inspection establishes several things: the condition of the existing boards and battens, whether the wall membrane behind is intact, how the cladding is currently fixed and ventilated, and what the access requirements will be for the work. If a board is soft or cracked, we will remove one to check the batten and membrane behind before quoting. This matters because the scope of work can change significantly if the battens are also damaged.
A thorough inspection at this stage protects both you and us from surprises during the job. Any roofer or builder who quotes a cladding job without getting up to look at it properly is guessing at part of the price.
Once the inspection is done, we go through what needs to happen and why. If you are replacing like-for-like, we confirm the profile and material of the existing boards. If you are changing material or upgrading the system, we go through the options at this point.
For repair work, we identify which boards need replacing and whether any battens need coming out. For a full reclad, we agree the new material, profile, colour and the fixing and ventilation details. This conversation also covers access - whether a scaffold tower, mobile scaffold or full scaffold is needed, and how that affects the programme and cost.
Cladding boards are not always available off the shelf, particularly if you need a specific profile or a factory pre-finished colour. Lead times for some fibre cement and composite products can run to one to two weeks. Timber boards in standard profiles are usually available more quickly. We order materials once the scope is agreed and confirmed, not before, to avoid ordering the wrong thing.
All boards that are to be painted on site need to be back-primed on all faces and edges before installation. This is done either by the supplier or on site before the boards go up. Skipping this step is one of the most common causes of premature timber cladding failure because unprimed end grain and rear faces soak up moisture rapidly.
Access is set up before any boards come off. For dormer work and upper-wall cladding, a scaffold or tower system is erected and checked for stability before anyone works from it. Any plants, fixtures or downpipes close to the work area are protected or temporarily removed.
Old boards are stripped back to reveal the battens and membrane behind. The condition of the battens is checked at this point - this is the stage where any additional work beyond the original scope becomes visible. A common problem is finding that battens have been running damp for long enough to start rotting at the fixing points. Rotten battens cannot hold fixings securely, so they need replacing before new boards go on.
The wall membrane is checked for splits or gaps. Any damage is repaired with compatible tape or patch material before the new battens or boards go on.
New battens go on first if the old ones are being replaced. Battens are fixed level, at the correct centres for the board being used, and in a pattern that gives a proper ventilated cavity between the wall and the back of the new cladding. Fixings into the masonry are plugged and secured; fixings into timber frames are screwed.
Boards are cut and fitted from the bottom of the wall upwards. Each board overlaps or interlocks with the one below it according to the profile. Cut ends are sealed before the board goes up. All fixings are stainless steel or hot-dip galvanised; ordinary steel fixings corrode and stain the face of the boards within a few years.
At every junction - top of the cladding, corners, window reveals, roof edges - a trim or flashing directs water away from the wall. This is where cladding and roofing skills overlap directly, which is why roofing experience matters on this kind of work. A flashing that is bedded in or folded incorrectly at the junction with a roof will leak, whatever the boards below it look like.
If the boards are being painted or stained on site rather than arriving pre-finished, the topcoats go on once all boards are fitted and any primer coats are fully dry. Two topcoats are standard for new timber cladding. The finish coat on all cut ends and laps gets particular attention because those are the points most likely to let water in first.
Window and door trims, corner beads and any other detail work are fitted and sealed at this stage.
Once the cladding is complete, we walk the job. Fixings are checked to confirm none are raised or missed. Sealant lines are inspected. The finished surface is looked at from a distance to spot any boards that are out of alignment. Any paint splashes or debris on windows, sills or paving are cleaned before we leave.
Access equipment comes down last. Any downpipes or fixtures that were temporarily removed are refitted. The site is left clear.
Ask any contractor quoting the work whether they inspect before they quote, what fixings they use, whether boards are back-primed, and who is responsible for the access equipment. Those questions separate contractors who understand the work from those who are guessing at the details. If you are in Sturmer or anywhere nearby in the Haverhill area, call us to arrange an inspection and we will go through the full scope with you before anything is agreed.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
