While you are waiting for a cladding contractor to visit your Taverham property, there are useful things you can do - and a few things you should leave well alone.
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Exterior cladding is a system of boards or panels fixed over your external wall to create a weatherproof outer skin. It keeps rain and frost out of the wall structure, gives a consistent external finish and can dramatically improve the appearance of render or brickwork that has seen better days. Materials include uPVC, composite boards, fibre-cement panels and timber - each with different looks, costs and maintenance requirements.
Poringland Roofers supply and fit cladding systems for homes and commercial buildings across Taverham and the surrounding area. Before you accept any quotation, ask for a site survey so that you can compare like with like.
There is usually a gap of days or sometimes weeks between first contacting a contractor and having work start. That waiting period is not dead time. Used properly, it can mean the survey goes more smoothly, the scope of work is clearer, and you are less likely to be caught out by something you did not expect when the invoice arrives.
The following is a practical guide to what you can do in that time - and equally, what you should not attempt yourself before a professional has assessed the situation.
Walk around the property and take photographs of anything you are concerned about: boards pulling away, cracked or stained sections, areas where sealant has failed, signs of damp on internal walls, or damage caused by a recent storm. Good photographs from multiple angles, taken in daylight, help a contractor arrive at the survey with a clearer picture of the scope. They also give you a record of the condition before any work begins.
If you know whether your walls are solid brick, cavity construction or timber-framed, make a note of it. If you have any paperwork from when the property was built or when previous cladding was fitted, gather that together. Contractors need to know the wall type to specify the correct fixings and battening - if you can provide this information at the survey, it speeds the process up.
Contractors and surveyors need clear access to the wall to assess it properly. Move garden furniture, planters, bins and any stored items away from the base of the walls to be surveyed. If there is a gate or side access that the surveyor will need to use, make sure it is unlocked on the day. If scaffolding will be needed for the job, check whether there is a clear run from the road to the wall for the scaffolders to work.
Blocked or overflowing gutters directly above the affected wall can drive water down the face of the cladding and behind any failing joints. If you can safely clear the gutters at low level yourself - from a stable ladder on level ground, with someone present - it is worth doing so. This may not solve the cladding problem, but it will stop additional water reaching the wall while you wait for the survey.
Check the internal walls on the same elevation as the problem area. Damp patches, staining, peeling wallpaper or a musty smell can all indicate moisture getting through. If you find any of these, note where they are and photograph them - they are useful information for the surveyor and may influence what remedial work is needed beneath the cladding before new boards go on.
There is a temptation, while waiting for a contractor, to try to stop the problem getting worse by doing something yourself. In most cases, attempting a DIY fix on cladding before a professional survey can actually make the eventual job harder and more expensive. Here is what to avoid.
It may seem logical to peel back a loose board to see what is behind it. In practice, removing a board without the right tools and sequence can crack adjacent boards, damage the batten underneath, or disturb vapour control layers that are there for a reason. Leave boards in place until the contractor strips them properly as part of the assessed scope of work.
A common instinct when a sealant joint has cracked is to fill over it with fresh sealant from a cartridge gun. The problem is that new sealant applied over old failed sealant rarely bonds correctly - particularly if there is any moisture present. Worse, it can seal moisture inside the join rather than keeping it out. A proper sealant repair means removing the old material, allowing the surface to dry, and applying a suitable product correctly primed. This is a straightforward job when done properly, but doing it incorrectly can mask a problem from a surveyor who then cannot see the true extent of what has failed.
If the cladding problem is above ground-floor height, leave it alone until the contractor arrives with the right access equipment. Leaning a domestic ladder against cladding boards can crack or displace them. Working from an unsupported ladder at height is one of the most common causes of serious injury at home. Nothing you can do yourself at height before the surveyor arrives is worth that risk.
Some homeowners try to refresh faded or discoloured cladding with exterior paint or masonry coating while waiting for a contractor's visit. Many cladding products are not designed to be overpainted and will not bond correctly. Applying a coating before a survey also makes it harder for the contractor to assess the true condition of the surface underneath.
Cladding projects often reveal that fascias, soffits or guttering also need attention. Scaffolding erected for cladding work gives access to the roof line, and doing multiple jobs in a single mobilisation is almost always more cost-effective than separate visits with separate scaffolding erections. When you speak to the contractor, ask whether they can assess the fascias and guttering at the same time as the cladding survey.
External rendering is an alternative on some wall types, though it requires a sound, stable substrate and is more prone to cracking over time than a board cladding system. If you are undecided between the two, ask the contractor to explain the pros and cons for your specific wall construction.
A thorough cladding survey should cover the condition of the existing wall surface, the cause and extent of any damage, access requirements, what system would suit the property, and an accurate area measurement. From this the contractor can produce a meaningful quotation that reflects the actual scope of work rather than a guess. If a survey is being done remotely or from a photo, the quotation it produces is unreliable.
Installed cladding costs for UK domestic properties typically range from around £50 to £120 per square metre depending on the material and the complexity of the job, with a full detached house often falling between £5,000 and £15,000. These are indicative figures only - your survey will give you an accurate number based on your property in Taverham.
When you are ready for a professional assessment, arrange a site survey and written quotation with a contractor. We work across Taverham and the surrounding area and will give you a straightforward written quote based on what we actually find on site.
No obligation · We'll call you to arrange a free visit
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
