Dereham Roofers installs exterior cladding for homeowners in Easton and the surrounding villages, protecting and refreshing the outside of your property with a durable, low-maintenance finish.
Exterior cladding is fitted over an existing wall surface - masonry, timber frame, old render or concrete block - to give it a new weatherproof skin. It stops water penetrating cracked or porous walls, improves thermal performance, and completely changes how a property looks. Done properly, it removes the need to repaint or re-render every few years.
Cladding is not a cosmetic fix slapped over a problem. Before any boards go on, the wall behind needs to be checked for damp, rot or structural movement. A contractor who skips that step is setting you up for hidden damage inside the wall cavity later.
The three systems you will be quoted for most often in this part of Norfolk are uPVC cladding, composite cladding and fibre cement boards. Each has different costs, appearances and maintenance needs.
These are typical UK price ranges and will vary depending on the height of the work, access requirements, the condition of the substrate and how much preparation is needed. Any quote that is significantly below these figures should prompt questions about what is being left out.
A proper cladding job has several stages, and understanding them helps you assess whether a contractor is cutting corners.
This is the section most homeowners skip, and it is the one that makes the biggest difference to whether the job goes well. Finding a contractor is easy. Finding one who will do the job correctly and stand behind their work is harder. These are the questions worth asking before you sign anything.
Any experienced cladding installer should be able to show you photos of completed jobs - ideally on properties similar to yours in size and construction. If they can provide an address where you can actually look at the finished cladding, that is better still. You want to see how the corners are detailed, how the trims sit around windows and whether the finished line is straight and consistent.
Ask specifically about substrate inspection, how they deal with any damp or damaged areas they find, and whether they install a breather membrane and ventilated batten framework. A contractor who says "we just fix it straight to the wall" or who dismisses the ventilation question is not following best practice.
Stainless steel or similar corrosive-resistant fixings are standard. Standard zinc-plated screws will rust through and stain the boards, often within a few years. If a contractor cannot tell you what fixings they use, that is a concern.
Ask for a written breakdown of the quote. A lump sum with no detail makes it harder to compare contractors and harder to challenge extras later. Legitimate reasons for price changes include discovering rot or significant damp behind the existing surface. Make sure any such conditions are described in the quote document so there are no surprises.
Neither is automatically wrong, but you should know. If subcontractors are used, ask whether the main contractor supervises the work directly. Responsibility for quality should be clear from the outset.
Old cladding, render debris and packaging all need to go somewhere. Confirm that skip hire or waste removal is included in the price, or that you are responsible for arranging it yourself. Do not assume it is included.
Ask how they handle callbacks and defects. A contractor who is confident in their work will not be defensive about this question.
A few patterns are worth recognising when cladding quotes come in.
When you have two or three quotes in front of you, make sure you are comparing like for like. Check whether each quote includes the same material specification (board profile, thickness and finish), the same preparation work, the same waste disposal arrangements and the same finishing trims and details. A quote £500 cheaper than the others may be omitting the membrane, using inferior fixings or planning to skip the corner detailing. Ask each contractor to clarify anything that is not explicit in writing.
Price per square metre is a useful cross-check. If one quote works out significantly below typical UK installed rates for the material being used, ask what accounts for the difference.
Most external cladding work on a standard house falls under permitted development and does not need planning permission. There are exceptions: listed buildings always need consent, and properties in conservation areas may have restrictions on the materials and colours permitted. If your property is in either category, check with the local planning authority before work starts. A contractor should be able to advise you, but the responsibility for obtaining the correct permissions rests with the property owner.
Building regulations may apply in some circumstances, particularly if the cladding changes the thermal performance of the wall significantly or if fire spread between properties is a consideration. Your contractor should flag this if it is relevant.
Exterior cladding works best as part of a considered approach to the whole building. If your roof edge, soffits, fascias or gutters are in poor condition, fitting cladding around them stores up problems. Water getting behind new cladding from a leaking gutter or failed fascia can go undetected for a long time. It is worth asking your contractor to look at the junctions between the cladding and other elements of the building, and addressing any issues there at the same time.
Before you commit to any cladding job, ask a contractor to visit the property, look at what is there and explain what the work involves.
This depends heavily on the material. Quality uPVC profiles are designed to last several decades without fading or warping. Composite boards from established manufacturers typically carry 20-25 year manufacturer finish warranties on the product itself. Fibre cement, correctly installed and maintained, can last 30 years or more. Timber requires more active maintenance but can last just as long if treated regularly. In all cases, longevity depends on installation quality as much as material quality.
Yes, in most cases. The existing surface needs to be checked for stability first. Loose, hollow or actively damp render should be addressed before the batten framework goes on top. Fitting cladding over a failing substrate traps the problem rather than solving it.
Cladding alone provides some insulation benefit, but the main thermal improvement comes from adding a layer of rigid insulation board between the battens before the cladding goes on. This is sometimes called an external wall insulation (EWI) system. It adds cost and changes the external dimensions of the wall, which affects window and door reveals, but can significantly reduce heat loss in solid-walled properties.
A typical semi-detached house might take four to seven working days to clad, depending on complexity. Larger properties, more complex detailing or difficult access will take longer. Agree a realistic timescale with your contractor before work starts.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
