Mildenhall Roofers fits timber, composite, fibre cement and metal exterior cladding for homeowners in Ely, and we want you to ask us the hard questions before you agree to anything.
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Exterior cladding is a layer fitted over your existing walls that shields the structure from rain, wind and cold. Done properly, it stops water tracking into the wall construction, reduces heat loss and gives the building a clean, finished look that lasts for years. Done badly, it traps moisture behind it, which is far more damaging than no cladding at all.
We fit four main material types: timber, composite, fibre cement and metal. Each has genuine strengths and genuine trade-offs. Part of choosing the right contractor is finding one who explains those honestly rather than steering you towards whatever they happen to stock.
The cladding market has a higher proportion of poor installations than most roofing work, simply because the barrier to entry is lower. Anyone with a van and a nail gun can call themselves a cladding installer. Before you sign anything, ask every contractor these questions and judge the quality of the answers.
This is the most important question. Cladding fitted over damp, crumbling or poorly pointed masonry will fail early, and the failure will be hidden. A contractor who quotes from a photograph or a kerb-side look is not pricing the whole job. Ask them to physically check the substrate - the wall surface underneath - before they commit a price. If they refuse or say it is not necessary, walk away.
Most cladding systems need a ventilated cavity between the material and the wall. Without it, condensation builds up on the back of the boards and starts to rot or corrode whatever is behind them. Ask the contractor to explain exactly how they will create that cavity, how air enters at the bottom and exits at the top, and how they will seal around windows and doors without blocking the airflow. If they look blank, the installation will have problems within a few years.
Fixings matter more than most homeowners realise. Visible face-fixings on composite or fibre cement boards look cheap and can let water in at the screw hole. Hidden clip systems, where each board locks into a clip that is screwed to the batten behind, give a much cleaner result and eliminate that leak path. Ask to see the specific fixing system the contractor intends to use. For composite boards in particular, ask about the clip type - a universal clip designed for the board profile keeps each board at the right spacing and allows for the thermal movement that composite materials go through between summer and winter.
Some companies quote the job and then subcontract it to whoever is available. Ask any contractor directly whether the people who turn up will be their own employees or subcontractors, and ask what site supervision they provide if they use subcontractors. The person who quoted the job should be involved in the installation, or at minimum should inspect it at key stages.
The flat run of cladding on an open wall is the easy bit. Where cladding installations go wrong is at the corners, around window frames, at the top where it meets a soffit, and at the bottom where it meets a damp-proof course. Ask the contractor to explain specifically how they handle each of these junctions. Poorly sealed corners are the most common entry point for water. The answer should involve either purpose-made corner trim profiles or mitred boards cut and sealed on site - not a blob of mastic over a raw cut edge.
Different materials have very different maintenance requirements. Timber needs periodic repainting or re-staining - typically every three to five years depending on exposure. Composite materials generally need little more than an annual wash down. Fibre cement is paintable and holds paint well, but it will need repainting eventually. Metal systems are low maintenance but need checks on fixings and any cut edges over time. A contractor who says a material needs "no maintenance ever" is overselling it. Ask for honest, specific information about what you will need to do to keep the cladding looking good over the following decade.
Exterior cladding in the East of England typically costs in the region of £80 to £150 per square metre installed, depending on the material and the complexity of the job. That range covers most standard residential installations. Timber sits towards the lower end for materials but can rise in labour cost if detailed joinery is needed. Composite and fibre cement sit in the mid-range. Metal cladding systems can go above £150 per square metre for premium profiles.
Those figures assume reasonable access. Scaffolding adds cost to any two-storey job, and it should be included in any honest quote. Be wary of any price that does not mention access.
Before you agree to any cladding job, ask for a written specification, not just a price. It should include:
If a contractor is not willing to put this level of detail in writing before the job starts, you have no way of holding them to it afterwards.
A large upfront cash payment demand before any materials are ordered is a warning sign. So is a price that is dramatically lower than every other quote you have received - it usually means something important has been left out. Pressure to sign quickly, or a claim that the price is only valid for a very short time, is a sales tactic and not a reason to make a rushed decision about work that will be on your home for twenty years or more.
Take your time, ask the questions above, and compare written specifications rather than headline prices.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
