Hardieplank cladding installation in Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire

During the 1970s there was a trend for building houses with mock Tudor beams and dark mahogany window frames and soffits.

That look has become very dated and for our clients Johan and Heidi it was a look that had to change!

When I first met the couple at their home in Abbots Langley, just north of Watford in Hertfordshire, they had been thinking of getting the front of the house rendered to replace the mock Tudor beams.

But when they saw how James Hardie Cladding could transform a house, they immediately changed their minds.

Asbestos to remove

Then we looked at the soffits, which we found were made of asbestos-covered in uPVC, so they had to go. And my clients didn’t like the amount of lead flashing on the porch roof above the front door, so I suggested fitting smaller plain tiles requiring less lead to make it watertight.

Once we had worked out a timetable for the various improvements, scaffolding was erected alongside the gable ends to allow a specialist company to remove and safely dispose of the asbestos soffits.

These we replaced with white fascias and soffits with deep flow white round gutters and downpipes and, as with all our installations, we fitted an over-fascia ventilation grille to allow a flow of air into the roof space.

James Hardie cladding installed

With the mock Tudor beams removed, a breathable membrane was fitted to the front of the house along with treated timber battens to attach the James Hardie Cobblestone cladding and specialist trims.

The roof tiles above the front door were removed along with the ugly lead flashing and replaced with much smaller tiles, matching the main roof, with less intrusive flashing.

The transformation of the house from a very dated 1970s style to a fresh and modern look was completed in just over a week. Johan and Heidi were delighted and quite emotional when they saw the work, and for Summit Cladding it was a pleasure to “reinvent” their home.

Categorised in: Cladding

This post was written by Summit Cladding