James Hardie cladding with new soffits and fascias installation in Chigwell, Essex

Hardieplank weatherproof cladding

If Darwin’s Theory of Evolution applied to the materials used for building cladding there’d be a clear line to follow.

First came timber, followed by uPVC, and now we have the fully evolved Hardieplank composite cladding, a real game-changer in the world of construction.

Take this cosy home in Chigwell, Essex for example. The owner, Lee, has lived there for 20 years. When he moved in, the house still had its original timber cladding which was showing its age. Timber is lovely and natural, but it doesn’t last indefinitely and needs constant painting or staining to preserve its looks.

Evolution in action

So, one of Lee’s first projects was to replace the wood cladding with white uPVC, which was just about all you could get at the time. Fast forward to 2023 and it was time for yet another stage of evolution.

Lee had approached Summit Cladding following a recommendation, which is how many of our clients find us. That’s a proper vote of confidence in our work, which is always appreciated.

Lee discovered that he could get rid of that boring old white uPVC and replace it with James Hardie cladding in one of over 20 beautiful colours. He chose Pearl Grey, a subtle off-white shade that is easy on the eye but maintains a bright, clean appearance.

Energy efficiency is key

When Summit Cladding gets to work, we follow the same procedure, starting with the removal of all the old cladding material. This is followed by preparation of the surface area of the walls, including the fitting of treated timber battens and 50mm thick Kingspan insulation, before the new cladding is fixed in place. This stage is a very important part of our service, as the insulation greatly improves the building’s energy efficiency.

In addition to the new cladding, we fitted new PVC fascias, soffits and downpipes, and as an extra touch we added cladding between the top floor windows where there had just been a plain board before. This small adjustment greatly enhanced the look of the property, and our client Lee is delighted with the visual transformation of his home.

Categorised in: Guttering, James Hardie Cladding, Soffits & Fascias

This post was written by Summit Cladding