Latest Posts
April 10, 2017 6:08 am
Published by Summit Cladding
Previous posts on this blog have told the story of the dreaded Finlock concrete gutters – and here’s another! Our client, Jane, had some unwelcome news in the survey report from her mortgage lender on her end-of-terrace house in Epping. There was some urgent work required. First, part of the roof was leaking badly and second, the Finlock concrete gutters needed removing. These gutters, as we’ve reported before, can be a nightmare for home owners, with a risk of cracking and damp penetration in the walls. Search for specialist Jane had looked on the internet to find a company that specialises in removing concrete gutters, but all those she found were based in the Midlands. But then she discovered that not... View Article
March 20, 2017 11:43 am
Published by Summit Cladding
I’m sure we are all hoping for a “barbecue summer” this year — and for these clients this will become a reality, with or without fine weather! Russel and Andrea from Loughton, Essex, realised their dream after their children grew up and built a brand new five-bedroom house on the site of their now demolished 1930s bungalow. With their Mediterranean heritage in mind, part of the brief for the architect was to create a purpose-built barbeque area for al fresco dining, in rain or shine. A touch of class This was where Summit Cladding were able to bring a touch of class to the design by recommending James Hardy cladding – or Hardieplank, as it’s often called. Russel and Andrea... View Article
March 8, 2017 6:13 am
Published by Summit Cladding
A recent insurance company survey revealed that one in ten DIY jobs are so badly botched that a professional builder has to come to the rescue. Luckily Summit Cladding’s latest job didn’t get to that stage because the householder was wise enough to come to us before the problem arose! Sylvia contacted us on behalf of her mum who’s lived in her terraced house in Edmonton, North London, for over 30 years. She explained that her mum was extremely proud of her home — except for the exterior. She was worried that a DIY canopy above the front door might fall off the wall and injure someone. Concrete gutter issues Also, there was concrete guttering above the front bay window,... View Article
February 27, 2017 6:31 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
World War Two may have ended more than 70 years ago, but its effects are still being felt in the sort of work that Summit Cladding carries out. How so? Well, although there was a house-building boom just after the war, there was still a shortage of steel. So much had been used to make ships, weapons, aircraft and ammunition that builders had to look to other materials. One of these materials was concrete and in this case, concrete guttering. So-called finlock gutters were frequently used in the construction of post-war houses – but they can be a bit of a headache. Concrete gutter problems Summit recently completed a job to remove finlock guttering for Julia and her partner, who... View Article
February 20, 2017 1:30 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
Summit Cladding is always happy to offer householders free advice on exterior makeovers. From older period properties to modern standard designs, Summit can give your home the “wow factor!” Our client, Philomena, contacted us for advice on fitting a new front door canopy after the old one came off. Philomena had been searching for a company that specialises in front door canopies for some time and a friend of hers visited our showroom in Cattlegate Road, Crews Hill, Enfield. We arranged an appointment to offer a range of alternative designs that would compliment the age and style of her home. Cladding for symmetry Summit recommended an enclosed “V” canopy with James Hardy composite cladding to the centre of... View Article
February 14, 2017 5:55 am
Published by Summit Cladding
Now here’s a question: what do you do when your clients are not on speaking terms with their neighbours — but you need access next door to put up scaffolding? Answer: get the builders to play Cupid! This is a problem that Summit Cladding has faced in the past — and one that we had to face again in this latest job in a quiet cul-de-sac in Loughton, Essex. We were approached by Victor and June who asked us to carry out the same work on their house as we had previously installed on a neighbours’ property. But then we discovered that they were not on good terms with their neighbours and didn’t know whether they would allow us access... View Article
February 7, 2017 4:19 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
Summit Cladding faced a double challenge to enhance the look of this 1960s detached house in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. Not only did we have to reach the highest point of the house, but we also had to remove and safely dispose of some asbestos. Summit were recommended to our client, David, after he’d seen the work we carried out for his brother-in-law in St Albans. Part of our task at David’s house was to replace the wooden barge boards. These are the large lengths of timber that follow the outline of the roof, shaped like an inverted letter “v.” As they are at the highest point of the house they are normally out of reach and difficult to maintain. When they... View Article
January 31, 2017 12:24 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
Avoid getting soaked! On these wet winter days the last thing you want is to get a soaking as you fumble for the keys to open your front door. The obvious answer – fit a canopy! David and Sally have been living in their mid-terrace cottage in Woodford, London E 18 for five years and every winter they’d been talking about creating a cover above the front door, to give it better weather protection and to enhance the look of the house. The only problem was a glass fanlight at the top of the door, allowing natural light into the hallway, which they didn’t want obstructed. Bespoke door canopy design Summit Cladding designs and fits bespoke door canopies and has... View Article
January 25, 2017 8:38 am
Published by Summit Cladding
Maintenance Free! If you are going to have cladding installed on the outside of your house, you will want it to be maintenance-free, won’t you? What you don’t want is old softwood boards that will start to rot within a few years! That’s a problem a lot of homeowners have faced, because builders tend to use cheaper softwood timber, instead of hardwood — and even builders using pvc sometimes don’t get it right. Summit cladding is a specialist roofline pvc fitting company and we recently completed an installation of maintenance-free roofline products for clients who live in a detached property in Barnet, North London. We were pleased to be recommended to our clients, who were going to have their windows... View Article
January 17, 2017 6:12 am
Published by Summit Cladding
James Hardie cladding Here was a challenge for Summit –- how to give a Victorian semi a major external makeover where space is tight. We were contacted by our clients, Terry and Jim, who live in Wood Green, North London. They were building a side extension to their house and looking at all the options that would give it the best look possible. Terry and Jim run a successful florist’s business with high standards, so they were precise about their requirements and expectations. A lot of the exterior rendering on their house was cracking and because of the height and awkward access to the property, they would be faced with a constant challenge to maintain the walls in good order.... View Article
