Latest Posts
October 6, 2022 12:15 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
Readers of a certain age will recall that popular Danny Kaye song from the 1950s, “The Ugly Duckling,” in which the little bird is transformed into “a very fine swan indeed.” Well, that could equally apply to this detached 1960s house in Bromley, Kent, where Summit Cladding has been at work! Our clients, Steve and Liz, moved in recently, attracted to the area by the local schools, shops and other facilities. And although the property was well situated with good sized rooms, the exterior was severely lacking in kerb appeal. There was a very dated stone-clad pillar holding up the porch, with an equally dated flat roof, and the original timber cladding on the walls was showing its age with... View Article
September 1, 2022 7:32 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
The sudden increase in the price of energy has focused everyone’s mind on the best way to keep those gas and electricity bills as low as possible. But apart from turning down the thermostat and switching off unnecessary lights and appliances, what more can we do? Well, Summit Cladding is already helping to lead the way in thermal efficiency, which was a key requirement of this task in Whetstone, North London. James Hardie concrete composite cladding ticks all the boxes for good looks, good insulation and zero maintenance. Energy saving target Our client, Desmond, contacted us two years ago, long before the energy crisis had come to dominate the news. But even then, he was concerned about the escalating cost... View Article
August 22, 2022 11:58 am
Published by Summit Cladding
For our latest assignment Summit Cladding ventured out of London and took a trip down the M23 to Crawley in West Sussex. Tony and Amanda, who live in this handsome detached house, were giving the interior of their home a thorough makeover and had heard about Summit’s reputation for transforming the look of properties from the outside and our expertise at installing James Hardie composite cladding. As a specialist in property renovation and the construction of bespoke swimming pools, Tony is a client who knows what he wants and has the expertise to recognise the best when he sees it. Summit Cladding were delighted to take on the project. Century old tiles removed From the outset it was clear that... View Article
May 28, 2022 5:09 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
Disagreement about natural wood versus composite materials will always be with us, but in our view composite cladding is now so good that the argument is already won. Take this recent job for Summit Cladding. We travelled to Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire, to meet clients whose home was part clad with treated timber. It must have looked lovely when it was first constructed. But therein lies the problem with wood. The trouble with timber cladding Our clients had spent thousands of pounds on maintenance, but even with constant care the timber boards were twisting and splitting, which meant they could no longer be sure that their house was fully weatherproof. The quality of domestic timber is not what it was,... View Article
May 14, 2022 11:31 am
Published by Summit Cladding
Many of us dream about buying a brand new house in order to stamp our own style on the internal features, such as kitchen units, floor coverings and colour scheme. However, when it comes to the outside of the house on a new development, we are limited by the architects’ plans and how the builders followed them. But here’s a good example of how Summit Cladding can change all that and make a real difference. We were called to the lovely village of Willingham, near Cambridge, to meet a homeowner who thought the flat-roofed front door canopy on his new house was, well, just a bit boring. He wanted a new look that would stand out from the others in... View Article
March 21, 2022 11:44 am
Published by Summit Cladding
The quality and range of building materials has made huge strides in the past 30 years and today’s story from Buckhurst Hill, Loughton, Essex is a great example. Back in the 1990s this block of flats was fitted with white PVC shiplap cladding, the only colour available at the time. It had lasted perfectly well and, of course, it never needed painting or maintenance. But the flats were starting to look a bit dated. Fast forward 30 years and we find that technological advances have not only produced many different colours, but also created such subtle variations in texture and grain that it’s hard to tell the difference between synthetic cladding and natural timber. It was time for a makeover.... View Article
March 14, 2022 12:30 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
Summit Cladding offers a lot more than just a new way to cover your house walls. A visit from us, with an expert eye, can radically improve the look of your home with a few simple touches. Rob and his wife were visiting the garden centre in Crews Hill, Enfield, when they came across our display and realised that Summit could offer just what they wanted. They moved into their home in Loughton, Essex, five years ago, but there was something not quite right about the front of the property. Apart from its general appearance, there was no front door canopy to offer shelter from the weather. Identifying the problems When Summit approached the house for the first time the... View Article
January 31, 2022 12:04 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
There’s no better recommendation for Summit Cladding than when clients say they are so happy with our work that they will present their house as a show home for other customers. That’s what happened after our visit to High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, where former inventor Renny asked us to find a solution to his cladding problems. Renny had spent his working life inventing household products designed to make our lives easier. But now it was his turn to ask for help, to reduce the stress of home maintenance. Timber boards had distorted We have written on this blog in the past about so-called waney edge timber cladding boards which look fine when first nailed on, but eventually twist and distort... View Article
January 15, 2022 1:55 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
If your house looks like all the others in the road there’s one sure-fire way to make it stand out from the crowd – and that’s to fit James Hardie cladding. Lidia was a former client of Summit Cladding so we were delighted when she contacted us again after her recent house move in St Albans, Hertfordshire. At her previous home we had replaced all the old timber fascias, so Lidia was familiar with the quality of our work. At the new house she was wondering what to do about a small area of render on the house wall that was looking tired and in need of attention. The rendered area, above and below one of the first-floor windows, was... View Article
October 19, 2021 9:49 am
Published by Summit Cladding
Many of us dream of living by the seaside. Perhaps you already do, in which case the topic of this blog might be familiar to you. The salty sea air is healthy and invigorating for us humans, but it can be a nightmare for buildings. Summit Cladding travelled to Bognor Regis on the West Sussex coast, to meet clients who moved there 20 years ago and were facing a losing battle against the elements. They had spent a small fortune fighting salt corrosion, replacing fascias and gutters with PVC and constantly repainting the outside of the house with special durable paint. Coastal cladding challenge After my initial consultation with our clients, I approached James Hardie’s technical department to discuss the... View Article
