Newmarket Roofers fits timber, composite, and fibre cement exterior cladding for homeowners in Clare and the surrounding villages, protecting external walls and improving the look of your property.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Exterior cladding is a layer of material fixed over your existing external walls. It keeps rain and frost away from the structure beneath, reduces heat loss through the wall, and gives the property a cleaner, more modern appearance. Done properly, it can add years to the life of your external walls without the disruption of a full rebuild.
We fit three main types: timber, composite, and fibre cement. Each suits different budgets, aesthetics, and levels of ongoing maintenance. The right choice depends on your wall construction, your exposure to weather, and what you want the finished result to look like.
Exterior cladding is not a small job. Poor installation - wrong fixings, inadequate battening, no ventilation gap - causes moisture to build up behind the boards and rot or stain the wall within a few years. Choosing the right person to carry out the work matters more than almost any other decision you make.
When you speak to a contractor, ask specifically how they handle the ventilation cavity. A good cladding installation includes a clear air gap between the back of the boards and the wall surface so that any moisture that gets in can escape. If a contractor cannot explain their approach to this clearly, that is a significant warning sign.
Before you sign anything or pay a deposit, work through these questions with every contractor you speak to. The answers tell you a great deal about how they operate.
Timber cladding gives a natural, traditional look and is often chosen for older or rural properties around Clare and nearby villages. It requires periodic treatment - oiling or staining every few years - to keep it in good condition. Untreated timber will grey, split, and eventually rot.
Composite cladding (boards made from a wood-fibre and polymer mix) needs very little maintenance. Colours are factory-applied and hold well. It costs more upfront than treated timber but the ongoing cost is lower because you are not repainting or re-oiling it every few years.
Fibre cement boards are highly durable and resist impact, frost, and moisture better than either timber or composite. They are heavier, which means the fixing structure needs to be robust, but they are a popular choice where a long service life with minimal upkeep is the priority.
When you receive quotes from different contractors, the headline figure is rarely the whole story. Check what each quote includes for scaffolding - this alone can add £800 to £2,000 or more to a job depending on the size of the property. Confirm whether preparation work, primer coats, trim pieces, and sealants are all included.
A quote that looks considerably cheaper than others usually means something has been left out, a lower-grade product has been specified, or fixings and battens have been downgraded. Ask each contractor to confirm the exact product name and specification so you are comparing the same material at different prices, not different materials at a similar price.
The battens should be plumb, fixed at the correct centres for the board width specified by the manufacturer, and treated against moisture. There should be a clear ventilation gap. Boards should be cut cleanly at window and door reveals and sealed with a compatible, paintable sealant - not expanding foam, which deteriorates quickly when exposed to UV light. Fixings should be countersunk neatly and, for timber and composite boards, the heads should be filled and primed before painting.
At the base of the wall, there should be a starter strip that holds the bottom board level and keeps it off the ground. Cladding that sits directly on a patio or path will absorb moisture from below and fail prematurely, regardless of how good the material is.
We cover Clare and the surrounding area from our base in Newmarket, and also work across nearby towns including Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Soham, and Ely. If you are considering exterior cladding and want to understand which material suits your property and what the job is likely to cost, call us to arrange a survey. We will look at the existing wall condition, measure the elevations, and give you a clear written breakdown so you can make an informed decision.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
