When my partner and I bought our hodge-podge half cottage-half 70 bungalow house, we had a list of things we knew we wanted to change. But as any renovator will know, you have to start with the urgent issues, such as rewiring, new plumbing and a new bathroom, and leave more aesthetic changes for a later date.
Happily for us, we’re now three years into our renovation have tackled the core issues, which means we’re now able to make optional changes to boost our home's kerb appeal. One of those changes was to update the exterior of the 1970s single-storey extension with an integrated garage.
The previous owners had used clad the structure in a concrete stone replica, which really jars against the natural stone of our cottage. I also feel like it dates the house in a negative way and, while I’m a big fan of keeping mid-century charm just as much as historic features, this definitely needs an upgrade. So, when it came to our home's exterior cladding, we went with timber, balancing our shoestring budget with maximum kerb appeal.
Step 1: Securing planning permission to reclad our garage
Before: The concrete 'stone' cladding isn't too bad, but isn't our taste or in keeping with the village.
Of all the things to know before cladding your home, the planning rules are arguably the most important. In many cases, cladding will fall under permitted development, but that is not always the case, so it's crucial you check with your local planning authority before you make changes.
Our house is in a Conservation Area and so we don’t benefit from most of the Permitted Development rights that other houses do. This includes our ability to change the appearance of the house. So, when we applied for planning permission to make alterations, such as replacing the windows, creating a new driveway and installing rooflights, we included our proposals for recladding the front elevations.
From the street, our house can be visually split into three sections: the two-storey cottage, the pitch roof extension that runs adjacent and the flat roof extension at the back, which includes the garage.
Our idea was to create changes that visually ‘zone’ the exterior, so the original stonework of the cottage is being repointed in lime, the pitched roof section will be rendered in lime (in-keeping with the village we live in), and, we'd reclad the flat-roof section with timber.
Fortunately, planning permission was granted with minimal fuss.
Step 2: Setting a budget for the timber cladding
In progress: With the battens in place, we made a start installing the timber cladding. I was trying not to panic at the colour and the knotty wood at this point.
There are lots of different types of cladding, and while timber cladding is generally considered to be a great option for those on a budget, in reality, the costs can escalate quickly once you consider quality, longevity and maintenance. I knew we had to find a happy medium, so we opted for untreated larch for £445 including delivery, battens and corner pieces. Additional materials, such as stainless steel nails, cement screws and a rodent mesh were another £30.
We didn’t get any quotes from contractors to do this job, because we were both fairly confident we could tackle it on a DIY basis, but I would expect costs of around £200 per day to get someone in to do it for us.
We had many of the tools we needed already, but if you were starting without, I would definitely recommend a mitre saw, like this Einhell mitre saw (£89.99 from Toolstation) and a plunge/track saw, like this Draper plunge saw (£159.99 at Toolstation), as they saved us so much time and effort cutting the pieces to size.
For precise straight cuts, a plunge saw (also called a track saw) is crucial. It made the job so much quicker for us.
For perfect angled cuts, we used a mitre saw. Fortunately we already had one from other renovation work we'd done, but if you don't have one, I'd say it's an absolute essential.
Step 3: Installing the cladding
The shiplap cladding looks absolutely fantastic and night and day from the fake stone concrete that hide beneath.
First things first, we installed battens to the concrete ‘stone’ of the garage using corrosion-resistant masonry screws, a tricky venture when working with an incredibly uneven profile, but we managed to get them square. The battens are primarily to secure the boards on to the wall, but they also provide an essential ventilation air gap so the wood doesn’t go mouldy during the winter.
We didn't need to use a weatherproof membrane as the garage was already watertight, but before doing your own cladding, I would recommend double checking that before you start.
Starting from the bottom, we used stainless steel nails to secure the boards, overlapping the next board up to give the shiplap effect. One of the best decisions we made was scouring the internet and local saw mills to source horizontal planks that would stretch the length of the garage with no joins or cuts. Not only did this make our lives a million times easier during installation, but it also looks so much neater.
Unfortunately, we couldn't install the cladding right to the bottom on the wall and had to stop at the line of the damp proof course to prevent rotting. So, after the timber was in place, I used an external masonry paint in a dark green colour to visually push back the lower section of the wall. We also installed a special mesh designed to keep pesky rodents out of the cladding along the bottom, but you can't see it at all.
How do I feel now it’s finished?
A year later the colour has calmed down - the next job is to paint the concrete cill that sits under the window. Now the rest of the elevation is complete, I can't top looking at it.
The process took a couple of days for a 15m2 area, so if you’re thinking of doing a similar job, then I would put aside a long weekend — 3-4 days should do it.
Once the first couple of boards were on, I was initially concerned about the colour of the larch as it had a bit of a pink tint that definitely wasn't the look I was hoping for. I did worry we'd made a mistake for a good few weeks, but trusted the weathering process. Now a year on, I can happily say the weathering is toning those hues down nicely as the wood silvers with age.
I would definitely try cladding again and think most people and novice DIYers could give it a go, especially for the savings.
We’re not entirely done with the exterior renovation just yet and need to do the lime cladding on the rest of the house, but as a start, I’m delighted with it!
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