Cladding is a protective outer layer of boards or panels, such as timber, composite, fibre cement or uPVC, fixed to battens on the outside of a wall to change its appearance, shed rain and, where insulation is added, reduce heat loss.
Getting cladding right in Loughborough starts with understanding the house you already have: its age, how it was built and what has been altered over the years. We survey first, then commit on paper to a price that holds as long as the scope stays the same. Across the East Midlands, guide prices run at £4,800–£11,500 including VAT, and homes in Coalville, Leicester and Humberstone are covered too.
- Guide price
- £4,800–£11,500 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 3 days to 3 weeks depending on area
- Postcodes
- LE11 and LE12
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Leicestershire
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for cladding in Loughborough?
The costs listed here are typical for cladding around Loughborough and include VAT. They reflect labour and material costs in the East Midlands, about 4% below the national guide, giving a range of £4,800–£11,500. Exact pricing depends on your home, so we only fix it once a free site survey is done.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Loughborough |
|---|---|---|
| Feature area or dormer | A gable, dormer, bay or small feature wall in uPVC, timber or composite. | £1,450–£4,800 |
| Extension or upper storey | About 40–60m² of timber, composite or fibre cement with membrane and battens. | £4,800–£11,500 |
| Whole house | Cladding most elevations of a house, often with added insulation. | £11,500–£29,000 |
What moves the price up or down:
- Wall area to be clad and the height of the building
- Insulation behind the cladding
- Window reveals, corners and roof junctions to detail
- Scaffolding, access and distance from boundaries
What does the job include in Loughborough?
- Survey of the wall, boundaries, damp and window details
- Breather membrane and treated battens fixed to the wall
- Insulation behind the cladding where agreed
- Cladding boards fixed with suitable stainless or coated fixings
- Corner trims, window reveals and ventilated top and bottom edges
- Waste removal and a clean site on completion
Local housing and cladding
Leicester has extensive Victorian red-brick terraces and interwar semis, with newer estates on the city's edges. Charnwood granite appears in walls and buildings in the north-west, Swithland slate on older roofs, and villages towards Rutland use ironstone and limestone. Loughborough, Hinckley and Market Harborough mix Victorian centres with post-war and recent housing.
A moderate, fairly dry Midlands climate, with winter frosts and clay soils that can move in dry summers.
These patterns matter for cladding: older walls, roofs and floors in Loughborough can need different materials or extra preparation compared with newer homes.
Planning and building rules in Loughborough
As Loughborough is in England, read the following with that system of planning and building control in mind. We check what applies to your house with the council before you receive a quote.
In England, re-rendering or cladding a house is often allowed without planning permission, but stone, render, timber, plastic or tile cladding is not permitted development in conservation areas, and listed buildings need consent.
If you render or re-clad more than 25% of an external wall, Building Regulations usually require the wall’s insulation to be improved where that is practical, and building control should be notified.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
From survey to handover
We look at the job
A free survey comes first. It gives us what we need to price cladding properly, including dimensions, existing materials and access for deliveries, and gives you the chance to ask anything you like.
Price and scope agreed
We turn the survey notes into a written quote. The price is fixed for the specification we agree, and the document sets out materials, scope and payment stages in plain language.
Booking the work
We handle the paperwork side: checking whether planning permission or building control approval is needed, submitting applications where they are, and scheduling the trades and materials around your dates.
The work itself
The work is carried out to the agreed specification, with floors and furniture protected and the site kept tidy. At the end we clean up, walk through the finished job with you and hand over any certificates.
How we work
Common questions
Will timber cladding change colour?
Untreated timber cladding naturally weathers to a silver-grey over a year or two as sunlight breaks down the surface. The change can be uneven at first, especially under eaves where rain does not reach. If you want to keep the original colour, a UV-protective stain or oil is needed and must be renewed every few years. Pre-weathered and coated boards are also available.
How much does house cladding cost?
Cladding around 40–60m² of wall, such as an extension or upper storey, costs £4,800–£11,500, including membrane, battens and trims. As a guide, allow roughly £80–£180 per square metre plus fixed costs for scaffolding and set-up. uPVC and softwood sit at the lower end, while hardwood, composite and fibre cement cost more. Adding insulation increases the price. We confirm a fixed figure after the survey.
Can you clad over existing render or brick?
Cladding is usually fixed over existing render or brick using battens, as long as the wall is sound and dry. Loose render may need removing first so the fixings hold. The battens create a ventilated gap so any moisture can drain and dry. We check the wall during the survey and explain any preparation needed before cladding.
Is the price fixed?
Yes, for the specification we agree. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included at a fixed price. It only changes if you ask for something different, or if a problem the survey could not reasonably reveal later needs extra work. In either case we explain the change and confirm it in writing before going ahead.
Can I stay at home during the work?
In most cases, yes. Most people can live at home throughout, and we plan the work to keep disruption down by protecting floors, agreeing working hours and keeping access routes clear. Bigger jobs affecting kitchens, bathrooms or heating may mean a short spell with reduced facilities, and we talk this through with you at the survey.
Nearby towns
We welcome enquiries from all LE11 and LE12 postcodes in Loughborough, plus Coalville, Leicester and Humberstone. Each one gets the same survey at no charge and a written price fixed for the work described.