The cost of exterior cladding in Melbourn varies considerably depending on the material, the condition of the existing wall, and what access is needed - this page explains what drives the price and how to compare quotes honestly.
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Exterior cladding is quoted by installers in many different ways, and the headline price per square metre rarely tells the whole story. A quote of £90 per square metre for one system and £130 for another sounds straightforward until you realise one includes scaffold and substrate preparation and the other does not. Understanding the components that make up the total cost helps you compare like with like and avoid surprises when a job starts.
We fit cladding to homes and commercial properties in Melbourn and across the Cambridge area, including nearby Cambridge and Royston. The ranges below reflect current typical UK costs for installed work and are intended as a realistic reference, not a fixed price for any particular job.
The material is the most visible variable in any cladding quote, but it is rarely more than half the total cost of the job once labour, access, and preparation are factored in.
These figures assume a straightforward installation on a structurally sound substrate with standard access. The factors below all move the price, sometimes significantly.
Scaffolding for a standard semi-detached two-storey property typically costs in the region of £800 to £2,000 to erect, hire for the duration of the job, and strike, depending on the size of the elevation and the hire period needed. This cost is fixed regardless of which cladding material is chosen.
On a smaller single-storey extension or outbuilding where a mobile tower is sufficient, access costs are lower. On a three-storey building or one with restricted access - a tight side passage, a neighbouring property very close by, or a road-facing elevation requiring traffic management - scaffold costs rise considerably. Always check that a quote specifies the type of access included and who is responsible for organising it.
The condition of the wall behind the existing cladding or render has a large effect on the final cost and cannot be fully assessed until the elevation is stripped. If the existing battens and membrane are serviceable, they may be reused or supplemented, reducing preparation time. If they are rotten, waterlogged, or incorrectly installed, they need to come out and the substrate needs to be dried and made good before anything new goes on.
A common cost that surprises homeowners is the price of dealing with damp substrate: cutting out damp render, treating mould, or replacing sections of sheathing board on a timber-framed property. These are not extras that a good installer adds to inflate the bill; they are unavoidable if the new cladding is to perform correctly. A quote that does not allow for any contingency in this area is worth questioning.
A blank rectangular wall with no windows or doors is the cheapest elevation to clad per square metre. Every opening adds time: the reveal needs to be lined or extended, flashing needs to be fitted and sealed, and the boards around the opening need to be cut and fitted accurately. A wall with four windows and a door on a ground-floor extension can easily take twice as long per square metre to clad as a blank gable wall of the same area.
External corners, changes in level where a single-storey section meets a two-storey section, and any external pipework or meter boxes that need boxing around all add time in a similar way. When getting quotes, ask whether the price is based on total wall area (gross) or net clad area after deducting openings. Both approaches are used, and a gross-area price needs to be assessed differently from a net-area price.
Adding rigid external wall insulation behind the cladding increases the cost of the job but reduces ongoing heating costs. Common insulation options include mineral wool batts, phenolic foam boards, and expanded polystyrene. The insulation itself adds roughly £20 to £60 per square metre to the material cost depending on the product and thickness, plus additional batten and fixing costs to hold everything out at the correct distance from the wall face.
If the wall is already well insulated, adding EWI may not make economic sense. If it is a solid brick wall with no cavity, EWI often gives the single largest improvement in heat retention available for that property type, and the disruption of a cladding job is the natural time to do it.
If the property already has cladding that needs to come off, the skip and labour cost for stripping and disposing of it is usually £5 to £15 per square metre on top of the installation price, depending on the material and weight. Old concrete panel systems and heavy render can be significantly more than this to dispose of. This should always be itemised separately in a quote so you can see what the stripping element costs.
Replacing soffits, fascias, and bargeboards at the same time as cladding an elevation is sensible because the scaffold is already in place. The cost of doing these items separately afterwards would include re-erecting the scaffold, which often costs more than the soffit and fascia work itself. uPVC soffit and fascia replacement typically costs £80 to £150 per linear metre of run, including removal of the old boards and installation of ventilated soffit where required.
When you receive quotes for cladding work, check that each one specifies:
A lower headline price that excludes scaffold, skips, and substrate preparation can easily be more expensive in practice than a higher quoted price that includes all of these. Getting two or three detailed, itemised quotes is the only way to compare accurately.
We serve Melbourn and the surrounding area, including Cambridge and nearby Royston. If you want a clear, itemised quote for exterior cladding that covers exactly what is and is not included, call us and we will arrange a site visit before pricing the job.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
