Choosing External Cladding: What Works for Your Home and Why

The Dilemma

External cladding shapes not only the appearance of your home but its long-term maintenance, weathering performance and architectural clarity. Many people choose based on aesthetics alone, without considering orientation, detailing, installation constraints or how the cladding will age.

The dilemma is finding a material that complements your home’s proportions and withstands the UK climate, while feeling intentional rather than decorative.

The Options

Option 1: Timber Cladding

Softwood (larch, cedar) or hardwood (oak).

Pros:

• natural warmth

• ages with character

• suits both modern and rural settings

Cons:

• requires maintenance if you want to control colour

• uneven weathering in exposed areas

Option 2: Composite Cladding

Engineered boards in timber-like finishes.

Pros:

• low maintenance

• stable colour

• consistent appearance

Cons:

• can appear artificial in certain lights

• harder to repair if damaged

Option 3: Render

Smooth or textured cementitious finish.

Pros:

• clean, simple appearance

• cost-effective

• suits contemporary builds

Cons:

• hairline cracking possible

• needs repainting over time

Option 4: Metal Cladding

Zinc, aluminium, steel.

Pros:

• crisp, modern aesthetic

• highly durable

• excellent in coastal or contemporary settings

Cons:

• expensive

• requires good detailing to avoid looking industrial

The Decision Criteria

1. Climate and exposure

Coastal or windy sites demand robust materials.
Timber will weather unevenly on south-facing elevations.
Metal or composite performs consistently in exposed areas.

2. Architectural style

Match the cladding to your home.
Timber feels at home on simple, clean volumes.
Render suits minimal extensions.
Metal suits bold contemporary additions.

3. Proportion and placement

Cladding should strengthen the building’s form.
Use it to highlight key volumes, not cover everything indiscriminately.
Break large surfaces subtly with vertical or horizontal lines.

4. Colour and tone

Dark tones recede and make forms appear slimmer.
Light tones highlight texture and catch daylight.

5. Maintenance tolerance

If you prefer predictable ageing, choose composite or metal.
If you enjoy natural patina, choose timber.

The Recommendation

Choose cladding based on architectural intent, then durability.
Timber works beautifully when allowed to weather naturally.
Composite suits low-maintenance homes that need consistency.
Render is excellent for clean forms on a budget.
Metal belongs on sharp, confident contemporary volumes.

Where possible, use one primary cladding material and keep other elements simple.

A Quick Tip

Stand back from your home and sketch the main massing shapes.
Apply cladding to one or two forms only - not all of them.

Image Suggestion

A flat-lay of timber, composite, render and metal samples with a few neutral paint swatches.