James Hardie cladding installation in Letchworth, Hertfordshire

Summit Cladding faced a bit of a head-scratching moment when our clients in Henlow, near Letchworth Garden City, told us they wanted the front wall of their house to be given a bit of a makeover.

The job was straightforward enough – it’s what we specialise in – but there was one potential snag. Growing up the front of the house, and attached to the wall that required the work, was a lovely mature wisteria, thought to be at least 30 years old.

Clearly, we were not going to cut it down, but we couldn’t do the makeover without moving it out of the way. And we didn’t want to do anything that would harm the plant.

Saving the wisteria!

With this in mind, we started the job in early March, before the sap was rising and the wisteria came into leaf. Taking particular care, we detached it from the wall and gently swung it back away from the area to be worked on, securing it in place without twisting or breaking the main stem.

Then we could get a closer look at the wall and work out what needed to be done. The brickwork was covered in sandstone render that was badly stained. Not only was it unsightly, but it was allowing damp to get into the property. The solution was to fit cladding that would compliment the attractive light-coloured brick around the rest of the house.

Three-stage process of installing James Hardie cladding

As always, Summit began by fitting a breathable vapour barrier to put a stop to the damp penetration. This was followed by attaching treated timber battens to the wall. Finally, the James Hardie composite cladding was fixed on to the battens.

When the job was complete, there was one more task – to swing the wisteria back on to the front of the house and secure it in place with specialist fixing brackets made of stainless steel, to avoid corrosion and any further unsightly stains.

As the before-and-after pictures demonstrate, the house has had a lovely makeover that takes years off its life – and provides a great backdrop for the wisteria when it blossoms this year.

Categorised in: James Hardie Cladding

This post was written by Summit Cladding