cedar cladding vs render costs

[masamune]

I posted a "timber cladding" thread in the carpentry section (mods please delete) but later noticed the most common wood for cladding is red cedar.

I am planning an extension and want to dress the external walls with cedar cladding. The building will be made with brick walls, bifolds etc

The one thing that is not very clear from all the posts I read so far is the cost of the wood wotj labour vs render. I can also see prices for cedar per meter online, though I am not sure of the different qualities...

Obviously I thought render would be more expensive but I may be wrong. Any help would be great as I'm trying to realise the overall costs.

 

[cjard]

Render, most of the cost is in the labour - it takes forever to get a good result in cement, though thin coat silicone types should be faster. Cladding is faster, and less skilled, the raw materials cost more

Ultimately, if you're going for a fairly mainstream finish to anything then costs even out about the same; stuff that ain't middle of the road gets more wacky in terms of pricing but the common stuff tends to settle around a price point where it competes with the other methods

 

[masamune]

Thanks!

I find render very common and also have pebble dash walls which I hate a bit (painted white

I like the staggered horizontal cedar since it adds a warm and modern look. But if the price were to come up too high compared to render I will have to drop it.

Another thought was to part clad part render the extension, but it doesn't sound like will reduce the cost. My architect also disagreed and suggests to go with either one or the other rather than mix. This is for the façade around the bifolds as in the link,

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ba/96/03/ba96035e574d7adc0180273a92a78a35.jpg

but with a pitched roof, then either have render on the side wall or a lip or strips and continue with smooth render. Can this pose any issues?

In terms of qualities, are there any choices for the cedar to use and how would it affect cost?

 

[cjard]

One of the best sites I've found for quick price compares is iwood.co.uk

For cladding you can enter your meterage, choose a profile and get a price. A one click button compares prices across all wood species. Prices are reasonable too

 

[noseall]

You need to look at long term (maintenance) costs as well as the immediate costs. Wood needs care and love.
Brick every time for me.

 

[cjard]

You do, but think of it like buying something cash versus getting it on credit.. one has the greater upfront cost but the other a greater total cost of ownership. Why would anyone choose to pay double? Depends on what they have available at the time.. plus you might sell/die before the wood need oiling again!

 

[masamune]

You need to look at long term (maintenance) costs as well as the immediate costs. Wood needs care and love.

I do keep that in mind

 

[masamune]

One thing is that I cannot go for a slightly grey tile to have that contrast, as the planning requires to match the existing house roof reddish tiles on the extension. I am feeling there may be a clashing look with the colour ...

 

[masamune]

One of the best sites I've found for quick price compares is iwood.co.uk

For cladding you can enter your meterage, choose a profile and get a price. A one click button compares prices across all wood species. Prices are reasonable too

What do you reckon the cost would roughly be per sqr meter for labour?

edit: since I added all these questions one more wouldn't hurt

Is there any impact in the long run for the external wall protection? dump or anything else to consider?

 

[cjard]

Most recent render job that I had done, the guy cost £150 a day for 2 days, covering 26sqm of straight wall 10mx3m with a 2x2 door opening in, including edge beading around the door and one one expansion joint

Cladding wise, a similar wall was finished off in T&G cladding by an £80 a day handy man, took less than a day - he actually took 2 days with a skivvy to do about 3x the area

 

[^woody^]

I suspect that cedar will cost two or three times as much as render to install. And more to maintain unless you want it to go grey.

Remember that you can't just order exact m2 with cedar. There will be off-cuts and wastage.

But the thing is, it needs to be considered as part of an overall design. Cedar can look great, and be worth the cost in the right circumstances.

Finally with cedar, oil it not stain or varnish. Osmo oil (Clear Extra) is great.

BTW, your architect does not sound like an Architect if he says go with one or the other, and does not have a clear design in his mind. If so, I wonder if he is able to detail cladding properly if he has no appetite for it. And you can mix the two, again subject to good design.

 

[masamune]

I suspect that cedar will cost two or three times as much as render to install. And more to maintain unless you want it to go grey.

Hm, that contradicts the other posts so it may mean that cedar is not an option after all...

Maintenance is ok though for me.

But the thing is, it needs to be considered as part of an overall design. Cedar can look great, and be worth the cost in the right circumstances.

That's the way I see it indeed . I am not looking to clash with the architect as they rarely offer creative ideas. For whatever reason he says I cannot mix render on the side walls and cedar on the facade. I know you can because google shows it can be done He says I could put cedar on top of the render if I only want the facade.

The thing is, going all cladding I am finding it difficult paying for 14sqrm of cedar on the side walls of the extension. Only for me to see a strip of 5 sqrm on the garden facade and the neighbourds enjoying the rest.

I am not familiar with any planning approval surprises or issues with putting this together properly. perhaps it is not working for semi-detach properties...

 

[cjard]

Hm, that contradicts the other posts so it may mean that cedar is not an option after all...
..

Ends of the day, they're both straight forward jobs that can be easily quoted from plans with no surprises and reasonable estimates as to required materials easy to obtain so if you want to use the financial aspect as a decider, get some quotes. The skill level required to get a good render finish is higher than fitting cladding - cladding is a DIY job after watching a couple of YouTube videos. Rendering is something best left to an experienced tradesman

I don't know if your architect would appreciate you saying he lacks creativity; I've long been of the opinion that's the chief reason why they justify charging the fees they do for doing essentially the same job as an architectural technician. Both types put lines on paper, but architects crack on that they're the only ones capable of doing it with flair..

 

[^woody^]

Hm, that contradicts the other posts so it may mean that cedar is not an option after all...

Get quotes for either.

If need be, put cedar on the plans and you can alter it later no problem.

 

[masamune]

I don't know if your architect would appreciate you saying he lacks creativity; I've long been of the opinion that's the chief reason why they justify charging the fees they do for doing essentially the same job as an architectural technician. Both types put lines on paper, but architects crack on that they're the only ones capable of doing it with flair..

I'm not bashing the architect but he doesn't seem to come up with much creative. Is your comment missing a sarcasm smiley?

The problem is that I need to submit to planning soon and have to show the exterior material there. I don't have the builder yet, need to talk to a couple of friends