Blog>Cost Guides>House cladding: Cost breakdown 2026
Last updated: 1 July 2025
House cladding: Cost breakdown 2026
In this house cladding cost guide, we’ll talk you through the average costs for the different types of house cladding in the UK.
Installing (or replacing) house cladding is a great option if you're looking to give your home a new look and insulate it at the same time. Read on to figure out how much cladding materials will cost, including wood and aluminium options.
Fast Facts
uPVC cladding costs around £80 per m² (including installation)
Cladding a two-storey house costs roughly £8,000
Premium material, like timber cladding, costs more. Budget around £100 per m² (including installation)
How much does house cladding cost in 2026?
With uPVC cladding costing around £80 per m² (including installation) it might not be as expensive as you think.
| Cost provided item | Unit | Price range - Low | Price range - High | Average UK cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uPVC - including labour | Per m² | £60 | £100 | £80 |
| Timber (larch) - including labour | Per m² | £100 | £130 | £115 |
| Timber (cedar) - including labour | Per m² | £150 | £180 | £165 |
| Aluminium cladding panels - including labour | Per m² | £200 | £230 | £215 |
| Zinc - including labour | Per m² | £300 | £350 | £325 |
| Cedral - including labour | Per m² | £70 | £90 | £80 |
| Rubber - including labour | Per m² | £70 | £90 | £80 |
| Scaffolding | Per m² | £15 | £25 | £20 |
| Scaffolding | Per job (typical) | £500 | £1,500 | £1,000 |
| Skip Hire | £200 | £600 | £400 | |
| Last updated: May 2024 Our costs are ballpark averages - get a local tradesperson to quote now | ||||
The estimates above are a good place to start. But as you can see, the cost of house cladding in the UK varies, depending on the material you choose and the size of the property.
How much does it cost to clad a house in the UK?
If you haven’t yet decided on the material you’d like to use, you might want to get a rough guide on prices by house size. Let’s look at the costs for average UK house sizes:
Single-storey bungalow cladding
For a small single-storey bungalow, house cladding will cost approximately £5,000 – for materials and labour.
Two-storey home cladding
If you have a two-storey house, you’ll be looking at a house cladding cost of £8,000.
House cladding: Job estimator tool
Use our job estimator tool below to help calculate how much you should pay for house cladding near you.
Need help working out cost? Our job estimate tool calculates the costs for you.
Cladding cost per m2
The cost of house cladding in the UK also depends on the material you choose. Let's look at the most popular options in the UK:
uPVC cladding
The cheapest option is nearly always uPVC cladding. The average uPVC cladding cost is around £80 per m², including labour.
Cedral cladding
Another manmade alternative is cedral (a fibre cement cladding), and the average cedral cladding cost including labour comes in at around £80 per m².
Timber cladding
If you’re looking for timber, the average timber cladding cost starts at around £100 per m², again including labour.
If you’re after a more premium wood like cedar cladding, the average cost with labour included is about £165 per m².
Meanwhile, the average larch cladding cost per m² is around £115, with labour.
Zinc cladding
Zinc is a great option if you're after a more contemporary look that's super durable. The average zinc cladding cost per m² is around £325(including labour).
Aluminium cladding
Aluminium cladding is becoming increasingly popular and comes in at around £200 - £230 per m² (including labour).
Rubber cladding
Another cladding material contender is rubber. Rubber cladding costs between £70 - £90 per m² and is considered an eco-friendly material. It can also look very slick and modern.
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Factors affecting the cost of house cladding
The total cost of your house cladding will depend on a variety of factors, including:
Size and shape of the property
Type of cladding
Quality of cladding
Any prep work needed
Where you live
The bigger your property, the more the cladding will cost. It will also be more expensive if you have an unusually shaped or extended property that has a more complex structure.
Hidden costs to watch out for
Replacing guttering and drainage systems
If your drainpipe system needs fixing or replacing, it makes sense to do it at the same time as the cladding.
Average plastic gutter prices are £45 per metre, including fitting.
If you want metal guttering, you’ll pay more. For example, cast iron guttering costs about £130 per metre. Meanwhile, aluminium guttering will cost around £95 per metre.
Our gutter replacement cost guide has lots more information to help you budget.
House cladding installation costs
While most of the cladding costs above include labour, it’s good to know what the going rate is for installation.
This is especially handy if you’re sourcing the cladding yourself but need a tradesperson to get the job done. Most house cladding trades will quote for the job in full rather than by the day. However, as a general steer, the average cladding installation cost is around £1,500 - £2,000 based on a two-day job.
That said, the exact cost of your cladding installation will depend on the amount of cladding, the materials used, the complexity of the installation, and the experience of the cladding tradesperson.
Cost of hiring a house cladding tradesperson vs DIY
If you’re an accomplished DIY enthusiast with a good eye for detail, you may want to give it a go yourself.
However, if you want the job done right, you're best off hiring a cladding tradesperson committed to quality.
Installing or replacing cladding is a complicated and intricate job. Hiring an experienced tradesperson will help you avoid costly mistakes or invalidating your home insurance.
Checked house cladding services near you
Why not speed up your search for hiring a checked company through Checkatrade? Use our request a quote tool to post details about the job, and we’ll send it out to Checkatrade tradespeople covering your local area. Try it out!
Rather browse relevant tradespeople in your own time? Then give our free search directory below a try. Just enter your postcode to view a tradesperson’s profile, read reviews from real people, and contact them directly.
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House cladding cost checklist
Research the cladding options and choose the type and style that suits your home
Speak to cladding tradespeople covering your local area for advice and accurate costs
Find out if you need to do any prep work before cladding can be installed
When hiring a tradesperson, you’ll want to choose someone with positive customer reviews. It’s also important to check they have the right insurance to carry out the work
House cladding cost: FAQs
Is cladding a house worth it?
There are a number of great reasons to choose house cladding for your home:
Added protection – It strengthens the structure of your building and protects against fungal growths and mould, sunlight, wind and rain
Low maintenance – Requires a lot less maintenance than painting the exterior of your home
Insulation – Improves the energy efficiency of the building and reduces your energy bills
Added style (and value) – Can transform tired exteriors, and in turn, improve the house value
Is it cheaper to clad or render a house?
Generally speaking, rendering works out cheaper than cladding a home. But remember, rendering requires more regular upkeep, such as painting and cleaning, which can add to the cost. Find out the average cost to render a wall in our cost guide.
Do I need planning permission to put cladding on a house?
You normally won’t need planning permission to install cladding as this aesthetic change tends to fall under your permitted development rights. However, there are some exceptions. For example, if you live in a listed building or conservation area, you’ll likely need to get planning permission before forging ahead.
How much does cladding cost for a house?
As a general steer, the average cladding installation cost is around £1,500 - £2,000, based on a two-day job. That said, the exact cost of your cladding installation will depend on the amount of cladding, the materials used, the complexity of the installation, and the experience of the cladding tradesperson.
Can I install house cladding myself?
Installing or replacing cladding is a complicated and intricate job, best left to the professionals. If you’re an accomplished DIY enthusiast with an excellent eye for detail, then you may want to give it a go yourself. However, we would recommend hiring a cladding tradesperson.
Start your search for a house cladding tradesperson covering your local area with Checkatrade today.
See the tradespeople we've checked for your job
See the tradespeople we've checked for your job