The Best Cladding Style for Country Cottages
You may have decided that timber panelling is the right choice for cladding the exterior of your home, but do you know what style to choose?
Choosing the right style of cladding for your home is tricky enough for a modern build, but it’s especially difficult for more traditional types of buildings, such as country cottages.
It might be your goal to give your cottage a complete transformation, using cladding as the new face. However, if you want to preserve or complement the original aesthetic of your cottage, then this is the article for you.
Our cladding experts at NORclad discuss the key points you should consider when choosing cladding for a country cottage, including:
- Species and colour of wood.
- Cladding profile.
- Whether the style is in keeping with the local area.
- Which part of your building to apply cladding to.
If your cottage does not already have exterior cladding, you may feel that this additional feature will spoil the appearance of the building. However, there are choices you can make that will ensure your cladding enhances the aesthetic of the building rather than ruining it.
The Best Species of Wood for Country Cottage Cladding
Timber panels are available in a range of types of wood, which contribute to the overall look of your cladding. The type of wood you choose is important for four reasons.
The first is that the species of wood determines can determine the durabilty of the cladding. Which species you select may also affect how much maintenance your cladding will require in the future and when it might need replacing.
Secondly, it can affect the overall cost of your project. Some wood species are more durable than others which means they are more highly valued. For example, selecting oak or other hardwoods will cost significantly more than softwood, such as Siberian Larch or European Redwood.
Another reason wood species are important is that different types are chosen because of their natural colour. Western red cedar is a great example of this, as it is often chosen for its vibrant red hue, and varied colours. The colour of the wood or the treatment you apply to your panelling that could stain it and alter its appearance needs to be considered because they might not suit your country cottage.
Left uncoated your timber cladding will fade to a subtle silvery-grey colour with time, which may match the aesthetics of an era building more.
Finally, you need to ensure that the wood you choose suits the rest of the exterior of the building. For example, if one type of wood already features at your home, it may not look right to choose another for the cladding, as it would be noticeably different.
Choosing the Right Profile of Cladding for Country Cottages
The ‘profile’ of your timber cladding simply refers to the way the wood panels are fitted and fixed together, which, once complete, will create the facade.
These are often chosen to make the building appear traditional or modern, as some profiles contribute to a sleek & modern look, while others appear more rural, which is likely what you’re after!
When applying timber cladding to a country cottage, we recommend selecting a more traditional style profile. The cladding profiles you may want to consider to achieve this style include:
- Feather edge.
- Waney lap.
If you are unsure of which cladding profile would best suit your property, an experienced timber cladding supplier will be able to advise you.
Suiting the Local Area
This may not matter if your country abode is settled alone in the middle of rolling hills, but if you bought your country cottage in a quaint village, any drastic alteration to the exterior will make it stick out like a sore thumb. Not only could it spoil the aesthetic of the building, but you may also receive complaints from unhappy neighbours for changing the look of the village.
Before you choose your style of cladding, it might help to do a tour of the area and see if any other homes in your neighbourhood have exterior cladding to see what has worked well for them.
Where to Apply Cladding on Country Cottages
Part of the appeal of country cottages is the sight of the original materials, such as stone or brickwork, so naturally, you may not want to hide these beautiful features behind the exterior cladding.
However, there is a solution to this. If you want the protection and look of cladding without dedicating the entire exterior of your home, you can simply select one wall to apply it to. For example, a common choice is to apply cladding to the gable end.
Do you need planning permission? Find out here.
Timber Cladding Solutions for Country Cottages from NORclad
At NORclad, we have over 40 years of experience as specialist suppliers and manufacturers of high quality timber cladding. We offer an extensive range of cladding solutions, meaning that whatever your project specification, you’re never short of options.
We have helped many country cottage owners breathe new life into their homes. If you have any questions or need advice on the right style of timber cladding for your cottage, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today.
Read next: How to Improve the Design & Appearance of Your Building
