Most of us live in timber frame homes with a brick wall as our external ‘cladding’. Annexes and garden lodges are also timber frame buildings with hard-wearing external cladding in a variety of durable finishes.
One of most frequently asked questions about the construction side of garden annexes is:
“What are they made of and what external cladding choices do I have?”
Most garden annexes are timber frame buildings (like your home) and have a variety of external cladding options to make sure your garden annexe is weather proof durable and depending on which cladding you choose, low maintenance.
The most popular and first choice for many is Cedar.
Cedar Cladding
Cedar cladding looks beautiful because it’s a natural product and a sustainable one.
For people looking for an external cladding that protects the environment and reduces the carbon footprint of your garden annexe, there really is none better.
Cedar cladding will turn silver grey within months of installation which is it’s natural weathering. You can use a UV protection oil to prevent this which will need to be re-applied regularly to maintain the protective coat.
As most garden annexes are the size of a small bungalow this can be a huge task to undertake for many years to come.
Cedar cladding is also at the time of writing the most expensive external cladding option although if well installed and maintained it will last for many years.
Cedar cladding is available as an external cladding finish on our custom build on site garden annexes or our lodge style annexes (like The Dovecote shown below)
As with any wood cladding you can stain it a different colour if you wish in the future and of course knots in the wood are all part of it’s natural charm.
Cement Based External Cladding
By far the most popular external cladding choice in recent years has been cement based external cladding like Cedral or James Hardie cladding.
A fibre cement cladding is a versatile low maintenance weatherboard with a natural and beautiful texture in a wide choice of colours.
You’ll see it everywhere you look on millions of homes and commercial buildings in the UK today because it’s so durable long lasting and low maintenance.
We recommend HardiePlank boards as they offer the ultimate in fire, moisture, rot and pest resistance.
With advanced technology, it combines high-quality Portland cement, sand and cellulose fibre to create a cladding that installs quickly and looks beautiful.
It doesn’t shrink or split and will maintains it’s look for decades.
Cement based cladding can be installed horizontally or vertically as in a recent installation pictured below.
CanExcel Lodge Cladding
CanExcel external cladding is what makes our lodge style annexes so beautiful and easy to maintain. With a wide choice of colours to choose from you can mimic the look of real wood but enjoy the low maintenance aspects of a durable exterior cladding.
With CanExcel cladding you can enjoy the benefits of:-
- More cost effective than Cedar
- Realistic woodgrain texture
- Resistant to cracking, splitting, warping, splintering and buckling
- Large range of colours, 21 in total
- Simple maintenance even in harsh weather conditions
- CanExel has a 5 process baked on finish and sealer to help resist cracking, splitting, warping, splintering and buckling of the substrate.
- You can ensure the quality look will last for years to come.
Other External Cladding Options
Some of our lodge style annexes have Thermowood cladding.
Thermowood is a beautiful, sustainable timber material produced using chemical-free heat treatment.
It’s known for it’s environmentally friendly properties and has no chemicals or foreign substances involved during its production.
It is resistant to rot and fungi and has a prolonged life span compared to wood that has not been thermally treated.
The process also increases the insulation properties and it can be recycled when it is no longer required.
It will require maintenance every few years as it does fade in strong sunlight.
Wondering About Brick? If you were wondering whether you can have a brick annexe or not, you’ll love our article all about that which you can read by clicking here.
If You Are Thinking About Building A Garden Annexe Or Installing A Lodge In Your Garden & Don’t Know Where To Start Talk To Us First!
We’re available to discuss all aspects of your project:
- Planning Permission
- Floor plans
- Mains Services & Connections
- Sizes
- Styles Available
- Budgets & Costings
- Commercial lease options available (not available for residential lodges)
All you have to do is CONTACT US. If you want a friendly chat about your project over a cup of tea, try us out!
