If you’re thinking about house extensions or home renovations, recladding is one of your most important considerations. Recladding involves fixing or improving the exterior ‘shell’ of your home, and if done professionally it can raise the value of your house significantly.
Certain kinds of recladding can be expensive, which may tempt you into attempting a DIY job. But it’s a deceptively complex process. Firstly, there’s a huge range of materials and technologies available – you could spend hours upon hours researching and still get nowhere. Secondly, there are so many factors to consider when choosing these materials.
For example, you’ll need to consider the level of insulation (or R-value) each system provides. Good quality recladding will save you money on power, by reducing your heating needs in the winter and lowering your air conditioning use in the summer. It’s also been proven that poor insulation can have negative effects on the health of inhabitants.
Waterproofing your home is another critical consideration. Everything gets worn down a little over time, even weatherboards. If water does penetrate the exterior, what materials underneath will break down and how will this impact upon the structural integrity of your building? There are many different materials which can be used for waterproof recladding, including fibre-cement, timber, vinyl (PVC) and metal. Dry cavities between the outer wall and interior lining can help water to drain away and air to circulate.
All of these options will depend on your site, the structural foundations of your building, weather conditions and budget. With the complexity involved in recladding decisions it’s definitely something that should be left to the professionals. At Create Renovations, recladding is one of our specialties, so chat to our experts if you want practical advice.
Roof repairs
Repairing a roof yourself is a bad idea for one glaring reason – they’re easy to fall off. This might be an obvious warning, but it’s something lots of people choose to ignore. Fixing broken or missing shingles isn’t the most complicated task, but getting up there and back down with all your tools has the potential to cause serious injury. It’s also a tiring job, and when you’re tired it’s more likely you’ll make a mistake or lose your footing.
Not only is fixing your own roof dangerous, it’s also inadvisable because it’s such an important component of your home. Getting it right takes experience. The last thing you want is to accidentally do a shoddy DIY job and end up with leaking and expensive water damage – so please leave it to the professionals.
Knocking walls down
This is something many people think they can do themselves prior to renovations. It seems like a straight-forward task – grab a hammer and enjoy smashing away your unwanted wall. The appeal of this has been popularised by shows like Mitre 10 Dream Home and The Block NZ, which feature contestants attempting this (and other parts of the construction process) themselves.
However, it’s worth remembering that these contestants are under the guidance and supervision of professionals. Attempting wall removal at home on your own is a different story. An intimate knowledge of your building’s structural foundations is required. If your wall is load-bearing and you decide to knock it down you could be in serious trouble. Likewise, if it turns out there’s electrical wiring, gas pipes or plumbing behind it, you could be putting your home and yourself at serious risk.
Don’t get excited and charge in with your wrecking tools – just like recladding and roof repairs, wall removal should be left to the professionals.
Here at Create Renovations, we’ve got years of experience renovating homes (including recladding, roof repairs and refurbishments) so we’re happy to provide advice. If you’re looking for an experienced Auckland builder or North Shore builder, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We pride ourselves on achieving great results. We’ll be back with more advice about home renovations soon, so keep an eye on this blog!
