The short answer
Cladding a UK house typically costs around £80–£220 per square metre installed, with the figure driven mainly by the material. As a guide, uPVC runs around £80–£150/m², fibre-cement around £60–£150/m², timber around £90–£180/m² and composite around £120–£220/m², all including labour. For a typical three-bed semi with roughly 90–120m² of external wall, that usually works out at around £9,000–£22,000 depending on material and complexity. The main drivers are how much wall you are cladding, the height and access of the property, the material you choose, and any battens, breather membrane or insulation behind the boards.
Price depends mainly on how many square metres of wall you are covering, how high and accessible they are, and the material. The figures below are typical installed prices for guidance, not quotations.
Typical UK installed costs
- uPVC cladding~£80–£150 / m²
- Fibre-cement~£60–£150 / m²
- Timber~£90–£180 / m²
- Composite~£120–£220 / m²
- Typical 3-bed semi~£9,000–£22,000
What drives the price
- Wall area: you pay largely per square metre, so a bigger or taller house with more wall to cover costs more.
- Material choice: uPVC and fibre-cement sit lower, timber in the middle, composite at the top (see the individual material pages).
- Height & access: a two- or three-storey house, or awkward access, needs more scaffolding and time.
- Substructure & extras: battens, breather membrane, insulation, trims and removing old cladding all add to the figure.
| Material | Typical installed cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| uPVC | ~£80–£150 / m² | lowest-priced, low upkeep |
| Fibre-cement | ~£60–£150 / m² | long life, A2 fire-rated options |
| Timber | ~£90–£180 / m² | natural look, needs upkeep |
| Composite | ~£120–£220 / m² | low upkeep, higher up front |
Indicative UK figures for guidance. Sources: Checkatrade and MyJobQuote cost guides.
Why the per-square-metre figure varies so much
A cladding job is more than the boards. Behind the visible surface there is usually a batten frame, breather membrane and sometimes insulation, plus trims, corners and fixings, and the bulk of the cost on a full house is the scaffold, labour time and waste removal. Because those fixed costs are shared across the whole wall, cladding a larger area is often a little cheaper per square metre than a small section. If your walls are being clad as part of wider work, it is usually worth pricing the whole elevation rather than one patch.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to clad a house in the UK?
Typically around £80–£220 per square metre installed depending on material, which works out at roughly £9,000–£22,000 for a typical three-bed semi with 90–120m² of wall. uPVC and fibre-cement sit at the lower end, timber in the middle and composite at the top.
What is the lowest-priced cladding material?
uPVC and fibre-cement are usually the lowest-priced, at around £80–£150/m² and £60–£150/m² installed respectively. They also need little maintenance, though timber and composite offer different looks and longer life in some cases.
Why is the cladding price range so wide?
Because properties and materials differ. The wall area, the height and access of the building, the substructure behind the boards and the material all move the figure. A measured quote gives the accurate number for your home.
Sources & further reading
Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published sources and depend on your specific property. They are guidance, not a quotation.