Choosing between brick and timber cladding
Choosing between brick and timber cladding
Technology keeps changing, with manufacturers offering us more options to clad our homes with. Yet bricks and timber, particularly weatherboards, remain the two most popular cladding types in New Zealand.
How to pick the best cladding for your home
Before you make the choice between timber or brick, there are a few things you need to consider first.
Home Location
What exposure to the elements will your home face? Is there a lot of wind, rain, sun or snow? Brick tends to provide a higher level of insulation and requires less maintenance. Depending on the type of timber, regular maintenance such as painting or staining is required. Timber is also more likely to rot or become damaged.
Home Design
Brick weighs more than timber. If you are having a multi-storey home clad with brick, it will require more supportive framing than one which uses timber. Brick often has natural variations within it, giving a unique appearance to a home. Timber provides more of a universal appearance. Timber is also more suited to some architecturally designed homes as it can be used in many more ways than bricks.
Environmental Impact
Timber is thought of as the more environmentally friendly cladding choice. As a renewable resource, it is readily available. This does not apply to timber imported from overseas, where the high environmental impact of shipping outweighs the use of timber as a cladding.
The pros and cons of brick cladding
Bricks are available in a wide range of sizes, colours and shapes. They offer good levels of fire protection, do not readily absorb water, offer a high level of insulation and require minimal maintenance. They also last a very long time. However, the recent Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes have shown brick cladding may not be the best choice for an active seismic area if not mounted correctly.
The pros and cons of timber cladding
Timber cladding is available in many different forms. Weatherboard, slats or panels, timber is highly versatile, offering many different species, colours and textures. Timber requires more maintenance over its lifetime than bricks and will need replacing earlier. It will weather more than brick, but this appearance, particularly with cedar, is much sought after. It also absorbs more moisture than brick cladding. However, timber is ecologically friendly and is easier to shape and cut, making it more suitable for fine details.
We’d love to help you build your new home! Whether you are looking at timber or brick cladding, our team of experts can help you make the best choice for you and your family. Contact us
today!
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