Should I Reclad My Plaster Home?

We get a variety of valid questions from plaster home owners during building inspections. Some of these questions come from a ‘slightly worried’ mindset about the cladding on their home, and what the public perception is about plaster cladding systems.

Should you reclad your home, even if it’s not leaking?

The short answer is “No”. You don’t need to reclad unless the home is so far rotted that the toxic black mould is a health hazard, or the rot is causing structural integrity problems. Most homes have targeted areas that are leaking that need to be repaired… both the leak source and any damage caused as a result of the leak or moisture ingress.

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There have been cases in NZ where reclad companies have convinced the property owner it’s a leaky home and needs to be reclad, only to find once the cladding is removed the timber frame is perfectly OK around the majority of the home.

It’s true that recladding a house does increase the overall value of the home, but are you over capitalising?

How much does it cost to reclad a plaster house in NZ?

This will vary from company to company, but let us say for the purposes of this exercise that it will be $750 per square meter of floor area. For example, your home might be 200sqm, therefore it could cost $150,000.

Should I ‘bite the bullet’ and just reclad the home anyway?

If you plan to stay in the home long term, from our experience, the home owner will simply fix the detected leaks and subsequent damage… then maintain the home properly to avoid the same mistake in the future.

If you plan to sell, then you would need to ‘run the numbers’ and determine if it’s all worth it. If you spend $150k, will you get more than that back with the upgrade, or will you only break even on the deal after the process of moving out, paying fee’s here and there, stressing out, having the reclad all over your LIM report etc etc.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to numbers. Some builders buy leaky homes as a business… but normally from the price of the land only. When they slice the home open, some of them find it wasn’t so bad after all and go on to make a handsome profit.

It’s true that you automatically get thrown into the ‘potential leaky home’ basket, even if your home isn’t leaking… so work through every ‘numbers’ scenario you can. Maybe get a couple of free quotes from recladding services and you’ll possibly find it’s actually a good option to reclad in weatherboard… the cladding most Kiwi’s feel comfortable with and trust.

Keep in mind that you may need consent to do target repairs.

First… you need to know if it’s leaking or not! We can help you in that area from a non-biased point of view, as we don’t sell repair or recladding services at the end of the job.

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Client Comments... (All testimonials can be verified as true and correct... updated in 2011)

I enlisted Dean’s services 2 days prior to “D-day” of us purchasing our first NZ home. Dean proved to be an extremely efficient and knowledgeable technician. He has a very good understanding not only of his specific field, but also of general building requirements. He was easily able to spot, and talk me through, existing as well as potential problems, and was very open to answering the myriads of questions I fired his way. Most importantly, he gave me non-biased answers, allowing me to make an objective decision regarding the purchase of a potentially leaky home. Thanks again for excellent service Dean! Simone P - Titirangi

We have lived for some time in an old weather board cottage which we have renovated over a period of years. Recently we discovered a leak, so we googled “find a leak” and found a comprehensive and detailed website of the same name. Next we spoke to Dean and an appointment was made. He was punctual, courteous and his experience was obvious. His thermal imaging equipment is ‘state of the art’ and the source leak was quickly detected.

Dean was able offer practical solutions which we can act on with confidence. As a result of this experience we would recommend the use of his skills before the sale or purchase of any property to be reassured as to the integrity of the property. Dean is personable, a superb communicator and a true professional. Maggie & David M - Waiatarua

Dean was very professional and I would highly recommend anyone that is thinking of buying a property to get thermal testing done. Fortunately it was by pure chance that I even knew these tests were available after speaking to my neighbour and he advising me. The house we were looking at had water leaks and Dean has saved me many thousands of dollars in the long run. David G - West Auckland

Dean is a very professional and friendly guy. He goes step by step through the process which is very valuable. When he finds a potential problem he immediately notified to me and discussed with me in details on what actions could be taken. Anyway no major problems were detected in the property I wanted to purchase. However I greatly advice anyone to obtain Dean's professional service to make sure the property is in a satisfactory condition. Robbie P - Glen Eden

Thank you very much for the great service, very professional and appreciated the time taken to explain the process. Very glad to know that with all the stigma that goes with plaster houses, ours is not a leaky home. The report has helped pin-point some areas for maintenance which we plan to undertake sooner rather than later..Thanks again. Heather M - Maraetai

We were a bit apprehensive about what the leak detection might find, but found Dean’s confident, friendly and very capable approach extremely reassuring. While we were greatly relieved by the findings concerning the exterior of the house, Dean’s thoroughness in looking also for internal issues uncovered a surprise bath leak. Thanks Dean for solving the mysterious odour that’s been bothering us for the last 6 months! We highly recommend Dean to anyone with even the slightest concerns regarding moisture in their homes. Kevin - West Auckland

Thank you Dean for your prompt service. I was given 2 days to have a Building inspection done which found some dampness in the house. It was well worth the money spent as Dean found some other damp issues. He was very thorough and very informative and even though there were issues with the house they were all fixable so I was then able to re negotiate the purchase price. I would recommend anyone buying a house- any type of building structure to have ’Thermo Imaging’ as part of a building inspection. Thank you once again. Maree, Glendowie

We had some concerns about a recently renovation house including a lower basement. Being nosey I popped around to join Dean on his inspection. Apart from enjoying meeting him, Dean was enormously informative, approachable & friendly, I found the technology & information I gleaned fascinating. Fortunately, we identified no significant issues with the property. It gave us great peace of mind & we can enjoy our new home knowing we have bought a dry, water tight property with with hidden surprises. Thank you Dean for your help & reassurance. To my mind it is certainly worth the modest sum versus potential costs you could incur which could also mar one of most expensive purchases of your life.. Diane - Devonport

Read 20 more testimonials Here!