Cladding

The cladding is the exterior material used on the outside of the framing to cover the sides of your house and make it watertight. If the cladding fails, you’re in big trouble. If you don't know what you're doing, call in a building report. However, you should get pretty good at telling what type of cladding a house has, because the price will be reflected accordingly.

Reclad: Be very careful around properties that have been "re-clad" from one material to another. Properties are very rarely re-clad for just aesthetic reasons. The LIM report will indicate if this has occurred. My opinion is to take the worst opinion of the old and new claddings (e.g. if it was previously stucco and now timber, evaluate it as a stucco property).

Timber / Weatherboard

The most common building material in New Zealand. Weatherboard looks good and is good for the New Zealand weather – it’s also easy to renovate and customize. Be warned wood can rot even if its been treated and requires regular maintenance (like painting). Most kiwis love the weatherboard look, so check the wood is good, don’t confuse it with hardy planks, and enjoy it.

Brick and Tile

Brick and tile properties are low maintenance are quite common from the 1960s and onwards. They’re a bit harder to renovate with, and insulation can be questionable sometimes, but it can be set and forget. There's a reason why the elderly love these homes, and for good reason.

PVC / Palliside

A relatively new concept – cladding made of PVC plastic. They’re cheap, pretty durable, and don’t require much maintenance. They look almost identical to weatherboard from a distance. The problem is of course, people may have a hard time getting over their property being covered in plastic. Do your due diligence. Knock on the “wood” to discover what the cladding is.

Hardie Planks / Fibre Cement

I am not sure about these, but when I read articles like this (https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/112072858/james-hardie-loses-appeal-bid-in-200-million-leaky-retirement-village-claim), I am reluctant to say anything.

Weatherside

Weatherside cladding can be hard to spot by the untrained eye as it looks so similar to weatherboard, and sounds similar too. These are known to fail, and many insurance companies exclude them. Watch out. They can be found in the 1970s and 1980s houses. Ways to spot weatherside:

1. The boards can be swollen, indicating moisture.

2. The joiners on planks are usually metal with nails that sit flush with the surface.

3. The edge on weatherside is curved.

4. The base colour is brown, so if there's existing damage or cracks, is it brown?

Plaster / Stucco

Houses made of plaster and stucco, especially monolithic cladding ones, are unfortunately a dead duck in Auckland’s housing market. Simply put, as a first home buyer, or even a several home buyer, avoid these. Stucco / plaster properties have leaked and continue leaking years after being built and are not designed for New Zealand conditions. Every insurer and bank is also aware of this, and you will not find it easy to get bank or insurance approval. Save everyone time and move on.

Concrete

Similar to plaster / stucco – avoid, just slightly less risky, but it is better to find yourself a common material like Weatherboard or Brick & Tile.