It protects, defines and inspires. Offering immediate curb appeal and influencing the style of your home. Yet cladding is often a footnote in the list of considerations for a new home. You may have obsessed over carpets, deliberated over door handles and ploughed through floor plans but beyond identifying a type and colour for the exterior of your home, have you really looked into the best options for keeping your home weathertight and maintenance-free?
Maybe it's because the range of cladding options and exterior finishes for a home are simply too daunting that many homeowners simply go for the easiest option. But if you think about it, the exterior of your home is likely to be the largest surface area, most visible, and most relied-upon part of your new design. The only close contender is likely to be the roof!
Because the decision is so daunting and personal, Genius Homes has made the process of choosing a cladding option for your new prefab home easier and simpler than ever. That comes, in part, by offering three simple levels of cladding on every single home in the Genius Homes range of prefab houses. Those three levels are:
- Feature
- Premium
- Standard
As their names suggest there are some significant differences between the levels of cladding on offer, but the savvy buyer may be surprised by the options available even within the standard range. So what's included in each?
Feature cladding
This option is the top of the line direction for people wanting a premium cladding, for their home. In most cases this focuses on using a real wood exterior option like cedar or even macrocarpa.
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Some homeowners decide to have this as a feature option on one side of the house, or on part of a wall to create an accent and then finish the rest of the home in something else, like the home in the image above. These feature cladding options are popular in areas such as Central Otago where council requirements may involve using more natural finishes for the home to be sympathetic to the natural environment surrounding the home.
This level of cladding usually means Genius Homes sourcing the wood from specialist suppliers so does mean the cost is often higher than the Premium and Standard finishes. But then your dream home can rarely afford to have corners cut if you've always dreamed of a certain type of cladding.
Premium cladding
This range of cladding typically involves using a finish from the Colorsteel™ range of cladding options. These premium finishes are durable and are perfectly suited to dealing with harsh coastal environments and weathering New Zealand's rugged changes.
The Colorsteel™ Maxx® range is specifically created for the higher atmospheric salt conditions and geothermal areas and can be used for cladding, roofing and gutters. Whereas Zincalume® offers an industrial and durable finish for a more rugged appearance. The range of colours available is particularly broad and there's almost a colour to suit every style.
Your Genius Homes style consultant is able to talk you through each range and the options available.
Standard cladding
This range is provided from the Weathertex range of finishes. To make it even easier to choose the perfect cladding within our standard range we've created a free downloadable brochure, which you can access by clicking the button below.
The Weathertex range includes natural cladding, which is an unprimed board with a woodgrain effect. It can be stained or left to weather naturally. This creates a real wood finish with a character that changes with time. Perfect for a real wood finish without paying premium prices.
The Selflok weatherboard range features a self-locking system making them weathertight and quick to install. This is offered in a smooth-to-the-touch weatherboard or a rougher, real wood finish style for a little extra character.
Primelok weatherboards offer a seamless horizontal finish with joins hidden from view. This is ideal for a smooth, clean finish with uninterrupted finishes. Similarly, the Weathergroove panels are the largest vertically grooved panel available in New Zealand at 3660mm - perfect for a tall, near-seamless design.
Internally your home can be finished in a similar fashion or even with plywood, paint or more. At Genius Homes there are over one hundred options for exterior cladding, from basic board and batten to premium hardwood and stone.
There's no need to be overwhelmed! Your home stylist can show you samples and inspiration to get you started, or you can show them your Pinterest board of ideas and see what they recommend.
Either way, the first step to creating your dream home begins with a simple call - we will even make that easy by calling you back! Simply follow the button below and book a chat with a specialist to get answers to your questions and more information.
