Cladding over brick: A modern coastal exterior transformation

The façade is the hero of the home and can change the entire feel and function of the property. But what do you do when your out-dated home exterior is in desperate need of an update, and you want to maximise its street appeal?

Loni Parker, Editor of Adore Magazine, is used to sharing the latest architecture trends, interior styling inspiration, and stunning home transformations with her readers, but this time she’s sharing wisdom from her own personal renovation experience. Having recently completed a full exterior renovation on her home, there’s no one better to share why she chose Linea™ Weatherboard by James Hardie to refresh her dated brick home.

Prior to the impressive transformation, Loni described the house as a typical 90’s suburban home with no character. With her vision to turn her yellow brick house into a coastal inspired dream home, Loni didn’t hesitate to decide on cladding as the solution - saying goodbye to the dated brick façade forever. “If you’re looking to completely transform the look of your home - the best option is to clad straight over the top,” she says.

Get the timber look, without the maintenance

With the Scarborough based home located 800m from the beach, Loni said that it was crucial that the exterior design not only suited the area, but the materials used would withstand the harsh West Australian sun.

The Linea™ Weatherboard Loni selected are made from fibre cement, a material that she says she chose carefully, given it will hold paint longer and is rot resistant unlike timber. The property was also north facing, so it was essential to utilise cladding that was resistant to shrinking, swelling and warping, making the Linea™ Weatherboard the perfect choice.

Linea™ Weatherboard features the distinctive features and charm of a deep shadow weatherboard, with reduced need for repainting, and all the additional benefits of low maintenance, premium fibre cement.

Loni said the home’s location also informed a lot of other decisions for the exterior, including the colour, “nothing says beach, like a crisp white weatherboard home,” she said, selecting a true white paint colour that would brighten the entire façade, Taubmans® Crisp White.

Install easily and quickly

Linea™ Weatherboard is easy and fast to work with, and can be gun-nailed to timber frames, or screwed into light gauge steel frames.

“With our renovation, our carpenters attached battens to the brickwork, and then attached the cladding to that,” says Loni. “They were finished in about two days. It’s a pretty quick process to get the biggest transformation!”

The Linea™ Weatherboard is designed to cut just like timber, and feature tongue and groove ends for neat butt joints. The boards are also pre-primed, so less time and preparation is required to achieve a high-quality finished look.

Completely transform your façade in an affordable way

If you’re looking to make a complete style transformation on your exterior, then Loni says cladding over brick with Linea™ Weatherboard is a no-brainer, and an amazing way to change the entire aesthetic of your home for a relatively small investment.

Having spent just over $4,000* in cladding materials for the façade and labour to install, Loni has taken the property from a dated, modest brick abode to a fresh, modern, and welcoming weatherboard home. “What it delivered in terms of street appeal – it was worth every cent!” she said.

*Read Adore magazine blog for the full cost breakdown

Take inspiration from Loni’s incredible exterior transformation

You only need to look at the before and after shots to see the incredible transformation achieved, and what is possible with a clear vision.

Loni said her vision was inspired the typical Australian coastal look – white weatherboards, round gable, and coastal-inspired garden. “In essence I wanted it to feel like a holiday home, and it actually is one now – the new owners have made it into an Airbnb!” she says.

In addition to selecting the right materials for your façade renovation, Loni encourages renovators not to forget another crucial element when looking to amplifying their home’s street appeal - landscaping. “Sometimes the plant selection doesn’t complement the house, or no plants are planted at all,” says Loni. “I say it time and time again, landscaping can make or break a house. It doesn’t have to be over the top expensive, but some careful consideration should be given!”

Looking back at the transformation, Loni says she is incredibly proud. The compliments she received from her neighbours during and after the renovation only solidified that feeling for her further. “We had so many people walk past and compliment us. That was such a nice feeling to know others in the area also appreciated how far the house had come. It went from being the ugliest house in the street, to the prettiest!” Feeling stuck in your dated brick home, learn three ways to transform and make modern, in our NEW Interactive Guide to learn more.

This article is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be advice on any subject. JH makes no representations whatsoever regarding any of the third party products, services, or statements contained in this article.