Winning transformation

Penryn Plastics is the winner of Freefoam Building Plastics’ latest monthly transformation competition.

Using Fortex Double Shiplap cladding in Colonial Blue, Penryn Plastics transformed a three-storey detached property in Falmouth, fitting cladding around the upper storey of the whole house.

“Originally the house was covered with a grey pebble dash that, over the years, had become stained and dated,” Alex Ottaway from Penryn Plastics said. “There are a lot of properties in the Cornwall area that have a pebble dash exterior, and we find that many start to discolour, changing from grey to a red tone.”

The homeowner had explored repainting the pebble dash, but the back of the house is very high because the property is on a sloping site. The cost of scaffolding and repainting was expensive, and the homeowners didn’t want an option that needed maintaining.

“We explained how we could install cladding to the top storey and showed the homeowners the colour range and choice of styles,” Alex said. “They really liked the idea, and looked at a few colour options including Misty Grey and Sage Green, but chose the Colonial Blue as it fitted in with the coastal location.

“They had originally planned to visit their daughter in Australia but the Covid restrictions came in and they were unable to travel, so decided to spend the money on a home transformation.”

The homeowners had already painted the lower half of the property with a cream colour, and cladding the property took approximately two weeks to complete.

“We’ve worked with the Fortex range on lot of properties,” Alex said. “We find it easy to fit on most properties, but pebble dash can be trickier than smooth render as it is more uneven. We had to spend extra time adjusting the battens to make sure they ran flush with each other over the uneven surface. Once complete we simply fitted the cladding to the battens. It’s important to create an air gap behind the cladding to stop it over heating, especially here in Cornwall where we get more sun, but the Freefoam range comes with a starter trim with built-in ventilation which makes it very straightforward.”

The property now looks lighter, brighter and more modern.

“They will only have to wash down the cladding occasionally with soap and water to keep it looking good,” Alex said. “But the best part is they can now spend more time travelling and visiting family and won’t have to spend time painting their house.”