Stone cladding

Kashkai

As someone who hates the thought of having to paint the outside of the house in our climate, i.e. dodging rain showers, I was considering getting stone cladding for the front of the house. During our build, we were going to get real stone placed here but the cost was exhorbitant at over €50,000 so we went with a rendered finish. However we both like the look of stone and thought about the options available.

We had one company out a few weeks ago who had two types of product, i.e. a type of cement that is imprinted to look like stone and a stick on stone cladding. I gave him the measurement of the front facade and we were quoted approx €4,800 (imprinted cement) and €9,000 (stick on stone cladding) respectively over the phone which we thought sounded reasonable. He then came out and measured up and prepared a quote which came back at €9,800 and €15,000 respectively which was almost double what we had been quoted over the phone. I baulked at how the quotes had doubled and said no thanks.

However, what are the opinions on these types of product? I know they're not "real stone" but they don't come with real stone prices either. And as our house is set back a good distance from the road, it wouldn't be getting the third degree either, not that I'd give a damn what the neighbours thought. Its the longevity of the material I'd be concerned about (i.e. the past couple of cold winters cracked some of my concrete paths) and I wonder if the claims about adding extra thermal insulation stand up?

Slig

If its maintenance thats the issue then you should at least look at some of the monocouche renders. They are dyed so as to not need painting, however (as also with stone cladding) they still get dirty.

As regards insulation, they would be the equivalent, thermally, of wearing a thick heavy coat thats been soaking in a bucket of water. I.e. none.

Some of this type of "stick on" stone cladding is very nice but IMO is more suitable for small areas rather than the whole house (also think of the window cills, downpipes and services, roof overhangs etc, its only 35-50mm thick but many things will still need to be adjusted)
Some of the bigger slabs can look like crazy paving and should be avoided at all costs and the imprinted concrete looks absolutely hillarious especially once they put on the colour, its like covering a house in play dough. This_is_an_example

DaDartle

Roadstone have a new cladding called Keltstone. It's the new product following up their Hallmark product line that was very popular in the early 2000s. This Keltstone range looks alot better than the Hallmark and only takes a bricklayer, not a stone mason to build.

It costs €45. m2 all in including delivery so plug that into your dimensions and see how it fits.

You can see it on roadstone.ie