Client Spotlight: Kent Cladding – Maidstone, Kent

Our next Client Spotlight features Kent Cladding, where we spoke to Richard and Emma about their business:

“For six years, Richard worked for Everest double-glazing installing fascias and soffits, but he got kind of fed up with that, to be honest with you! So, we decided to start our own business, basically just one man and the band, initially installing fascia and soffit rainwater systems.

We worked with these products for 15 years, and then one day we were made aware of a completely new product…Hardie® Plank Fibre Cement Cladding.  It is a much better product than the standard UPVC cladding, which has been around since the early eighties. It looks like timber and comes in 25 different colours and is primarily used to replace existing timber cladding, although it has got quite a few different applications.

Kent Cladding’s first job with the new product, was the side of a Victorian house. The owners had major damp issues with the solid walls – they had tried coating and had rendered the property, but it hadn’t worked, and the damp was still an issue. So, since cladding is not permeable and is suitable protection for all weathers, we cladded the whole wall with Hardie® Plank Cladding and cured his damp issues. We do quite a bit of that, particularly for exposed walls where they’ve been rendered, and they just get wet.

Taking a risk on trying out a new product turned our business around! After our first project, the orders just kept coming in. Hardie® Plank Cladding is in demand because it’s low maintenance and it has a guaranteed expectancy of 60 years. It’s eco-friendly, doesn’t crack, is very durable and people love the fact that you haven’t got to paint it ever again. All you need to do is wipe it down if it gets too dirty. It transforms clients’ homes into a dream home and really gives it a ‘wow’ factor. And then once the neighbours see it, they are so impressed that they would like it too!  With people being more energy conscious, it also proves popular as it acts as an insulator to help keep the heat in the home.

Our biggest success is becoming a preferred installer in the South East for James Hardie as a client. An American company turning over billions of dollars a year, they are the manufacturers of the Hardie® Plank. We are proud of this as we aren’t aware of anyone else in this area that’s got that kind of status, and we even had some of our work showcased on the James Hardie website.

We are a long-established business, who rely on word-of-mouth recommendations and our online presence to gain new customers. A lot of them say they looked at our reviews before purchasing, which is great as we pride ourselves on our five-star reviews and the recognition of our amazing team.

Our target market is predominantly domestic customers – Kent Cladding supply and installs the Hardie® Plank Cladding, unfortunately, we don’t just supply the products.

If there is anyone reading this that wants to transform their run-down home into their dream home, visit our website today www.kentcladding.com.