11 exquisite house cladding ideas for the modern home

If you're planning a new build, cladding is an essential aspect of the project. While some people are keen for a home to blend into the neighbourhood and local surroundings, others are looking to create something bold and unique. Thankfully, there are enough external house cladding ideas to suit a range of tastes and needs.

Timber is a classic cladding material and has been a staple of home building across New Zealand for centuries. A great way to modernise its look is to flip the traditional horizontal alignment and go vertical.

This will accentuate the height of your home’s structure in a very stylish way, bringing a warmth that also harks back to the days of log cabins.

Many houses with timber cladding use softwoods like Western Red Cedar, Radiata Pine, Macrocarpa and Douglas Fir. Hardwood options are less common but typical choices include Vitex, Kwila and Garapa.

Related article: What is cladding? A comprehensive guide

Consider vinyl siding if you're looking for an economical exterior wall cladding option.

It is highly durable (lasting decades), weatherproof, and comes in an enormous range of colours, textures, and sizes. Insulated vinyl cladding products boost a home's R-value.

It’s quick to install, easy to clean and maintain, and available in abundance. What’s not to like?

If you're not keen on an all-plastic product, another of the many cladding options in this category to consider is composite.

This building material is usually made from a mix of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) mixed with sawdust or wood shavings. Sometimes, the PVC is switched out for other recycled, end-of-life plastics.

It is a more eco-friendly alternative with modern products having a strong emphasis on aesthetics too, looking great from up close and afar.

Do you love the look of wood cladding but aren't keen on the upkeep it requires? Consider fibre cement. This material is made from sand, cement, cellular fibre, and clay compressed under high pressure to create boards.

It's as durable and weather-resistant as timber but is also lighter, easier to install, requires less maintenance, and is pest-resistant.

Just like wood, it can be painted any colour you want. It also comes in a wide variety of textures—typically mimicking stone, wood, or brick.

Brick cladding is one of the most popular options in New Zealand, found right throughout the country. Brick has been used as an external wall material for at least a thousand years, and its popularity continues today.

These days it is available in a wide array of colours and textures depending on the clay and colourants used in the manufacturing process. Again, this allows you to make an alternative choice on convention like, for instance, going for a dark shade like charcoal grey.

This will give your home a modern edge while still retaining the natural rustic qualities that are inherent in brick. On top of this, you’ll still get a cladding material that is safe, strong, thermally efficient, and waterproof.

Famously known as a great material for roof tiles, terracotta cladding is also an option for a home’s exterior walls and is definitely one of the more unique ideas featured on this list.

This unusual house cladding material boasts many of the same beneficial properties as its cousin, brick, just not as widely available. It is lightweight, and vibrant and brings a wonderful earthy warmth to an exterior that few can match. Terracotta tiles can also be glazed in various hues and feature a shiny or matte finish.

Aluminium external wall cladding is a popular material for commercial buildings, but it's increasingly being seen on more architecturally focused residential properties.

It has many functional and stylistic virtues that often make it the architect’s go-to choice. This construction material comes in a range of finishes, including realistic timber finishes, and is mould and moisture-resistant, long-lasting, weather and fireproof, and boasts unrivalled acoustic properties.

It can be pricey but if you’re looking at a design-heavy concept, few alternatives will suit it better than an aluminium cladding system.

There are some other great metal cladding options including stainless steel, copper, and zinc.

These materials are very high-performance, lasting decades with little maintenance, and can be incredibly aesthetic too. What’s more, they can also all be recycled at the end of their life.

Zinc and copper also feature a natural patina, changing in colour over time as the result of oxidation. You can also find some cladding options that come pre-patinated.

Like brick and timber, natural stone is an enduringly traditional material. Traditional designs crafted from stone conjure images of ancient castles in England or coastal homes in Italy.

Stone veneer is popular in New Zealand due to its beauty and longevity. It makes a huge design statement for a home that is nothing short of inspirational.

Even if you choose a mix of natural and simulated stone, expect the material to take up a large portion of your home building budget. The material itself is expensive and the installation is complex.

If you want to save on costs, consider using stone on feature walls only.

When it comes to types of cladding, you might not consider stucco as your prime pick. After all, didn't it disappear with the 80s and 90s?

In fact, stucco is making somewhat of a comeback due to its durability, cost-effectiveness, energy efficiency, and ease of application. This cement plaster is made from water, sand, and Portland cement. It also comes in a wide range of custom colours, making it surprisingly aesthetically versatile.

Just be aware that it's best suited to dryer climates and professional installation is very much advised to mitigate against the prospect of future internal moisture.

Related article: What is the most cost-effective cladding in New Zealand?

Exterior cladding and cladding panels, like other construction materials, are ever-evolving products.

Architects, engineers, and material scientists are constantly thinking of new innovations to increase the durability and sustainability of cladding. We're talking about everything from ancient rammed earth and natural cork to emerging materials like architectural concrete and 3D-printed modular salt panels.

The biggest issue you might face with alternative cladding materials—aside from sourcing them—is getting planning permission. This option isn’t for the faint of heart and comes with a bit of risk but the payoff could be monumental.

With so many options available today, the sky is the limit when it comes to external house cladding ideas. What you really need to consider is your budget, your design goals and the practical aspects you want to prioritise. The good news is that no matter how you answer these questions there’ll be the perfect cladding option out there for the job.