As of October 2026, installed cladding costs about $60 to $250 per m² for most materials in Australian cost guides. Yakka Labour’s 2026 guide puts vinyl weatherboards at $60 to $120 per m², fibre cement weatherboards at $90 to $160 and timber weatherboards at $100 to $180, including GST. Painting, removing old cladding, asbestos and scaffolding are usually extra. These are national figures, so confirm with Sydney quotes.
- Yakka Labour (October 2026): vinyl weatherboards $60–$120/m², fibre cement weatherboards $90–$160/m², timber weatherboards $100–$180/m², installed, single storey, including GST.
- TradeHeroes (May 2026) gives a wider $40 to $250 per m² for materials and installation combined.
- What’s The Damage (October 2026) puts Sydney scaffolding at about $25 to $55 per m², and two-storey renovation scaffolding at about $4,000 to $14,000.
- Removing asbestos fibro in Sydney costs about $40 to $100 per m² for internal wall sheeting, plus testing, air monitoring and clearance, according to What’s The Damage.
- A homeowner may remove less than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos; more than 10 m² needs a licensed asbestos removalist, says Asbestos NSW.
How much does cladding cost per m²?
Most installed cladding costs about $60 to $250 per m² of wall, depending on the material. Three current guides compare as follows.
| Material | Yakka Labour (Oct 2026) | Total Roofing and Cladding (2025) | Supertrades (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl weatherboards | $60 to $120 | $80 to $120 | Not listed |
| Fibre cement weatherboards | $90 to $160 | $85 to $140 | About $135 |
| Fibre cement panels or express joint | $110 to $200 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Timber weatherboards (pine or hardwood) | $100 to $180 | $120 to $180 | About $250 |
| Cedar or premium hardwood | $150 to $250 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Metal (corrugated steel or Colorbond) | $80 to $150 | $130 to $190 | About $175 |
| Steel standing seam | $150 to $250 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Aluminium or composite panels | $150 to $300 | $160 to $230 | Not listed |
| Timber-look composite boards | $120 to $220 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Rendered foam (EPS) panels | $70 to $120 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Rendered AAC panels | $110 to $180 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Brick slips | $180 to $300 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Stone veneer | $150 to $350 | Not listed | Not listed |
Yakka Labour: national, single storey, including GST, excluding painting and removal. Total Roofing and Cladding is a Melbourne contractor. Supertrades is a calculator and adds 25% for double-storey or scaffolded jobs. All figures are indicative and none are Sydney quotes.
The sources mostly agree on fibre cement and vinyl, but differ on timber and metal. Supertrades puts timber weatherboards about $70 per m² higher than the top of Yakka’s range. Where a material has only one source, such as brick slips or AAC, treat the figure with extra caution.
Why do some cladding prices look so cheap?
Some online figures are for materials only, not supply and installation. Airtasker’s cladding guide (updated August 2024), for example, lists vinyl at about $30 to $100 per m² and Colorbond at about $35 per m² on average. It quotes labour separately, at about $50 to $90 an hour in NSW.
Before comparing, check whether a price includes labour, wall wrap, battens, trims, flashings and waste removal. A low per m² rate with lots of extras can end up costing more.
What else adds to the cost of cladding a house?
The cladding boards are only part of the bill. These extras are common on Sydney jobs.
| Item | Indicative cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Remove old timber or vinyl cladding | $15 to $40 per m², including disposal | Yakka Labour |
| Remove old cladding (general) | $20 to $60 per m², more if asbestos | Total Roofing and Cladding |
| Wall wrap or sarking | $5 to $12 per m² | Yakka Labour |
| Cavity battens | $15 to $30 per m² | Yakka Labour |
| Insulation batts | $15 to $30 per m² | Yakka Labour |
| Painting new cladding (primer and two coats) | $20 to $35 per m² | Yakka Labour |
| Exterior painting, Sydney | $25 to $60 per m² of wall, typical $40 | What’s The Damage |
| Scaffolding, Sydney | $25 to $55 per m², including erecting, dismantling and four weeks’ hire | What’s The Damage |
| Scaffolding, two-storey renovation | $4,000 to $14,000, typical $9,000 | What’s The Damage |
| Scaffolding, two-storey house | $3,000 to $8,000 | Yakka Labour |
What’s The Damage figures are Sydney prices updated October 2026, including GST. Yakka Labour figures are national, October 2026, including GST. Indicative only.
Other costs depend on what is found once the old cladding comes off. Rotten studs, termite damage, missing flashings and old wiring can all add to the job, so ask how your installer prices these surprises.
How much does it cost to clad a whole house?
A whole-house reclad often runs into tens of thousands of dollars, because most houses have well over 100 m² of wall.
As an illustration only, take a single-storey house with 150 m² of wall to reclad in fibre cement weatherboards. At Yakka Labour’s $90 to $160 per m², the cladding alone is about $13,500 to $24,000. Painting at $20 to $35 per m² adds about $3,000 to $5,250. Removing old timber boards at $15 to $40 per m² adds about $2,250 to $6,000. That gives roughly $18,750 to $35,250 before repairs, asbestos or approvals.
A two-storey home costs more because of scaffolding and slower work at height. Supertrades adds 25% for double-storey or scaffolded jobs. Your own wall area, minus windows and doors, is what installers will measure.
Jobs over $20,000 bring extra protections in NSW, including Home Building Compensation cover and a five-business-day cooling-off period.
What if your old cladding is fibro (asbestos)?
If your home was built or renovated before 1990, test the old cladding for asbestos before you get reclad quotes. Asbestos NSW says many homes from that time still contain it.
What’s The Damage’s Sydney asbestos guide (updated October 2026) gives these figures, including GST:
- Internal wall or ceiling sheeting: about $40 to $100 per m², typical $70
- Eaves and soffits: about $60 to $110 per m², typical $90
- Whole three-bedroom fibro house (walls, eaves and wet areas, roof extra): about $10,000 to $30,000, typical $18,000
- Sampling and lab test: about $200 to $450
- Air monitoring and clearance certificate: about $400 to $2,000
Its page does not give a separate figure for external wall cladding. Yakka Labour puts asbestos cement sheeting removal at often $40 to $100 per m², plus air monitoring and a clearance certificate.
Asbestos NSW says a homeowner can remove less than 10 m² of non-friable (bonded) asbestos themselves, about a 5 m by 2 m wall, but strongly recommends a licensed removalist. More than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos, or any amount of friable asbestos, must be removed by a licensed asbestos removalist. Never sand, drill or pressure wash fibro.
What is the cheapest external cladding in Australia?
Vinyl weatherboards are usually the cheapest to install. Yakka Labour puts them at $60 to $120 per m², and Total Roofing and Cladding at $80 to $120 per m². Rendered foam (EPS) panels start at about $70 per m² in Yakka’s guide.
Cheapest up front is not always cheapest over time. Fibre cement weatherboards cost a little more to install and also need painting, which Yakka puts at $20 to $35 per m². Vinyl needs no paint. Timber needs repainting more often than most products.
Also check that the cheapest option is allowed on your home. Foam panel systems count as combustible cladding in NSW, so they cannot be exempt development. On bushfire-prone land, your BAL may rule out vinyl, foam and some timbers.
Do you need approval to reclad a house in NSW?
Often not, if your house is one or two storeys and the new cladding is not combustible. NSW Planning says cladding can be exempt development only on one and two storey houses and their attached or detached buildings. It must not use combustible cladding, such as metal composite panels or foam-insulated systems, and must comply with the Building Code of Australia.
You will likely need a complying development certificate or a development application if your home is over two storeys, is a heritage item or is in a heritage conservation area, or if you want a material that does not meet the exempt rules. On bushfire-prone land, the work must suit your BAL. We found no published Sydney fee figures for cladding approvals, so ask a certifier or your council.
In a strata building, changes to the outside of the building are a major renovation under NSW strata rules. They need a special resolution of the owners corporation.
What should a cladding quote include?
A clear quote lets you compare like with like. Look for:
- The wall area in m² and the exact product, profile and thickness
- Removal and disposal of the old cladding, and how asbestos will be handled
- Wall wrap, battens, insulation, trims, flashings and sealants
- Scaffolding or other access, and for how many weeks
- Painting, or a clear note that painting is excluded
- How hidden damage, such as rotten framing, will be priced
- Product warranties and the installer’s workmanship warranty
In NSW, cladding work worth more than $5,000 including GST needs a licensed contractor and a written contract. The deposit can be no more than 10%. Check the licence on Verify NSW, and make sure the name matches the quote.
Get quotes from vetted cladding trades
Planning to clad or reclad? Describe the job to MyTradeCrew: the size and number of storeys of your home, what is on the walls now, the look you want and whether you are on bushfire-prone land. We will send it to up to three vetted, licensed and insured local cladding trades from our crew. They inspect, quote and contract with you directly, and it is free for homeowners.
Frequently asked questions
Is vinyl cladding cheaper than weatherboard?
Usually, compared with timber or fibre cement weatherboards. Yakka Labour’s 2026 guide puts vinyl weatherboards at $60 to $120 per m² installed, fibre cement weatherboards at $90 to $160 and timber weatherboards at $100 to $180. Vinyl also needs no painting. It may not suit bushfire-prone land, so check your BAL first.
Is it cheaper to render or clad a brick house?
Rendering is often cheaper per m². What’s The Damage’s Sydney rendering guide, updated October 2026, gives about $34 to $92 per m² to render a brick house, against about $60 to $250 per m² for most installed cladding. Cladding changes the look more and can add insulation behind it, so compare the result as well as the price.
Can I remove fibro cladding myself?
Only a small amount, and it is not recommended. Asbestos NSW says a homeowner can remove less than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos, but strongly recommends using a licensed removalist. More than 10 m², or any friable asbestos, must be removed by a licensed removalist. Asbestos waste cannot go in your kerbside bin.
Does a two-storey house cost more to clad?
Yes. Work at height needs scaffolding and takes longer. What’s The Damage puts two-storey renovation scaffolding in Sydney at about $4,000 to $14,000, and Supertrades adds 25% to its rates for double-storey or scaffolded jobs. Cladding on houses over two storeys also cannot be done as exempt development in NSW.
Is cladding priced per m² of wall or floor area?
Per m² of wall area. Installers measure the outside walls to be clad and usually take out large windows and doors. The rate may or may not include removal, wall wrap, battens, trims and painting, so ask what is in it. Multiply the rate by your wall area only as a rough budget, then get written quotes.
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