Written by the BuildHub research team · Last updated 17 July 2026 · Advertising disclosure
Wellington is the toughest test in the country for a building envelope: horizontal rain, salt-laden southerlies and wind that finds every unsealed junction. It is also a city with a long tail of 1990s monolithic plaster homes still working through the leaky building era. Whether you own a Karori weatherboard villa or a Churton Park plaster two-storey, this guide shortlists cladding specialists who work these conditions, then covers costs, rules and how to quote-shop a reclad without getting burnt.
The best cladding specialist in Wellington is Cladding Wellington, a local operator covering exterior cladding, stone, plaster and stucco systems plus full recladding across Wellington, the Hutt Valley, Porirua, Kapiti and Levin, with free quotes and product warranties on their work. For monolithic plaster cladding systems specifically, Builders Plastics Contracting works with BRANZ-appraised Sto and Rockcote systems, and Viet Duc Plasterers backs exterior plastering with a five year workmanship guarantee.
Summary
Recladding in New Zealand runs roughly $300 to $600 per square metre installed for timber weatherboard in 2026, and a full reclad of a standard home is a six-figure project once scaffolding, framing repair and consent are counted.
All cladding work is restricted building work: it legally requires a Licensed Building Practitioner, and a full reclad or change of cladding type needs building consent from Wellington City Council or your local Hutt, Porirua or Kapiti council.
We shortlisted Wellington cladding operators on system expertise, licensing, guarantees, and coverage across the region's brutal weather exposure zones.
The shortlist
Our research covered Wellington's cladding market from plaster system applicators to recladding builders. We weighed each operator's system expertise, the guarantees they publish, licensing, and the areas they genuinely service across Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua. Some businesses featured on BuildHub may have a commercial relationship with us. See the disclosure at the bottom of this page, and always get at least two quotes.
A warning before the shortlist: cladding quotes in Wellington are not comparable unless each one names the system, not just the material. Plaster over cavity is a different wall from plaster direct-fixed, and the difference is exactly where the leaky building era came from.
Editor's Choice 2026
#1
Cladding Wellington
Cladding Wellington covers the systems this city actually has on its walls: exterior cladding installation, stone cladding, plaster and stucco systems, and full recladding for homes where the existing envelope has reached the end of its life. They work for both homeowners and commercial builders across the wider region, from Wellington city through the Hutt Valley and Porirua up to Kapiti and Levin, and position themselves on local knowledge of Wellington weather and building requirements. Quotes are free and workmanship is backed with product warranties.
Areas served: Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua, Kapiti and Levin
Services: Exterior cladding, stone, plaster and stucco cladding, recladding
Clients: Residential homeowners and commercial builders
Viet Duc Plasterers provides interior and exterior plastering across Wellington, Porirua and Lower Hutt, holds a Licensed Building Practitioner licence, and backs all work with a five year workmanship guarantee. For plaster cladding, that combination of licence plus written guarantee is exactly the paperwork you want sitting behind the render.
Areas served: Wellington, Porirua and Lower Hutt
Focus: Interior and exterior plastering
Website: vietduc.co.nz
Key facts and services
Licensed Building Practitioner
Five year workmanship guarantee on all work
Covers both interior and exterior plastering
#3
Builders Plastics Contracting
Builders Plastics Contracting works in monolithic plaster cladding across Wellington and Lower Hutt using Sto and Rockcote plaster cladding systems. Sto systems carry BRANZ appraisal and come with 15 to 20 year warranties, which matters: with plaster cladding, the branded, appraised system installed to spec is the whole game, and an applicator tied to specific systems is easier to hold to that spec.
Areas served: Wellington and Lower Hutt
Focus: Monolithic plaster cladding, Sto and Rockcote systems
Website: buildersplastics.co.nz
Key facts and services
Works with Sto and Rockcote plaster cladding systems
Sto systems are BRANZ appraised with 15 to 20 year warranties
Specialist in monolithic plaster rather than a generalist
#4
RefurbPlus
RefurbPlus is a renovation builder with a dedicated recladding service covering the Wellington region and the Kapiti Coast. When a reclad is really a whole-exterior renovation, joinery, framing repair, a changed cladding type and a building consent to manage, a builder set up to run the full project can be the simpler path than coordinating an applicator, a builder and a designer yourself.
Areas served: Wellington region and Kapiti Coast
Focus: House recladding within renovation projects
Website: refurbplus.co.nz
Key facts and services
Recladding offered as a dedicated service line
Set up to manage the full project including consent
Suits reclads that involve framing repair or a change of cladding type
#5
Better Plasterers
Better Plasterers is a locally owned and operated Hutt business providing plastering for homes and businesses across the Greater Wellington region, the Hutt Valley and the Wairarapa. A local plastering crew is the right scale for repair and recoat work on existing plaster homes: patching cracked render, recoating weathered walls and keeping an ageing system watertight without the cost of a full system replacement.
Areas served: Greater Wellington, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa
Focus: Plastering for homes and businesses
Website: betterplasterersltd.co.nz
Key facts and services
Locally owned and operated in the Hutt
Covers Greater Wellington through to the Wairarapa
Good fit for plaster repair and recoat work
What does recladding cost in Wellington?
Reclad pricing is dominated by scope, not square metres. The boards are often the cheapest line on the invoice once scaffolding, framing remediation, consent and design are counted. Indicative 2026 figures:
Scope
Indicative cost
Timber weatherboard recladding, installed
$300 to $600 per m2
Plaster repair and recoat on sound substrate
Priced per job, far below reclad rates
Single elevation reclad with framing repair
Quoted after invasive inspection
Full reclad, average single-storey home
$150,000+
Full reclad, two-storey home
Commonly $300,000+ in main centres
All figures are indicative and Wellington's terrain adds its own premium: steep sites in Brooklyn, Khandallah or Eastbourne can double scaffolding costs, and there is no standardised national pricing for recladding. Treat any per-metre number in an ad as a conversation starter, nothing more.
The monolithic cladding questionIf your home was built or reclad from the late 1980s to the mid 2000s with flush plaster cladding and no drained cavity, get a moisture inspection before you spend a dollar on cosmetics. Painting over a failing direct-fixed system wastes money and can hide the evidence a future buyer's inspector will look for. A proper invasive inspection settles what you are actually dealing with.
Consent, licensing and who can touch your cladding
Restricted building work: wall cladding is part of a home's external moisture management system, so cladding work must be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner. The definition is on building.govt.nz. External plasterers have their own LBP licence class: check any licence on the LBP register.
Building consent: full recladding, or changing cladding type, needs consent from your council: Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Upper Hutt City Council or Porirua City Council depending on where you live. Limited like-for-like repairs with comparable materials can be exempt under Schedule 1.
Owner notification: before restricted building work starts under a consent, the council must be given written notice of every LBP engaged on it, and each LBP must provide a Record of Work when done.
Wind zones: large parts of Wellington sit in very high or extra high wind zones. Fixings, flashings and junction details all change with the zone, and your consent documents will specify it.
How to compare cladding quotes in Wellington
Name the system, not the material. Every quote should specify the branded system, cavity or direct fix, wrap, and flashing details. If two quotes name different systems, you are not comparing prices, you are comparing walls.
Framing remediation as a rate, not a guess. Nobody knows what is behind the cladding until it comes off. Agree the process and hourly or per-metre rate for rot repair in writing first.
Scaffolding and access itemised. On Wellington hill sites this line item can be enormous. Get it separated so quotes compare cleanly.
Check the LBP licence and the guarantee. Licence number verified on the register, plus the workmanship guarantee and any system warranty in writing, including what maintenance keeps them valid.
Ask who manages the consent. A reclad consent involves design documents and inspections. Confirm whether that work is in the price or billed separately.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to reclad a house in Wellington?
As of 2026, timber weatherboard recladding runs roughly $300 to $600 per square metre installed, but full reclad projects are scope-driven: an average single-storey home commonly starts around $150,000 and two-storey reclads in main centres regularly exceed $300,000 once scaffolding, framing repair, consent and design are included. Wellington hill sites add access costs. All figures are indicative: get itemised quotes.
Do I need building consent to reclad in Wellington?
Yes for a full reclad or any change of cladding type: consent comes from Wellington City Council or your local Hutt, Porirua or Kapiti council. Limited like-for-like repairs using comparable materials can be exempt under Schedule 1 of the Building Act, but the exemption is narrow and does not cover changing systems. Cladding is also restricted building work requiring a Licensed Building Practitioner either way.
How do I know if my plaster home is a leaky building?
Risk factors are flush monolithic plaster cladding installed roughly 1988 to 2005, direct-fixed with no drained cavity, combined with features like parapets, minimal eaves, and enclosed balconies. Symptoms include cracked render, staining below joinery, swollen skirtings and musty smells. None of that is a diagnosis: a moisture inspection with invasive readings is the only way to know, and it is money well spent before any purchase or renovation.
Can I just repair my cladding instead of recladding?
Often yes. If the substrate and framing are dry and sound, cracked render can be repaired and recoated, and individual weatherboards can be replaced like for like, sometimes without consent under Schedule 1. The decision point is moisture: once water has been reaching the framing for years, patch repairs hide the problem rather than fixing it, and remediation with a proper reclad becomes the honest option.
Who is allowed to do exterior plastering in NZ?
Exterior plastering on a home's cladding system is restricted building work, so it must be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner. External plastering is its own LBP licence class. Anyone can check a practitioner's licence for free on the public register at lbp.govt.nz, and for work done under consent the LBP must give you a Record of Work when finished.
What cladding copes best with Wellington weather?
Wellington's combination of very high wind zones, horizontal rain and salt exposure favours robust, well-detailed systems over any single material: bevel-back timber weatherboard, fibre cement systems and properly specified plaster over a drained cavity all perform well when installed to spec. The detailing at junctions, windows and parapets fails long before good material does, which is why the installer matters more than the brochure.
Ready to get quotes?
Start with our top pick, Cladding Wellington, then get at least one more quote to compare.
Disclaimer: This guide is general information, not professional advice. Pricing figures are indicative and vary by project. Rely on written quotes. Some businesses featured on BuildHub may have a commercial relationship with us; this does not change the factual information we publish about any business, and we encourage readers to get at least two quotes. Verify business details directly with each company before engaging them.