Life Under Coronavirus, Cladding and Comfort Letters

Happily, life for the two of us goes on pretty much as normal - no obvious illness, supermarket full of everything just around the corner and the sun is shining.  The only cloud on our semi-wartime horizon is the provision of cladding for the extension (see earlier posts).   We have asked the planners, who may not have adjusted to the situation, if we can clad the thing in alternative materials from those specified in our extension's planning permission but no - make a new application is the unhelpful response.  To be fair they say that our suggested alternatives are likely to get approval.

We have used up most of the (approved) existing cladding - see previous post - and now need to fill the gaps.  In coronavirus pandemic-land, like-for-like existing cladding is in effect not practically do-able.  Production may be unlikely in lock-down Britain and even if it was, it would not be possible to match the existing after 8 or 9 years of UV fading.   Here is our situation:

Took Bess out for 'walkies' in the evening sunshine and the above was the scene on our return.  It well illustrates our problem.  To the left is the tower, built 1875/6 by the Midland Railway and lovingly restored to former glory.  To the right is our "Wendy House" - a planning approved garden office / summer-house in the style of a coal merchants' office which once occupied the site.  It is clad in red cedar or larch (I cannot now remember which).

In between, like a sore thumb, is the extension - temporarily clad in black Tyvek plastic, held on with sticky tape.  The simple solution would be to clad it in red cedar or larch, available immediately and locally.  This would provide visual continuity with the hut and contrast with the tower?  And make the building fully weatherproof.   It would blend in.  A realistic, pragmatic and instant solution to an otherwise eyesore.   Comments welcome PLEASE.

Meanwhile, in other news, Pat's Teddy which dates from 1941 and has therefore seen action, has been fixed to our north facing tower window and has gone on display in support of a nationwide 'spot the Teddy bear' initiative.