When homeowners start thinking about adding value to their home, they often think of interior renovations and upgrades. One of the often overlooked aspects of home improvements is on the outside – their home’s siding.
In this article we’ll examine the importance of siding, how it helps protect your home and the different siding options available.
The Importance of Siding
Siding has two primary functions:
- Safety – protecting your home from the elements
- Beauty – adding aesthetic value and design to your home
Your home’s siding is the first barrier against outside elements like rain, wind, hail or ice. Poorly installed or damaged siding can allow water inside your home, leading to major issues like mold or foundation issues.
Siding also acts as a shield against high winds and other extreme weather conditions. Properly installed and maintained siding helps protect your home’s interior and family, and prevents costly damage and repairs in the long-run.
In addition to protecting your most valuable asset, siding improves your home’s curb appeal and increases your home’s value. In fact, this study indicates that installing vinyl siding has an ROI of almost 75%!
Since siding is available in a variety of styles and colors, you can change the entire look of your house, even if you don’t do any additional renovations. For example, you could choose a new color, or choose a style that’s classical or modern.
And if you’re planning to sell your home, installing new siding makes it look new and updated, and potentially means you can ask for a higher price and attract more buyers.
Siding Benefits
Choosing to replace your home’s siding is a big decision. At Integrity Roofing & Siding, we’ve found that our customers enjoy the following benefits once they’ve installed beautiful, new siding:
Lower maintenance costs: especially if you install vinyl siding, it’s practically maintenance-free. You’ll never need to paint your home again, a simple cleaning once a year will help maintain its original look.
Improved energy efficiency: choosing a light-colored siding reflects the sun and can reduce your energy costs. Other options include investing in house wrap insulation to further prevent wind and moisture penetration.
Address hidden structural problems: an experienced and competent company like Integrity Roofing & Siding checks for and repairs any underlying structural damage underneath your old siding when installing the new product.
Increased property value: As mentioned above, new siding has a high ROI. With new siding, you’ll enjoy your home’s new curb appeal, and if you decide to sell you’ll earn your money back.
Choosing the Right Siding
You have a multitude of options when choosing new siding for your home:
- Fiber cement (James Hardie)
- Vinyl
- Fiberglass
- Wood
- Aluminum
Some factors to consider when making your decision include:
- Budget
- Aesthetics
- Durability
- Maintenance
Fiber cement (James Hardie)
Composed of a mixture of cement, sand, and wood pulp that’s cured with pressurized steam, fiber cement siding provides your home with dimensional stability and strength. It’s tough, long-lasting, holds paint well, won’t burn or rot and can’t be eaten by insects.
Due to its components, and the fact that it doesn’t expand or contract like wood, it’s easy to paint and holds it well. Typically arriving primed and ready to finish, the fiber cement is also available with factory-finished paint backed by a warranty. It’s advised that you spray it with a garden hose every 6 to 12 months, and inspect the caulked joints every few years.
James Hardie Siding is the most popular example of fiber cement siding. Their products are made from sustainable materials and look like wood but lasts longer with minimal maintenance
James Hardie Siding comes in a full spectrum of colors and textures, and it sets the standards in exterior cladding. It’s formulated for superior performance in areas that experience both strong sunlight and high winds, hurricanes, and storms.
It’s also resistant to damage from moisture (cracking, splitting, rotting, and swelling), flame spread, and due to its Color Plus Technology, offers 30% more fade resistance to high UV levels.
Integrity Roofing & Siding is a James Hardie Preferred partner and offers the full range of their products, listed below from “good to best”:
- HardiePlank Lap Siding
- HardieShingle Siding
- HardiePanel Vertical Siding
- HardieTrim Boards
- Artisan Collection
HardiePlank Lap Siding
HardiePlank Lap Siding is James Hardie’s best-selling product and the most popular brand of siding in North America. You can select from a natural cedar look that mimics wood or choose a smooth and modern look.
HardieShingle Siding
Giving off the authenticity of cedar shingles looks and warmth, HardieShingle Siding provides homes with a variety of decorative edges, that works beautifully as a primary siding or as a complement to other styles of Hardie siding. This style of siding is resistant to rotting, curling, warping, and splitting. It can instantly add character to any style home, anywhere.
HardiePanel Vertical Siding
A factory-primed fiber-cement vertical siding available in a variety of sizes and textures, the HardiePanel Vertical Siding gives homes a more minimalistic look with its simple vertical lines. This siding is equal to lap siding in value and has a long-lasting performance.
It offers a unique look that isn’t overly trendy, and the siding has a natural wood-like appearance but feels more durable. It requires little to no maintenance, and provides a minimalistic curb appeal.
HardieTrim Boards
HardieTrim boards are a decorative non-load bearing trim product that accentuate corners, columns, frizes, doors, windows, and more. These trims provide a great way to add color to your home, whether it’s contrasting your primary house color, or using a darker or lighter shade.
It is resistant to damage from moisture, has ColorPlus technology that prevents 30% fading from high UV levels, and adds a beautiful, lasting exterior.
Artisan Collection
The Artisan Collection offers gorgeous, deep shadow lines and extra thick boards. They are the perfect option for creating a sense of luxury and historical accuracy for any style home and will set your home apart.
Vinyl Siding
One of the most popular sidings due to its durability, versatility and ease of maintenance, vinyl siding is impact-resistant, strong, and is available in a broad palette of colors. It’s polyvinyl chloride engineering gives it the ability to withstand high winds of at least 110 mph and its resistance against heat, cold, and moisture.
It’s able to retain it’s looks over time and it’s endurance throughout seasonal changes is what makes it appealing. It comes in a variety of profiles, including traditional lap, Dutch lap, horizontal and vertical panels, shakes, scallops, shingles, fish scales and beaded designs in various widths, which never need to be painted! The only occasional maintenance is washing it off with a gardening hose.
Fiberglass Siding
The fastest-growing in popularity across the country, fiberglass siding is an innovative and durable new siding. This siding gives your home the look of freshly-painted wood without the hassle of scraping and painting. It’s durable, strong, doesn’t expand due to its fiberglass material, and won’t sag.
It can be painted to match your home’s style and is designed to hold color forever. It comes in a variety of color options and is produced in continuous lengths, which gives it clean, crisp lines with seams that fit flush together instead of overlapping. It’s also virtually maintenance free!
Wood Siding
Known as the traditional siding material, available in shake or clapboard form, wood siding is resilient and easy to cut and shape.It’s relatively long-lasting, and the wood can be painted or treated with preservatives to prevent rotting and insect infestations. With proper care, wood siding can last for generations.
Particularly in regions with extremes of moisture and temperature, this siding requires frequent maintenance and it’s recommended that the painted wood siding be repainted every five years, while stained or clear-coated wood needs to be refinished even more frequently.
Aluminum Siding
Previously the most popular choice of siding in the late forties and fifties, aluminum siding is the perfect choice for those looking to save a considerable amount on heating and cooling costs over the lifetime of the product. It’s known to be a better insulator compared to vinyl siding, and an excellent choice for those living in coastal communities with high moisture.
Aluminum siding doesn’t swell, rot, encourage the growth of mildew, is insect-proof, and is even fire-resistant. It comes in a variety of styles and colors, is recyclable for homeowners looking to be “green,” and is generally low-maintenance. It only needs to be hosed off once and year, and with the exception of repainting every 10 to 12 years, doesn’t need much maintenance.
R-Panel siding on a barn
Integrity Roofing & Siding specializes in installing R-Panel aluminum siding, primarily for our commercial and agricultural customers. R-Panel metal panels are durable, wind and fire resistant and energy efficient. We typically install R-Panels on industrial buildings or barns.
Call Us For All Your Siding Needs
Integrity Roofing & Siding is fully licensed, insured and certified in order to provide you with the best siding products and services. We’re a multiple Angie’s List Super Service award winner, and always treat your home as if it were ours.
Contact us today at (210) 340-7663 for a no-obligation inspection to get started.
top photo courtesy of James Hardie Siding
