Okay, you’ve decided it’s time to put new siding on your home. You’ve probably got some questions.
How much siding will my home require? What’s the best siding for my house? What type do pros recommend?
These are questions we hear often, and when you speak with a siding professional like those at our company, then you can get the answers you seek.
The Basics in Choosing Home Siding
Looking for a suitable exterior siding for your home in our four-season climate that experiences severe temperatures as well as humidity? There are some factors that you may want to consider when you are comparing the choices in vinyl as well as other options such as fiber cement, wood, fiberglass, metal, masonry, or other material:
Siding Aesthetics
Looking at curb appeal – will it lift your mood to see your home looking tidy, new and in an attractive and vivacious color? Would it be worth the additional $15 per linear foot, more than the cost of vinyl siding, to add a natural-looking fabricated brick or stone outer surface of your home? Or is your goal to get something that looks nice at an economical price? Would you be fine with a repeated design that looks the same overall, or would you prefer something that looks unique?
Perhaps your heart is set on a color that doesn’t show up on the siding options. So should you spend more to get wood and then add cans of satin paint and employ a bunch of area Tom Sawyers, as an alternative? It all depends on what your vision for your home is, as well as your budget.
Durability and Lifespan
Remember, beauty is only skin deep. That great-looking siding needs to hold up for years to come, so consider its expected life as well as its durability. Look at the expected lifespan for the material that you may choose. With exterior siding this can vary from a few decades to half a century, or maybe even longer.
Superior grades of thicker vinyls are also available now, but these do not all have the UV protection of titanium dioxide and extrusion. These types of vinyl may fade and over time and become brittle, according to some experts. So, when shopping for vinyl keep in mind to ask whether the materials are UV protected or not.
Wayward pitches and stray RBI’s from street baseball can break weak vinyl and leave noticeable marks on your home’s exterior surface. And hail can be a potential threat as well. With this in mind the same may happen to aluminum – color may fade with time as well as it denting easily. Even coated steel or wood amalgams may show damage when bumped by a vehicle or hit by a falling branch.
The sturdiness of the material chosen should be reflected in the duration of its warranty. Many experts advise thicker vinyls, .048 inches or more, to maximize wind resistance, moisture and optimize energy efficiency, and also to battle against extreme weather conditions–which indeed directly have an effect on a siding’s lifespan. When choosing the materials of your choice ask these questions, as well as what other insulation materials may be needed in order to complement your siding choice.
Maintenance
How much time (or desire) to you have to devote to exterior home maintenance? When it comes time to clean your siding, does a little soap and a yearly power wash do enough in order to return the liveliness of its original color?
And don’t forget about things like repainting, re-caulking, etc. If you’re choosing a siding product without a permanent finish, you’ll need to plan on regular upkeep so it looks good. This is especially true if you opt for genuine wood siding. If you value your free time more, you may want to go for a siding product that’s got a durable, permanent finish that will look great for many years without needing a facelift.
There is no one siding product that’s right for every home. That’s why we offer options, and we work with homeowners to help them make the right selection for them.
And choosing the right installation specialists for the job is also important. Speak with us here at Window Outfitters to ensure that your home has the siding that it needs, and that it looks great for years to come.
Window Outfitters is a premier Window Replacement, doors, siding contractor and installer. As Contractor in the St Paul, Minneapolis, (Twin Cities) Minnesota (MN) metro, we proudly serve, but are not limited to, the following areas: Minneapolis Energy Efficient Vinyl Windows, Replacement Window Contractors Minnesota, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Savage, Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, Eagan, St Paul, Hastings, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie, Farmington MN, Chaska, Shakopee, Chanhassen, Victoria, Mendota Heights Anderson Windows Minneapolis, Marvin Windows Minneapolis.
