There is much more to choosing siding for your home than just the color. Siding is important because it’s what protects your home from weather.
You need that protection more than ever with stronger storms on the way due to climate change. You want to choose siding that can take a beating and give your home a beautiful look.
How do you know what siding you need for your home? Read on to discover the best types of siding and how to decide which one is right for you.
The Best Types of Siding
The thing about selecting siding for your home is that you have so many choices. There are many different materials that siding can be made from. These are the best types of siding that you should consider.
Vinyl Siding
You’ll see vinyl siding on most homes because it’s affordable and low-maintenance. It’s a durable material that offers a broad range of colors, which can give your home any look you want.
Vinyl doesn’t fade, and it can withstand almost any weather event. It’s not completely maintenance-free since dirt and mold can build up. Most issues with vinyl siding are resolved easily with little work on your part.
Brick Siding
Brick siding seems to be popular because it’s durable. It gives your home a timeless look while giving you a number of other benefits.
Brick siding is also great for making your home cooler in hot weather. Brick can absorb the heat before it gets into your home. This is something to consider is you live in an area where your home takes a beating from the sun.
It’s generally low maintenance material. The mortar between the bricks will break down over time, but the bricks will last.
Wood Siding
This is one of the types of siding that you either love or hate. You may love the look of wood but hate the work that comes along with it.
You have to stay on top of maintenance because wood can chip or warp over time.
There are more types of siding than the ones listed. You can learn more about the most popular types of siding.
How to Choose Siding for Your Home
There are a number of things that you need to take into account when choosing siding for your home. You’ll want to run through this list of items to think about as you’re shopping for siding.
Budget
The first thing that you need to take into account is cost. You don’t want to find that you have the elegant taste of a brick exterior only to find that you can’t afford it later on. New siding for a home is a big job, and it can be expensive.
You may consider taking out a home renovation loan to pay for it. The costs of a siding replacement can be anywhere from $5,000 to $14,000.
Maintenance
You’ll want to know how much maintenance the types of siding require. It’s up to you to keep your investment maintained. Otherwise, you’ll have to replace it sooner rather than later.
Vinyl siding doesn’t usually require much maintenance. You can clean the siding with a hose periodically and that’s it.
Wood, on the other hand, needs to be inspected several times a year and it needs to be stained periodically.
Energy Efficiency
It can cost quite a bit to heat and cool your home. Siding isn’t the perfect energy efficiency solution, but it can help cut down on energy costs a little bit.
You want to look at the R-values of different siding materials. High R-values mean that the material is efficient.
You’ll find that most siding materials barely hit 1.0, which isn’t a great score. You’ll find that some materials score better than others. For example, wood generally has a better R-value than brick.
Curb Appeal
Are you planning to sell your home in the near future? You’ll want to consider the impact that siding has on curb appeal and the resale value of your home.
First impressions are everything, and the exterior of your home and surrounding landscaping will combine to create that first impression.
You can use siding tricks like color contrasts to make your home stand out. You can also decide to install your siding vertically instead of horizontally.
Fit with Neighborhood & Architecture
Have you ever been in a neighborhood where there’s one house that doesn’t fit? It’s like that song from Sesame Street “Which one of these things is not like the others…”
You don’t want your neighborhood to dictate what siding you should choose, but you also don’t want it to stand out.
Your neighborhood may dictate what siding you can have if you live within a development run by a homeowner’s association. They usually have the last word when it comes to keeping the exterior of homes and common areas.
If you do live in one of these communities, make sure you get approval from your HOA before any work takes place. Otherwise, you might have to completely undo your investment.
Siding Installation
Most siding types are easy to install. On the horizontal siding, a miter saw can be used to produce square cuts.
The main challenge you’ll encounter when installing siding is looking for the studs to nail the siding to, unless you have a plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing, a type of engineered wood, at home.
Do you Have a Background Installing Siding?
When installing siding in your home, it’s important to use access machineries, such as a scissor lift or boom lift, to access high wall areas. Whether you’re planning to install siding by yourself or hire someone to do it, you can take advantage of access hire that offers durable and dependable scissor lift to use in the installation of siding. With the help of access hire, you’ll ensure proper and even installation of siding.
While it looks relatively straightforward, remember that siding installation isn’t for beginners. So, if you don’t have experience with siding installation, it’s best to reach out to a contractor. And if you’re too busy, you can hire a professional installation company with the right type of equipment and people to take care of all aspects of the siding installation to improve the overall appeal of your home exterior.
The Best Types of Siding for Your Home
You need to think about quite a bit to choose the right siding for your home. You have a lot to choose from and it can be overwhelming.
The best types of siding have low maintenance, fit with your budget, and give your home a great look that fits in with your surroundings.
Do you want more home design tips? Head over to the Home and Garden section to learn how to design landscaping to match the exterior of your home.
