A Dozen Ways to Tell Your Home Needs New Siding
Changing your home’s siding is the single biggest impact you can make to the look of your exterior. It’s a transformation that’s impossible NOT to notice. But how do you now when this project is needed? Here’s our list of the most common times siding needs to be updated.
1) Hail Damage-Siding acts as your home’s protective skin. Hail damage can compromise siding’s protective qualities and is a reason that it’s often necessary to replace siding after a hail storm occurs.
2) Outdated Color–If you’ve ever driven past one of those “We Buy Ugly Houses” billboards and felt personally attacked, it’s a strong indicator that it’s time for new siding.
3) You Want to Live Maintenance-Free-It can be bothersome (and expensive!) having to paint and stain your siding repeatedly. Why not switch to something that requires less attention?
4) Current Siding Has Dry Rot –Dry rot is a fungus that is fed through moisture that causes wood to disintegrate. In addition to being an eye sore, dry rot makes a home’s siding much weaker than it should be and therefore, unable to properly protect your home from mother nature.
BONUS: Learn to spot the six signs your wood siding needs replacement.
5) Damage by Wildlife- If your home’s siding has been flawed due to insects or woodpeckers that see it as a good place to raise a ruckus, swapping out siding for something less animal friendly (and high maintenance!) is the way to go.
6) You’ve Added Onto Your Home-This one’s simple. No explanation needed.
7) You’re Paying a Small Fortune for Heating & Cooling- Oftentimes when you hear mention of insulation, your first thought is your home’s attic. But don’t forget that there’s insulation in your home’s walls. High heating & cooling costs can signal that your insulation is subpar. If you’re insulating, changing out siding at the same time can be a natural fit.
8) Siding is Cracked– If siding is cracked, it can allow water to infiltrate the underlayment which can cause a problem over time. If only a few pieces are
cracked, you may be able to replace only them. However, if most of the house is cracked, replacing all siding is the ideal solution.
9) Siding is Loose- Siding cannot properly protect your home if it is loose. If this issue is widespread, address as soon as possible with new siding. If it’s limited to a few small areas, you may be able to get away with addressing only those spots.
10) Peeled Interior Paint & Wallpaper-A sign that siding is allowing moisture in can be peeled interior paint and wallpaper. Ignoring this problem can lead to widespread interior problems.
11) Overly Faded Siding- This is a common indicator that siding is nearing the end of its lifespan.
12) Bubbles in the Siding-The bubbles weren’t in the siding when it was installed and they shouldn’t be there now! Bubbles are evidence that water has become trapped in the siding and that it can’t properly function to protect your home.
