Updating The Look Of Your Home With New Siding
If your home is looking a little tired and run down, giving it a bit of a facelift with new siding can make it stand out and look great again. There are a lot of options available to spruce up the outside of the house, and the maintenance on the siding varies with the type you select. So whether you are after low maintenance siding or a specific look for your home, take the time to research the options before you buy.
Choosing Your Siding
The first step in the process of putting new siding on your home is choosing a style and material that fits your needs. If your home has wooden siding on it and you want to keep it, you can opt for a new wood product to be installed, but remember that with style and type there are maintenance considerations. Wood siding will need to be repainted over the years and may not stand up to harsh weather as well as some other products. The installation process may be longer for some materials as well, which equates to a larger bill from your siding contractor in the end.
Inspecting The Sublayer
Replacing the siding on your home is a good time for the contractor to inspect the sublayers under the siding. The plywood that makes up the outer wall of the home could have mold or rot that would be covered by the old siding. If any damage is found, the contractor can help you decide what needs to be done to correct the situation before installing new siding over it. Be sure to talk to the contractor about any concerns or areas that you suspect problems in so they can check them thoroughly during the demolition phase of the job.
Installing The New Siding
Once the demolition is complete, your siding contractor will wrap the home in a new vapor barrier material to protect the plywood sublayer then start installing the new siding over it. Most contractors will bring in an entire crew to speed the job up and get the new siding on the building quickly. Depending on the size of the home, it could be just a few days to complete the job or it could take several weeks. Talk with the contractor to get an expectation of the time involved in your project and understand that weather or unexpected damage to the sublayers or structural parts of the home may delay the project along the way.
Maintaining Your New Siding
Depending on the material you choose, you may need to just wash the siding once a year or it could require scraping, priming and repainting every few years. If you are unsure about the requirements with your new siding, discuss them with the contractor that is installing it. They will be able to tell you what needs to be done and how often it needs to be completed.