Siding Repair or Replacement

Siding gives great character to a house. In these times when the vintage looks indicative of simpler times are the going rage, accents are showing up on homes of all ages. If you are trying to decide how to accent your home and wonder what is the best choice for long run maintenance and upkeep, there are three materials to learn about before making the decision.

Aluminum is a very low maintenance material and most siding repairs are minor and can be attacked by a confident do-it-yourselfer. Sometimes pieces become weathered or cracked due to dry environments or fading occurs over time. Cracked or corroded areas can be sanded, and since it is a solid surface product that will reveal matching color underneath a sanded repair. However, more serious siding repair may mandate costly professional work. As your home ages, it will become more and more difficult to finding matching replacement strips, so try to snag some pieces from the original installation to combat total replacement in coming years.

You will run into the same color matching problem with vinyl, so ask the installer for a stash of extra materials. Scrap pieces provided by the company at the time of a repair can be used, but the colors probably will not match. Vinyl can be damaged by hail, falling trees, or debris from a storm, and it is subject to brittleness and melting. Those in extreme climates should seriously weigh the pros and cons of vinyl siding repair, costs, and upkeep.

Cedar is a beautiful choice for many climates and for many styles of homes. The downside of cedar is that damages can snowball quickly. An owner must be quick to repair even the smallest bit of damage or the damages and therefore the costs of siding repair will increase exponentially. The upside of using cedar material is that it is painted upon install, so finding matching replacement pieces is no big deal. Parts can be painted to match.

Designing your home is an exciting task, and if you are prospectively a lifelong owner of the home you are building or redoing, then it is worth the investment of time and money to research and purchase the most durable product for your climate and type of home. If you are investing in a home to flip, fixing up a rental, or repairing a starter home, long range plans and potential siding repair issues can take a back seat to your budget.