Is Vinyl Siding The Right Option For Your Home?

When homeowners want to upgrade the exterior of their homes, many consider vinyl siding as a budget friendly and attractive option that can give their house an appealing facelift. If you're looking into whether this common exterior material is the right one to update the curb appeal of your house, take some critical issues into consideration before buying.

Maintenance Issues

While vinyl siding is often recommended because it is maintenance-free, you may be surprised by how quickly its good looks fade. You may not have to contend with painting or scraping, but after a few years you'll realize thatit has faded or begun to look grimy. The very thing that made it desirable - no need to paint - turns into a liability when you realize that you can't paint PVC vinyl to freshen up or change the color. The expansion and contraction of the PVC material means paint will almost immediately crack and flake away. You'll certainly need to have it repaired whenever it is damaged, which can happen relatively easily. Cracks and holes have to be tended to as quickly as possible to prevent damage to your home, and after just a year or two, color matching new sections with old will be next to impossible.

Homeowner Value Of Vinyl Siding

Newly installed siding of the right type can improve the value of your home in some neighborhoods, but in many communities, vinyl isn't considered a plus. Although the initial investment is lower, the added value of alternatives such as fiber cement are preferred in prestigious neighborhoods. Because PVC is a very poor insulator, you'll also have to spend more money to add a layer of backer foam or barrier insulation to protect your home and prevent high heating and cooling bills. Fiber cement, on the other hand, is an extremely efficient insulator that usually brings the value of the house up significantly.

The Risk Of Poorly Trained Siding Contractors

There are countless companies and individual siding contractors who are willing to install vinyl on homes, but you always run the risk of them being self-taught or improperly trained. It's difficult to know whether your installer is qualified or not until the job is finished and you begin to notice problems such as separation of the materials, premature warping, buckling or cracking and leaks due to sections pulling away from the house frame. Unfortunately, this often happens when homebuyers opt to purchase from an unlicensed or inexperienced installer. As with many things, the initial savings can be out-weighted in the long run by the problems that arise.

Environmental Considerations

Most savvy homeowners understand the importance of using materials on their home that minimize our carbon footprint and help protect the environment for future generations. These same people are looking for the best ways to update their homes without causing irreparable damage to the planet. If you are eco-conscious, vinyl isn't the right material choice. The manufacturing process produces a number of carcinogens and greenhouse gasses. And while some contractors will tell you that the material is recyclable, the percentage of PVC that is actually recycled is shockingly low at less than 2%.

A Beautiful Alternative

If you've realized that the environmental impact and poor value of vinyl mean you have to find a better way to improve your home's appearance, look into fiber cement. This is a Portland cement based material that can mimic the appearance of real wood and has excellent insulation qualities. Because siding contractors who install fiber cement are factory-trained and certified, you'll also be able to rest easy knowing that your home is in the best of hands.