If you’ve been thinking about replacing the siding on your North Carolina or South Carolina home, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration prior to making your final decision! After all, having new siding put on a house is not only a major choice from a financial standpoint, but it will force your family to live through a construction project, and it could completely change the look of your house — for better or worse.
As you think about whether or not new siding is right for you, it’s important to evaluate the condition of your existing residential cladding. It is possible that getting new siding is not actually an option for you, but a necessity. Here, we take a look at some key red flags you should be aware of if you think your home’s current siding might require replacement.
You are doing too much maintenance – Some types of siding, like vinyl and fiber cement, require very little maintenance once they are hung. Other options, like wood, do require some upkeep every year in order to stay in excellent condition. Regardless of what type of siding you have, though, if you’ve noticed yourself doing more maintenance on a more consistent basis, it probably means the siding is nearing the end of its lifespan.
Siding boards are loose or missing – When siding boards become loose or fall off altogether, it means your home is at serious risk of sustaining structural damage. Insects, mice, and other vermin can crawl into your home through the openings left by the detached siding, not to mention the serious risk of water damage. If you have loose or missing siding boards, replacing your siding is probably the best choice.
The color has faded – This rule of thumb is especially pertinent for homeowners who have either vinyl or fiber cement siding — since wood siding has to be painted every year or two for colorfastness, it is excluded here. The color of vinyl and fiber cement siding, though, is generally intended to last for as long as the siding is functional. So, if you’ve noticed the hue you originally chose no longer looks vibrant, it would behoove you to look for other problems, as well. Vinyl siding usually lasts for between 20 and 25 years, while fiber cement siding can last for even longer.
Pests have wreaked havoc – One of the few downsides of living in North Carolina or South Carolina is that pests do tend to run rampant, and they can wreak absolute havoc on siding. If you’ve had a recent termite infestation that damaged your wood siding, woodpeckers have been poking holes in your vinyl siding, or anything else, it’s time to consider new siding. It is worth noting that fiber cement is resistant to most types of pests.
If you think the time has come for you to have new siding installed, remember the Hatch Homes team is here to assist you every step of the way. Give us a call today to discuss all of the remodeling options that are available to you.