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Curb Appeal 101: Enhance Your House with SidingA hundred years ago nearly every American house was made of wood, stone and other natural materials. Victorian houses used wood shingles with fancy gingerbread trim also made of wood. The majority of American homes were covered in wood shingles or clapboards. request a cost, price quote >> Today's homeowners are choosing vinyl siding twice as often as wood. Part of the reason for this change is that vinyl siding looks like wood, but it is much less costly and much easier to install. Once installed, there is almost no maintenance except to wash it off with soapy water and a hose once a year. Vinyl siding is made from polyvinyl chloride, a material that is very rigid, strong and resists impacts. The color goes all the way through each piece, so if it chips or scratches, the damage does not show. Because the color goes all the way through, vinyl siding never needs to be repainted. Vinyl siding comes in a wide variety of colors and forms. You can get all kinds of different styles like scallops, shingles, fish scales, as well as different installation choices like traditional or Dutch lap. You can make it look like old-fashioned horizontal clapboard or choose a vertical design. Almost every color is available. Vinyl siding comes in several different grades, and it is worth the money to buy the more expensive kind. Cheap vinyl siding will not look as nice and does not hold up as well in wind storms and temperature changes. You may only get a five-year warranty; with better grades, you will get a lifetime warranty. Yet the low grade vinyl siding costs the same to install. Installing vinyl siding is not a do-it-yourself job. It should be done by licensed industry experts. Vinyl siding reacts by shifting to changes in temperatures. If it is not properly installed, vinyl siding develops blisters and waves. Many people just put vinyl siding right over their current cladding without considering factors like home insulation. Vinyl does not have the insulating properties that wood, steel and aluminum provide. It should not be installed over old cladding without addressing any water damage or rot underneath. If you don't fix those problems before installation, they will worsen over time. It is often better to remove old cladding, put down an insulation layer and then install your vinyl siding. People who own historic properties often choose to use wood over vinyl because it maintains the value of their home and the integrity of the era. Wood is still the top choice of architects and builders of high-end houses. It is considered more aesthetic, and it provides an insulation factor. People who are concerned about ecology prefer wood siding because vinyl siding is not biodegradable. Cedar and redwood shingles are beautiful choices for many houses. They are naturally resistant to insect and moisture damage. You can stain them in a variety of finishes. However, cedar shingles in particular are very expensive to install because they have to be fastened individually.
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