When to Replace Siding on Your Home?

The exterior of a house is important for every homeowner. First, tons of money and effort have been invested to make it beautiful. Also, the quality of the exterior directly influences the comfort inside the house. No matter where you live, the outside of every home requires regular maintenance.

Siding is a widely-preferred type of exterior for homeowners across the world. It has a lot of benefits including:

• Relatively low cost of installation and repair
• Protection against environmental and weather impacts
• Energy-efficiency
• An extensive choice of materials, finishing components, and accessories, making it possible to create a unique design.

Sooner or later, siding replacement is required. The reasons can be diverse. Some of them can be related to the problems that happen to the exterior of the house; others are because homeowners wish to renovate the building.

10 Reasons to Replace Siding

1. Dry Rot is one of the most common reasons for home exterior damage. It can be caused by a number of factors, including the wrong material used for installation. In the case of wooden siding, the best options would be cedar, ash, or larch. Wood should be properly treated and mounted with considerations of the climate and weather conditions before installation. It’s essential to check the outer covering of the house for dry rot. Try tapping with a rubber hammer and examine the lower part of siding to identify if fungi, being the main reason for this problem, have started to appear. Otherwise, siding can be rotten, which makes it necessary to replace it.
2. Deterioration of the exterior can be caused by anything — from strong wind to a traffic accident near the house. Damaged boards may cause a more serious problem than just a worse appearance. As the other covering is broken, the remaining siding can be quickly destroyed. It may also lead to insufficient insulation causing heat dissipation, excess humidity inside the house, and further destruction of the walls. Depending on how serious the damage is, it is necessary to determine if replacing siding on a house should be done completely or partially.
3. Moisture and mold may lead to complete deterioration of siding. If water is collected underneath the covering after rain or humid weather, the reason for this is improper installation. If this problem is identified, you don’t have to wonder when to replace siding on your house any longer because it should be done as soon as possible. Remember to visually check the exterior of your house. It is feasible to use a screwdriver or any other tool to lift one of the panels to check whether it’s humid beneath it. Otherwise, not only external but also internal problems will appear on the walls.
4. High energy bills are disappointing, especially if they have drastically increased in comparison to previous years. One of the main reasons for higher energy consumption is the deterioration of the exterior, which can no longer properly fulfill the function of insulation. No one’s happy when extra expenses appear on their electric bill. However, if you calculate it, the replacement of siding will most likely be cheaper than paying tons of money for electricity. It’s also a good idea to study the market and discover which innovations make a house more energy-efficient and eco-friendly.
5. The damage of the interior wall may lead to the necessity to renovate it, which is likely to involve the replacement of siding. First, everything depends on the reason why the wall has deteriorated. This can be caused by outside elements, meaning that the exterior does not fulfill its protective function. Thus, the replacement of the outer cladding is a must. Alternatively, it could have been damaged from the inside, however, the wall restoration may destroy siding. Thus, it is recommended to get the recommendations of an experienced contractor on what to do next.
6. Insects are annoying, no matter where you live. Homeowners who choose vinyl siding may have no worries about termites that eat wood. However, vinyl can be subject to the impact of flies, bugs, ants, and other vermin. First of all, insects can make the exterior dirty, so that you have to power wash the siding much too often to clean it. Besides, some of them are too persistent to get inside, managing to create small holes in the material. This is enough to impact its rigidity, leading to further troubles.
7. If you have noticed the bubbling of siding, it means that there is already a serious problem with humidity beneath. The only solution is replacement. This issue is urgent. The fact that the outer material has already been impacted means that the walls, outside, and inside are affected as well. This is one of the emergencies that may happen with the house. Otherwise, it may cause not only an aesthetically-damaged exterior but also deterioration of the walls, paint, plaster, or another coating. In any case, the replacement of siding will be cheaper than the renovation of a complete building. It’s essential to identify the reason for water penetration beneath the siding to prevent it from happening again.
8. Severe fading often happens on the walls exposed to the sun. Thus, the color of the other walls is different. Instead of the shade chosen originally, it is now faded and dull. Aesthetically, this is the reason to replace siding with preference to more sunfast colors. Besides, the impact of the sun may lead to excessive drying of the material causing cracks and deformations. So, the faded color is one of the first displays of the sun’s adverse effect. It is better to think about how to avoid it. Consider planting a tree or several in front of the house to ensure shade in a couple of years. In the future, it may be possible to spend less on the use of air-conditioning.
9. To increase the value of a house before renting or selling, it’s smart to replace your siding. From the outside, it will look brand-new, thus, no one will dare think that it is overpriced. The only thing to consider is getting ready to answer why it has been replaced. Potential tenants may worry the real reason is a more serious one. It is recommended to take pictures of the house for evidence before replacement.
10. If you want to update your home, the exterior should be replaced as well. Check out the selection of materials, styles, and variations to find the option right for you. It is possible to request professionals about the possible options and innovations on the market. The house can be refitted as well as redecorated, making it more cost-effective and requiring less maintenance.

The thought of when to replace siding comes to the mind of many homeowners. Depending on its state, regular maintenance can be sufficient, though, it is essential to remember to inspect the exterior of the house regularly to avoid not only problems outside but also ones on the inside. In such a way, an owner may keep the house well-conditioned and reduce maintenance costs.