Around the world, thousands of people dream of one day becoming home owners. They dream of that perfect yellow house on the corner with the little white picket fence, and the large, green backyard. Everything is fun and games until…plop…real home owning begins. Everything wears out and everything breaks at some point or another, and if you don’t keep up with the maintenance of your home, it’ll break sooner than later, including the siding of your home. So, when is it time to start shopping around for new siding?
Physical Appearance
It is a common saying that first impressions matter. Why? Because they can tell a lot about a person’s character before anything is even said. The same can be said for siding. If the appearance of your home’s siding is looking less than up to par, maybe it’s time to begin investigating. By looking for damage at a distance first, you can begin to get an idea of whether the siding potentially has mold, rusting, or is simply getting too old to be functional anymore.
Rotting or warping of siding is indicative of the siding becoming soft and fragile, which means it won’t last much longer and needs to be replaced immediately. Peeling paint, cracked, or loose siding is also a good indicative that it is probably time to replace the siding, not just because it looks bad, but also because it means that in the event of severe weather, the siding could come off.
Excessive Wear from Weather
The purpose of siding is to protect the home from outside elements, just like the roof does. When water from a storm gets past the sidings of a house, mold begins to form and the structure of the house begins to weaken as the frame softens. If you’re seeing any form of physical damage to the siding, take a screw driver and begin to inspect underneath it…there might be mold. Even if there is no visible damage, the fact that it is not serving its purpose means it is time to change the old for the new.
Poor Quality Materials
You wouldn’t keep a car if it couldn’t get you anywhere, would you? The sidings are not just to change the appearance of a house! Smaller companies with smaller budgets look to cut costs and make more of a profit a lot of the times by going for cheaper materials that have lower qualities. As a result, homes need to be fixed up in as early as 10 years after installation, instead of the quality 25-30 years.
When looking for companies to hire and consult, research them! Quality product and customer service deserves the search. Look for companies that offer a variety of services, and are transparent with their information.
When looking for signs of these materials, check the color! If the color wear of the siding is uneven, it might mean that some of the materials used to install it were cheaper than other parts. This is especially evident if you only needed a partial fixture. You can also check the durability of the material by tapping and poking it a few times using a screwdriver. Is it easy to bend, make holes, or break the siding? How much pressure can it endure?
Increasing Bills
Nobody wants to see their payments rise when it comes to, well, anything! When your bills are increasing because your house is too cold or too hot, it might be time to change the sidings of your house! Siding is supposed to provide protection to the internal structure of the house, including its insulation. When a home isn’t being properly insulated, it might mean that there is a breach in the security which rests in the siding.
Home owning is an investment, and like any other investment, time and money must be put into it. The maintenance of this investment includes the repair of anything that might be going wrong with it, because one small issue might snowball effect into bigger issues. Looking for warning signs for when it is getting to be time to replace your home’s sidings will save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
