Things to Consider when Replacing Siding on Your House

Purchasing new siding for your home is a decision with major significance, both aesthetically and functionally. Unlike a fresh paint job or decorating scheme, new siding is something youll likely commit to for many years. By making the right decisions in terms of color and material, your siding will be a source of pride whenever you pull into your driveway. To that end, wed like to give you a brief rundown of what to consider when purchasing new siding for your home.

When to Replace Your Current Siding Here are a few tips to help you discern whether your current siding needs to be replaced:

- Perform a close-up inspection of any siding that appears warped. Using a screwdriver, poke beneath the warped siding and note how firm the layer under the siding feels. If this layer feels rotted in any way, its probably time to replace your siding.

- Surprisingly, a couple of signs that may indicate failing siding are noticeable from inside the home. If youre experiencing peeling paint or sagging wallpaper, it may be because your aging siding is allowing moisture to seep beneath it and into your wallboard. This can damage your homes interior walls, so its something you should get checked out as soon as possible.

- Another sign that your siding allows too much moisture into your homes walls is mold or mildew formation on the exterior of your siding. While not always a sign of failing siding, mold or mildew often signifies additional issues and should be a cause for further investigation.

- Dry rot, one of the more common problems with wood siding, is not always visible to the naked eye. To detect it, tap various areas of the siding with the bottom of a screwdriver or hammer. This will expose an area that has succumbed to dry rot, as only the topmost layer of siding will be intact. If dry rot is discovered, you may be able to get away with just replacing the damaged sections, but oftentimes contractors will recommend a full replacement. Since dry rot may compromise the structural integrity of your home, its definitely an area where youll want to defer to the experts.

Color While this dimension of your siding is almost entirely aesthetic, it carries with it several implications that you may not have initially considered.

- What colors predominate in your neighborhood? While that canary yellow might have looked sharp in a magazine, you may not want your home to stick out too much when seen in the context of your neighborhoods palette. Also, your neighborhood or homeowners association may have rules on the book regarding color options.

- If youre in a hot climate, you may want to consider a lighter shade that wont absorb as much heat as a darker shade does. This will save you energy and money when trying to keep your home cool in the summer.

- Notice the colors of your doors and window frames, and try to imagine your new siding juxtaposed with those. Do they complement each other? Also, if youre planning on changing those or other exterior features of your home in the future, consider how your homes new color scheme will harmonize with your siding.

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Things to Consider when Replacing Siding on Your House