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Getting new siding for your home is a significant investment—and an exciting one! The look of fresh siding can transform how your house looks to guests and neighbors, and it can boost property value too. Of course, there are plenty of siding materials and manufacturers out there, but you can easily narrow down your choice by thinking about what serves you best.
These 7 vital siding features will help you do that.
7 Steps to Choosing the Best Siding
1. Invest in Curb Appeal and Style
The right siding material, style, and color can make your house pop with personality—something that will make you proud every time you pull into your driveway. And of course, curb appeal matters when you decide to sell your home. So, it’s worth investing in a siding you’ll love. Keep in mind:
- Many people think of vinyl as less attractive than other sidings. It comes in limited colors, but it is cost friendly.
- Real and engineered wood provide classic beauty—but they need frequent painting to retain their looks.
- Brick and stone create a timeless look if done properly, but are costly to install.
- Fiber cement siding by James Hardie can mimic woodgrain or be sleek and smooth—and it retains a vibrant look for years. Homeowners prize its lasting beauty.
2. Look for Long-Lasting Durability
Siding materials are definitely not equal when it comes to how long they last before you have to repair or replace them. Vinyl is fairly durable, though it can easily dent. Stone, brick and fiber cement siding all last a long time, providing great value. As a manmade material, fiber cement like James Hardie siding comes with a lengthy warranty for added peace of mind.
3. Account for Your Local Weather
Since your siding takes the brunt of your region’s weather, look for a material that stands up to the elements without easily wearing down, fading, rotting or breaking. Vinyl, for example, fades due to sun exposure, so it’s not going to last as long in sunny Southwest states. Wood rots quickly, making it hard to protect if you’ve got a coastal cottage.
Brick and stone do well in any type of climate, and so does fiber cement. In fact, Hardie siding uses a unique HardieZone system to determine the right line of products for your house, depending on whether your area is wet or dry, cold or hot. This makes it easy to ensure your property gets the best protection.
4. Consider Affordability, Both Short-Term and Long-Term
New siding is an investment, and you want to get the most value out of it. If you’re on a starter home, or you’re investing in a rental property, you’ll want to keep initial costs lower. Vinyl siding, which is lightweight and simple to install, is popular in such cases.
For those planning to stay in their home for a long time, it pays off to invest a little more upfront for a siding that needs minimal upkeep and performs well on resale value. In this situation, stone veneer and Hardie siding are good options, because both will keep their high-end looks for decades.
5. Decide How Much Maintenance You’re Willing to Do
Caring for your home is essential to keeping it in top shape, and there’s no part of your property that won’t require tending from time to time—siding included. But the level of maintenance involved depends on the siding material you choose. Wood, for example, needs to be repainted or re-stained every 3-5 years, and it must be regularly checked for issues like rot and termites.
If you want to minimize the effort you put into upkeep, pick a siding that doesn’t need a lot of care. You won’t have to repaint vinyl, stone or brick. And if you want a super low-maintenance exterior, consider Hardie siding, which holds color beautifully, resists fading, and is exceedingly sturdy.
6. Look for Fire and Pest Resistance
House fires are devastating, so it pays to decrease the likelihood of damaging flames. Wood adds to a fire, while vinyl may melt if the heat is high enough. By contrast, fiber cement siding like James Hardie is rated as noncombustible—meaning it won’t add fuel to a blaze.
In terms of pest resistance, Hardie siding’s fiber cement siding is also an advantage. Termites, carpenter ants and woodpeckers can’t make use of it, so they leave it alone. That’s also true of vinyl, brick and stone, but not wood—which welcomes pests.
7. Factor in Eco-Friendliness
These days, it’s a good idea to look for environmentally sustainable products so you’re not adding to landfills if you can avoid it. Organic wood is biodegradable, but those trees have to be replaced. Vinyl adds to landfills frequently because it dents and breaks easily. Stone and brick are long-lived, and don’t get replaced quickly. And Hardie fiber cement siding is made with materials that last for decades, so it’s more sustainable.
Choose Siding that Delivers Long-Term Peace of Mind
When you’re ready to invest in your new siding, remember this—your installation team matters as much as the siding you choose. At John McCarter Construction, we know there’s nothing like a low-maintenance, attractive home that earns you compliments from your family and neighbors. That’s why we love recommending lasting James Hardie fiber cement siding to homeowners throughout the greater Detroit, Rochester Hills, and Ann Arbor region. You’ll get the best of all the factors mentioned above—beauty, durability, easy upkeep, strong protection against the elements, and lasting value.
Take a closer look at the benefits of choosing James Hardie siding—installed by our friendly, detail-focused team of experts.