Here are the pros and cons of wood, fiber cement, and vinyl siding. And then there’s the trim.
Here are the pros and cons of wood, fiber cement, and vinyl siding. And then there’s the trim.
Often when we are putting a project together for a client, we are faced with trying to blend a new addition or a remodeled part of the house seamlessly into the exterior of the existing house.
In rare instances, the homeowner will simply strip the current siding and trim off the house to start new, but this is costly and often exceeds their budget. So more often than not, we are faced with determining how to work with available materials and matching them with the existing structure.
Complicating things further is the desire by most owners for a more maintenance-free exterior. Sometimes, historical commission regulations can dictate exterior details on certain homes in certain neighborhoods. Luckily, there are options out there that make this all a little easier to navigate.
Wood siding: Virtually every house built in New England before World War II has wood siding. It could be clapboards, cedar shingles, or something called shiplap, which resembles clapboards. There are a few variations, but those would cover the vast majority of area homes. We have many clients who want to maintain the architectural integrity of their homes and find a perfect match for their original siding. The main concerns here are that these products are expensive to buy and install and, you are committing yourself to a lifetime of maintenance.
We advise clients to have their house touched up by a painter every 5 to 7 years. That will catch issues before they become full-blown problems, like rotted wood or a leak. The side of a house that gets the most sun will fail faster, so particular attention should be paid there.
You always want to keep trees and vegetation off the house, and that is doubly important with wood siding. The only wood siding we install is Western red cedar, which holds up very well when installed properly and maintained. We make sure the backs and end cuts are primed before installation. No raw siding or trim should ever be put on a house without back-priming. This, of course, adds to the cost. The quality of the wood nowadays is not what it used to be when trees grew naturally and were harvested quite a bit older than today’s wood. For that reason, proper installation and maintenance are key.
Fiber cement siding: This material has been making inroads everywhere in the New England area, and for good reason.
