Choosing Siding for your Home

By Roger Frost


Nothing will impact the appearance of your home more then the siding that's on it. When shopping for siding you may want to consider what suits your lifestyle as well as the style of your home. Siding is the outer covering ( A.K.A. Cladding ) of a home meant to shed water and protect the home from the effects of weather but it may also act as a key element in the aesthetic beauty of the structure and directly influence its property value. Here are a few types of siding you may want to consider :

Manufactured veneer is cheaper than natural stone, approximately 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of natural stone. Its light weight eliminates the need for wall ties or footings and make it easier and cheaper to build. Furthermore, manufactured stone veneer has a significantly smaller waste factor than natural stone. The variety of designs and colors makes available options which would not be available with natural stone, since natural stone is used in the general area around the locality which it is extracted. There are also disadvantages for stone veneer compared to natural stone: It is not as strong as natural stone; if a piece breaks, or if a piece is removed from the wall, then unless it is replaced, it shows significantly; it is not reusable as natural stones are.

Traditional stucco is made of lime, sand, and water. Modern stucco is made of Portland cement, sand, and water. Lime is added to increase the permeability and workability of modern stucco. Sometimes additives such as acrylics and glass fibers are added to improve the structural properties of the plaster. This is usually done with what is considered a one-coat stucco system, as opposed to the traditional three-coat method. As a building material, stucco is a durable, attractive, and weather-resistant wall covering. It was traditionally used as both an interior and exterior finish applied in one or two thin layers directly over a solid masonry, brick or stone surface. The finish coat usually contained an integral color and was typically textured for appearance.

Fiber cement is a composite material made of sand, cement and cellulose fibers. In appearance fiber cement siding most often consists of overlapping horizontal boards, imitating wooden siding, clapboard and imitation shingles. Fiber cement siding is also manufactured in a sheet form and is used not only as cladding but is also commonly used as a soffit / eave lining and as a tile underlay on decks and in bathrooms. CSR Fiber Cement sheet cladding - dwelling addition, Hardys Bay, NSW, Australia. Fiber cement siding is not only used as an exterior siding, it can also be utilized as a substitute for timber fascias and barge boards in high fire areas.

Vinyl siding is plastic exterior cladding for a house, used for decoration and weatherproofing, as an alternative to traditional wood siding or other materials such as aluminum or fiber cement siding. It is an engineered product, manufactured primarily from polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, resin, giving vinyl siding its name. Approximately 80 percent of its weight is PVC resin, with the remaining 20 percent being composed of other ingredients that establish color, opacity, gloss, impact resistance, flexibility, and durability. Vinyl siding can be observed in a wide range of product quality realized in a substantial differences in thickness and lasting durability. Thickness can vary from .35 mil in cheaper grade siding products up to .52 mil in the highest grade products which vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Today, the thinnest vinyl siding commonly used is of .40 mils, and is known as "builder's grade". Vinyl product can vary in thickness even within one manufacturer up to .10 mil of thickness through varying product lines offered that range from basic to premium-grade products. Thicker vinyl products, usually realized in higher cost, are more rigid which can add to the aesthetic appeal and look of the installed, inherently flexible product and also add to durability and life expectancy. Thicker grades of vinyl siding also have much more resistance to the most common complaint about vinyl siding - its tendency to crack in very cold weather when it is struck or bumped by a hard object.

Engineered wood siding: Engineered wood siding is made from wood products and other materials. The panels can be molded to resemble traditional clapboards although it does not exactly look like real wood due to the fact that it's textured grain is uniform. It does however look more natural then vinyl or aluminium siding. The benefit of engineered wood siding is that it offers all the advantages of of regular wood siding but in addition, it's termite resistant and it will not rot,crack or split.

Having a Professional Home Inspector inspect your home prior to purchase will allow your new homes cladding to be inspected by a Professional like the Barrie Home Inspector. He will inspect for cladding of siding failure or poor installation techniques. Having all the information available is paramount prior to purchasing real estate, whether for investment or for your new home.




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