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The Best Siding for Your HomeJust like a good roof protects your home from the elements, the siding does the the same for the rest of the surfaces of your home, keeping out weather, wind, and hot and cold air. Good siding also protects you from water damage, rot, and insect infestation. Traditionally, rot-resistant cedar siding was the most commonly used material in new home construction and remodeling. However, vinyl siding has been popular for many decades now and has proven its reliability and longevity, making it a contender for most people in their decision making phase when they consider what kind of siding is best for their house. Below, we will look at how much vinyl siding costs vs. cedar siding, what the benefits of each are, and what to consider when planning a new home construction or remodel and replacement of existing siding.
Cedar Siding - Wood SidingFor many people, vinyl is associated with lower cost, less stylish homes. Since it is cheaper to install, it takes on an image of being a lower-class choice. Is this true? While cedar clapboard siding does indeed have a traditional look and feel to it, it comes at a cost. If the feel and look of vinyl doesn't bother you, there is no good reason NOT to choose vinyl over cedar siding. With regular painting and maintenance, cedar siding can last for 30 years or more. A key to maintaining your wood siding is keeping water away from it -- don't point sprinklers at it, don't allow gutters to drip near the base of the house and splash up on the siding, etc. Wood siding can be done as traditional horizontal clapboards, vertical clapboards, board and batten style, shingles, etc. Apart from cedar, spruce and pine are also used in siding, especially in cabin style construction. Pine is not rot-resistant like cedar, so it requires regular sealing to maintain it.Makers of Vinyl SidingOne of the main advantages of vinyl siding over cedar siding is in the area of maintenance. With vinyl siding, there is no peeling or cracking of paint, no fading, thus no need to repaint again. It maintains its original color and texture indefinitely. House painting is a major and expensive maintenance costs that comes with wood or cedar siding, but you can forget about shelling out $5K every 4-6 years if you opt for vinyl siding. Vinyl is also more durable and will not split, crack, or be damaged by insects over the years. Another thing that makes residing with vinyl attractive is its value - many times you can recoup 100% of the cost since a future owner no longer needs to worry about paint and maintenance. CertainTeed is one of the top makers of vinyl siding. Their Wolverine Siding Systems line contains a number of siding options like Restoration shapes, which is more expensive and designed for a Colonial look with cedar shake graining, TrueComfort Insulated siding, Millenium Siding, Carolina Beaded, Encore, and Classic, the cheapest with a woodgrain texture. Their Ashland Davis line features the high-end Victoria Classics design, the Pro Edition, the Premium Series, and the EasyCare line. The Pro Edition 44 is a heavyweight vinyl siding panel that comes in 16 color choices, and like all vinyl products, requires little or no maintenance. The CertainTeed.com website also has a spot where you can find a siding contractor near you - just punch in your zip code, and it brings up a list of local siding installers that you can contact for getting an estimate. Keep in mind there are a lot of specialty vinyl siding pieces available for soffits, rake boards, fascias, covered porch ceilings, and more.Sears is a big leader in the vinyl siding market. Stop by your local Sears to get a quick hands on lesson from their trained staff - they can show you the different varieties and colors they offer, tell you about installation costs, etc. Owens Corning is also a big maker of vinyl siding, with their Reminiscence, Supreme Plus, ProForm, Classic, Beaded, and Narrow Plank vinyl siding lines. When buying vinyl panel siding, you'll want to consider the gauge or thickness of the panels - thicker panels are better and more expensive (.048"). The grain of the panel is your next decision - you can get a smooth grain for a clean finished look, or a more traditional cedar grained panel, or even pieces that look like cedar shingles. Vinyl siding also comes in an assortment of profiles, so you can get a traditional clapboard look or a beaded panel. Finally, color is a major consideration. Most manufacturers offer a wide variety of colors. Of course with paint you really can get ANY color you want -- you will lose that flexibility with vinyl, but most people have no problem finding a close approximate color to what they want. Crane is another maker of vinyl siding (Premium Pointe, Market Square, American Dream, etc) along with their Solid Core insulated siding. Their insulated foam-backed siding is maintenance free like standard vinyl, but looks more like wide cedar planks, insulates your home better, and stands up to bumps and bruises more than vinyl. Alcoa makes aluminum siding, but this is more commonly used in commercial construction that residential construction. Aluminum siding is much stronger than wood (20X stronger!) and vinyl (4X), so it is better suited to environments with extreme weather conditions or potential abuse. How much does siding cost?Each type of siding has a different material and installation cost. For example, the cost of vinyl siding panels is about $250 per square. Fiber Cement siding costs closer to $400, while aluminum siding is about $430, yellow pine clapboard siding is just shy of $500, cedar clapboard siding is a little over $500, cedar shingle siding costs about $700, stucco is about $900, imitation stone veneer siding is about $1000, brick masonry is about $1800, and stone is about $2400. You can see that vinyl easily wins out as the lowest cost option for replacing your siding or initial siding on a new home. But of course the look and style of your house might outweigh your budgetary concerns - if you want brick siding, you can't get it in vinyl!
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