Side-By-Side: How Siding Materials Compare – Part 1 Introduction: Why Siding Matters
Compared with windows or roofing, not much attention is given to siding. Homeowners think of siding mostly in terms of the aesthetic value it can bring to the home. And without a doubt, siding can, and does help add character to a home’s exteriors – but that’s not all siding is good for.
In this 3-part blog series, we discuss everything you need to know about siding: what it is, why your home needs it, and the different siding options available on the market.
Finally, we provide you with useful tips to help you choose what’ll work for you. We also narrow down our recommendations to make your job of choosing the right type of siding for your home (and your needs) so much easier.
First things first: What is siding?
Siding is the material used to cover the exterior of your home. Installed correctly, it can make quite an impact on your home’s exterior aesthetics, doing much to boost its overall visual appeal. When it comes to siding, however, looks aren’t the be-all and end-all. In fact, there are quite a number of important considerations that also ride on the type of siding that you get.
Why does siding matter?
A home, just like the human body, needs protection from the elements. Stripped of its outer armor, a home would be highly vulnerable to the impact of extreme weather – think snow, cold, heat, winds, storms, and hail, to name some. Without the protection often provided by the installation of appropriate siding, your home’s structural integrity is bound to suffer, leading to possibly disastrous results.
Other than protecting the home’s structural integrity, siding is also meant to provide excellent insulation. Most homeowners know how important insulation is in helping us save on energy costs. Siding plays a huge role in preventing heat and cold from entering the home – or escaping it – as the case may be. During summer, siding prevents heat from passing through the walls and turning the home into an oven. Good siding can eliminate or reduce the need for artificial means of cooling the home. The inverse is true during the winter, when siding can prevent heat from escaping.
On top of this, siding prevents moisture from building up and destroying your abode’s walls and foundation. Most problems that require immediate repairs are caused by moisture. As long as your siding is installed correctly and well maintained, there ought to be less repair work needed.
Now that you know why siding’s important, your brain could be running a mile a minute as you mull over what type of siding to use on your home. In the past, siding was made of only one material: wood. Today, a wide variety of materials are available – a fact which, unfortunately, can only make picking out just one material over the others a tad more complicated. In the next part of this series, we discuss further the most common siding material options, and provide a brief description of each type to help the uninitiated.
