This is the first entry on our blog in a series of posts about siding. I’m going to go in depth about the different types of siding and explain the pros and cons of using each. Savage Builders has a team of expert siders that are proficient at installing the different products I’ll be discussing. If installed correctly, the siding you choose is an investment that lasts for many years. This, of course, depends on the climate in which you live. Savage Builders is based in southern New Hampshire, so our focus will be there.
Whether you are replacing the siding on your home, or building a brand-new home, you will be faced with a decision about which siding product to use. There are a multitude of products and brands to choose from. It can seem overwhelming. It is no doubt an important decision. The costs vary significantly, from the product itself to the cost of installation. Siding is very important for aesthetic purposes and efficacy. Think of siding as your home’s armor to defend against the elements. However, that doesn’t mean your home can’t look good too! Siding gives your house character and curb appeal.
The siding product I’ll focus on in this article is James Hardie Board. Due to its fiber cement makeup, Hardie siding can withstand almost anything nature can throw at it. Year after year, it stands up well to wear and tear. Hardie board has become very popular because of its durability. Because of its tough, long-lasting nature, it actually increases the resale value of your home! According to data from many experts, you can recoup on average 75% of the upfront costs of the Hardie siding upon sale of your home. Another economic bonus is it may qualify you for a reduction in your home insurance. It comes with a 30-year warranty but is said to last up to 50 years if cared for properly.
By using Hardie board siding, you may be able to save on exterior painting costs. Most experts in the field suggest you paint Hardie board every 10-20 years. This is less frequent than most other siding types require. Hardie Board is also environmentally friendly, and resistant to most pest including termites, carpenter ants, and woodpeckers. My father had a woodpecker harassing him for a year hammering at his house in Maine. Times like that, you want to know you have high quality siding that’s going to hold up. It is also widely acknowledged to be the greenest siding choice in the market because of the company’s sustainable practices and the materials used to create the product.
In my opinion, there are many benefits to choosing Hardie board over other siding and the pros definitely outweigh the cons. But, let’s touch on the negatives to using Hardie board. It is made of cement fiber, which makes it substantially heavier than other types of siding. This makes it more labor intensive to install. It requires more manpower to install Hardie Board siding correctly than vinyl, wood, etc. For safety reasons, you should have a contractor that is experienced installing Hardie Board and experience using this product helps to complete the job efficiently. If you hire a crew that has limited experience working with Hardie Board your project could take longer and unexpectedly use more material. This can happen because the crew might try to cut corners and end up breaking pieces of the Hardie Board trying to hang it. Since it is a heavier product, if one person tried to hang a long piece, it likely will snap. Experience using this product is critical. Certified at installing Hardie Board is preferred.
The initial investment in Hardie Board is also seen as a negative when weighing it against other products, especially vinyl. The counter argument to this, as previously stated, is that you can recoup most of your initial cost on resale and it increases the value of your home! We’ll discuss another popular product in our next blog article in the siding series.
If you would like to speak with one of our siding professionals please call or email us. We would be excited to have the opportunity to meet with you and answer your questions. As always, we provide a FREE estimate, no obligations. You can be confident choosing Savage Builders for your siding installation.