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Nothing will impact the appearance of your home more dramatically than
the type of siding you choose, so it�s no surprise that homeowners are
looking to dress to impress. As you look for exterior siding, look for
a material that suits the style of your house, fits your lifestyle and
works geographically, because you will be living with your choice of
siding for a long, long time. When it comes to figuring out the cost of
having your home sided - size really does matter, since it�s labor more
than materials that you�re paying for.
Here is a look at some of the most popular and affordable materials for exterior siding:
Solid Wood
The first choice for most homeowners is wood, because it stands
unmatched for beauty and durability. Wood is available in boards,
shingles or shakes. These products are typically made from red or white
cedar but they are also available in pine, spruce, redwood, cypress and
Douglas fir. The benefits to going with wood is it offers some
insulation value, is easy to repair and install, and is available
pre-stained, primed or unfinished in many styles. Some products even
come with fire-retarding treatments. The drawback to solid wood siding
is that it must be painted or stained, which will add several thousand
dollars to the cost of the job and to maintenance expenses in the
future. For example, wood shingles cost between $3 and $4 per square
foot before staining or painting.
Cedar Shingles
Homes sided in cedar shingles (also called "shakes") are made of
natural cedar and are usually stained in shades of brown, gray, or
other earthen colors. Shakes are very popular on traditional, ranch,
historical and vacation homes that want to blend in with its natural or
rustic surroundings.
Engineered or Composite Wood
If solid wood is too much of a strain on your pocketbook you might
want to consider engineered or composite wood products like plywood,
oriented strand board (OSB) and hardboard ($1.50 to $2.70 per square
foot), but even the best of these products won�t give you the look of
real wood. Of the group, plywood (often sold in a reverse
board-and-batten design) is the least expensive, easiest to install and
has the longest track record. It works best on contemporary-styled
homes. OSB and hardboard products are sold as 4 x 8 sheets or are
molded to look like clapboard. They are available preprimed or
prefinished in a wide variety of colors, which keeps the cost down.
Fiber Cement
If you want the appearance of wood, stucco or masonry, but can�t
afford it, fiber cement siding offers a strong and attractive
alternative. This durable, natural-looking material is best known by
the brand names HardiPlank� and HardiPanel�. A real selling point is
the fact that it�s fireproof, resistant to rot, fungus and termites (a
great perk if you live in an area that is hot and humid), and may have
a warranty of up to 50 years.
The installed costs of fiber-cement are reported to be less than
traditional masonry or synthetic stucco, equal to or less than
hardboard siding, and more than vinyl siding. As always, size matters
when it comes to your exterior.
Stucco
You can�t get any more sturdy than stucco. Simply put, you�re
covering your home with a layer or rock. Cement stucco is made up of a
small quantity of lime, Portland cement, and water. This fine grained
concrete is attached to your house using waterproof barrier paper,
galvanized wire mesh, and metal flashings (handy devices that channel
water to the exterior wall). While the strength of stucco remains
unchallenged among sidings (it has a track record of say over a
thousand years), it does have it drawbacks because of its rigid makeup.
If the wood framing beneath it shrinks or if the house foundation
moves, the cement stucco could crack. To avoid this happening to your
new home, be sure the contractor frames your house with wood sheathing
and allows the lumber to dry for about 60 days before installing the
stucco. If you hire a talented plasterer, you have unlimited surface
texture possibilities. If you want to add color to your stucco be sure
to spend the extra money on a m!
asonry penetrating stain, because other paints may peel after time.
Traditional stucco has a low material cost, but is expensive to install
($12 to $16 per square foot).
Aluminum and Metal Siding
Aluminum and steel siding, may be considered a step up from vinyl
in durability, but it�s plagued with its own limitations. Like vinyl,
metal siding comes in limited colors, is a worse insulator than vinyl,
dents easily and is very difficult to repair. So if you live in an area
where you get a lot of hail or your house is surrounded by acorn trees,
you might want to reconsider using metal.
Vinyl
Thanks to new technology in the vinyl industry, the common
stereotype of a �plastic� home has all but faded. New product offerings
wood-like textures, shingles and shakes, deeper colors and more trim
options are making vinyl a popular alternative to its high priced
rivals. Vinyl is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which makes it
immune to rotting and flaking, but even the best vinyl siding will
crack, split and look dingy after awhile. The fact that it requires low
maintenance - it can be washed with a garden hose - and that it is
cheap - $1.50 to $2 per square foot, makes it very appealing. Not so
appealing is the fact that it has limited color choices, provides
virtually no insulation, is not easy to repair, can fade over time and
doesn�t stand up well against Mother Nature.
EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Stucco)
Synthetic stucco, also called EIFS (exterior insulated finish
system) consist of a a polymer-and-cement mixture, which is applied in
two coats over rigid foam insulation and a fiberglass mesh. You might
want to double think using this product, because since it came on the
scene two decades or so ago it has been unable to successfully keep the
water out. Water gets behind many EIFS systems and can�t get out. What
that means for you, is that your home will likely suffer some serious
structural wood rot. Synthetic manufacturers are working on rectifying
this problem by using special water management systems which collect
the water and divert it back to the exterior of the home before it
suffers water damage. Being a new homeowner, this may be one worry
you�ll want skip. Synthetic stucco materials cost more than the real
thing, but because it�s easier to apply it costs less.
The biggest trends in exteriors are vibrant colors and a wood look
Interior design has always been the big �in� when building a home,
but now homeowners are starting to look outside. Let�s face it - first
impressions go a long way, so your exterior home should really stand
out. People are looking for something different and unique, but at the
same time want low maintenance - in walks vinyl. Vinyl manufacturers
are hard at work to meet the demands of homeowners who want a higher
quality and more stylish vinyl siding. The big change to vinyl is that
it�s coming out bright and colorful, now that it�s adding acrylics into
its mix. Most color palettes for vinyl used to be very similar and
pale, but now homeowners can find deep rich colors like forest green
and barn red.
Another new look by vinyl is dressing up as cedar shingles. These
cedar shingles come very close to looking like the real cedar. The real
beauty to these shingles is that they won�t split, rot, flake, peel or
chip like the real thing. Over the last several years, almost every
vinyl manufacturer has come out with some sort of replica cedar
product.
With everyone trying to simulate wood products, it would only make
sense that someone would market a real wood siding product. That�s what
Georgia-Pacific, who makes vinyl and fiber cement, has done with its
Catawba hardboard siding. Catawba is 100 percent hard wood made out of
pulp-grade wood chips pressed and bonded at very high temperatures.
This process makes the wood very weather resistant. If you use two
coats of paint you won�t have to paint it again for 10 years - double
the time of traditional wood products.
About The Author
Tammy Crosby-Editor, Dream Designs
http://www.thehousedesigners.com are independent architects and designers who joined together to provide you the best house plans at the best price.
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