Siding Replacement: How to Tell If You Need New Siding
Siding Replacement: How to Tell If You Need New Siding
While we primarily work with roofs, siding replacement is also a large portion of the work we do. During our inspection, we also take care in examining potential damage to your siding and windows. As such, we’ve come to understand the different signs of damage for siding and how soon you should replace it.
Rot/Mold/Mildew in Siding
The signs of rotting siding are unmistakably clear. You can see dark spots or staining in one area (or more) which indicates a moisture issue. This moisture damage will compromise the function of your siding and presents opportunity to widespread damage. This includes seeping through your walls and affecting the interior of your home. Oftentimes, this can be easily replaced to the isolated area without repairing all your siding. Our recommendation is to address this quickly as it can only get worse with time.
Loose, Cracked, or Dented Siding
When a hail storms hits, it may pummel your siding and start to wear down the appearance. This may come in the form of loose, cracked, or dented siding. Although unsightly, it’s not an urgent issues to address. We do recommend, however, that you have a roofing contractor come take a look. Even if you think it “doesn’t look that bad” your insurance policy will often cover hail damage within 1 year so don’t sit on it.
Warped Siding
Warping, rippling, twisting in your siding can be unattractive, however, don’t ignore the obvious signs of siding damage. This eyesore on your exterior may be the result of poor installation or simply the aging of your home. Vinyl siding (due the nature of the material) is more susceptible to warping. This, again, is not and urgent fix and doesn’t necessary requirement siding replacement for your whole home. The repairs may be confined to one area of your exterior and can be easily done by siding contractors.
Fading or Chipped Paint
Sometimes fading or chipping in the paint of your siding is a prerequisite for rotting siding. As the paint is pulling away, it exposes an area of your siding that is susceptible to water damage. This may indicate a bigger problem, but more often than not, you simply need to re-paint your siding. Hire a quality exterior painting company that uses premium paint products if you want it to last.
Rising Energy Bills
Good siding provides an added layer of insulation on your home. Bad siding does just the opposite. Many homeowners don’t think that siding can affect, however, you can’t ignore rising energy bills. Exposed areas of siding will result in hot and cool air loss, which means…paying more for bills. Homeowners are surprised how much lower their energy bills can be after siding replacement.
Summary
Leaving damaged siding for too long can wreak havoc on the exterior of your home and cost far more in damages. If you notice any of these telltale signs in your siding, reach out to us for a FREE inspection at (402) 889-3381 or visit our sister company, Dotzler Siding.