Your home's exterior is the face you present to your neighbors and the world. It's the scene that welcomes you home on every return. It also provides the literal barrier between you and the elements. Damaged siding leaves your home vulnerable. Besides offering important protection, damaged siding is unsightly. Why tolerate an eyesore so publically and often?
Don't settle for an ordinary or dated look. Consider replacing your siding and providing a fresh face for your home to show to the world. Wondering how to check your home for rotted siding? It's easier than you think! We'll walk you through it below.
Warped, rotting siding might be the sign of something even worse underneath. Take stock of your situation so that you can make a plan. Start by closely inspecting your home for areas of warped siding. You can test for rotting under the siding without removing it. Using a screwdriver or blunt instrument to examine the area under the siding. Is the siding loose, or does the area underneath give way easily? This is a sure sign that there is significant damage underneath and the siding needs to be replaced right away.
Wondering what it costs to replace your siding? We share our prices here.
Over time, some siding fades and curls at the edges. If your home's siding tells the story of its years, you can give it a fresh new look that increases the value of your entire home. Newer vinyl and fiber cement siding styles can keep your home looking newer for longer with improved technology in fade resistance and material durability.
If you spot any mold or water leaks on the interior walls of your home, this could also indicate that your siding needs repair. Over time, your home can shift, causing siding panels to become loosened. When this occurs, water can get behind the siding planks and in some cases, even into the interior of your home, leading to further rotting and damage to your home's framework. Not all signs of mold or fungus inside indicate a need for new siding, but it should always prompt a more complete investigation.
Sometimes spotting damage can be overwhelming. Whether you end up needing a complete siding replacement or not, knowing the steps for an exterior remodel can ease your mind by demystifying the process.
Creepy crawlies in your living space could indicate that gaps in your home's exterior protection are serving as highways for unwanted pests to access your hospitable environment. If you notice an uptick in six and eight-legged guests, it could be that the caulking on your siding has become cracked or deteriorated, ruining the integrity of your siding system.
Water leaks also attract insects, so examine your home completely, as discussed above, if you notice insect visitors increasing.
In addition to being upsetting, bugs and crawling insects can cause significant damage to the structure of your home. It will be much easier to repair the siding quickly after a small breach rather than trying to replace wooden beams and studs in your home after a large infestation has been underway for some time.
You may have recently purchased your home or remodeled your exterior so long ago that a stranger may as well have made the design choices. If you are interested in making some substantial improvements to greatly increase your curb appeal, an exterior remodel is the right way to go.
Today's siding manufacturers have developed some absolutely stunning and durable options that are new to many people entering the remodeling market. For example, we work in James Hardie fiber cement siding at SmardBuild, which mimics a variety of types of wood siding, but lasts much longer and requires a fraction of the maintenance.
If you're interested in siding contractors near you, you're in luck in the Naperville area. We deliver before and after photos for the ages. If you're in our greater Chicago service area, we'd be pleased to talk to you about your exterior home remodeling dreams.