With Spring just around the corner, now is the perfect time to investigate the health of your home and whether it needs a siding replacement. Homeowners should check their siding regularly for any potential issues or damage leading to costly repairs.
Not sure what to look for? Here are 7 helpful siding replacement hints:
1. Cracked Siding
Cracks in the exterior siding of your home is a clear sign it’s time to have it replaced. Woodpeckers can also cause serious damage to your home’s cedar or wood siding, creating large holes with their activities. And when siding is kept in great shape, it provides an extra layer of protection for your home. Plus, it helps minimize the damage that can be caused by inclement weather.
2. No Metal Flashing
A quick inspection of doors, windows, and trim will reveal if they are properly sealed and in good shape. This needs to include the use of metal flashing and caulk to seal around edges and corners. If this is not the case, it could mean your home’s siding is in need of repair or replacing. If caulking was used to seal the tops of doors, windows, and trim, there could still be reason for concern. Homeowners also need to know that caulking is not as durable, nor does it have the longevity of metal flashing.
3. Failing Caulking
Carefully inspect seams and edges of your siding, checking the sides of windows, doors, and corners for any deteriorating caulking. In some cases, there may be very little, or no caulking at all. For example, damage can occur when water and moisture seep into openings around doors and windows where caulking has failed.
4. Improperly Installed Siding
It is important every homeowner ensures their home’s exterior siding was properly installed. And depending on the type of siding and length of time since installation, there could be missing fasteners or joint flashing. This is why it’s incredibly important to install siding according to all manufacturer’s specifications. When siding is improperly installed, it can lead to serious warranty issues, providing less protection for your home’s exterior.
5. Risk of Mold
Rotten, warped, or structurally damaged siding can also cause all types of other issues, including the development of mold. Maintaining your home’s siding health, helps keep moisture in check, protecting your family from dangerous conditions like mold.
6. Peeling Paint
While we are searching for clues, another one is peeling paint. Have you noticed your home needing to be repainted more often than usual? This is usually a red flag your home’s siding is deteriorating, and not providing proper exterior protection from the elements, which over time can lead to larger, costlier issues.
7. Rising Energy Costs
The final sign your siding may need replacing soon, is also the most insidious. It is insidious because you don’t tend to notice the increased energy costs, at least not initially since they trend up gradually over time. Select any month of the year, let’s say January, then complete a comparison of energy costs today versus one year ago, three years ago and then five years ago. Assuming the cost of the energy itself remains fairly constant over that same period (adjust for any significant variations in cost) you should be able to see if your home’s energy costs are on the rise. If so, failing siding could be the culprit, and by replacing the siding, you could save hundreds in energy costs every year.
Regardless of the time of year, periodically inspecting your home’s siding makes good sense. Plus, proper siding maintenance also gives you peace of mind — knowing your family, home, and investment are all protected.
Exterior Crew is a professional siding and installation contractor, located in the greater Seattle area. We are happy to assist with any professional siding replacement needs you may have, including providing a free, on-site, evaluation of your home’s existing siding condition today.
Don’t wait any longer. Give us a call today!
