These Are the Different Siding Options for Homes
There are many options when choosing the right siding for your home. That’s a good thing, right?
Well, the answer to that question is actually counterintuitive to what you might think. You see, having too many options to choose from can be exhausting and detrimental to one’s health—your health.
So for that reason, we’ve put together a quick guide on some, not all, of the most popular siding options for homes available. We’ll cover some pros and cons, along with cost-effectiveness.
Wood Is Good
Wood siding brings an aesthetic beauty to a home that other types of sidings can only dream of. Just take a look at homes covered in cedar shakes or accented with walls of IPE—the awe is inspiring to say the least.
Although it’s quite beautiful, one downside of wood is that it’s high-maintenance. Insects and water love to wreak havoc on wood siding, requiring more repairs than other types of siding.
That being said, all the many varieties of wood siding can make it one of the most affordable and possibly one of the most expensive options for your home. Pine lap siding, for example, costs around $6.50 per square foot installed. Whereas IPE siding costs around $20 per square foot installed.
Low Maintenance Metal
Metal siding is extremely low maintenance, long-lasting, versatile, and cost-effective. Siding such as aluminum and steel saw a rise in popularity from the 1940s to the 1970s. However, metal siding has seen a decline ever since new materials like vinyl and composites hit the market.
From a distance, it’s hard to tell the difference between metal siding and wood. That’s because in a lot of cases it’s manufactured to look just like wood clapboards.
In other cases, metal siding used on homes is more obvious. For example, corrugated metal is used on modern home designs to give a more industrial look.
The cost to install metal siding ranges from $5 to $14 per square foot. Some cons to using metal for siding is it’s easy to dent and the paint coating can bleed, chalk and fade over time.
Vinyl for the Cost
Touted as one of the cheapest sidings to have installed is vinyl. That’s because the material is cheap to make and easy to install.
Not only is it affordable, but it’s also very low maintenance and can last as long most other material. For these reasons, vinyl has become the number one siding used in new home construction. On the low end, vinyl siding is installed at $3 per square foot, or a high $12 per square foot.
Stone For the Green Award
Building your home with stone siding gets the green award because it’s a natural material that doesn’t require any chemicals or sealers to maintain. It can also last longer than any other area in your home.
Stone is beautiful and timeless. However, it can cost a small fortune to build with due to the high labor costs. Installing stone siding properly needs years of experience, like that of The Trough Man. Stone siding installed can cost between $10 to $30 per square foot installed—veneer options are available as well and usually cost a bit less than real stone.
Siding Options for Homes
Choosing the right siding for your home will depend on what your personal aesthetics are and how much money you can put down. What siding options for homes do you like best?
If you found this article useful, read other home improvement articles in our blog section.
