When it comes to human beings, a facelift isn’t always a great idea. When it comes to your home, however, eternal youth is attainable. New siding can instantly turn your home into a fresh, new version of its former self. Giving your home a facelift not only boosts its curb appeal but also its value, giving your home an entirely new personality. Whether your current siding has run its course and is in disrepair, or you just want to a new look, there is an abundance of options for siding that will meet every style preference and every price range.
What Are My Siding Options?
Fiber Cement: What is fiber cement, you ask? Good question. Though the word “cement” might make it sound like you’ll be hanging grey blocks of concrete on your home, fiber cement is anything but drab. It’s a composite material made from sand, cement and cellulose that can be molded to mimic virtually any material. Fiber cement is one of the most popular options for siding, due to its flexibility, affordability, and longevity.
Softwood: There’s just something about Redwood and Western Red Cedar that gives your home a natural feel – especially in California. For older California homes that were built with Redwood and Cedar, new wood siding is the perfect extension of the existing look and feel. Softwoods are stainable, paintable, and available in various grades to ensure you get the right look. It’s affordable and durable, with natural resistance to weather and insects. Wood requires some maintenance – re-painting or staining once it becomes weathered, but it’s a labor of love.
Hardwood: Looking for a siding option that will make your home the crown jewel of your neighborhood? Look no further than hardwoods. Brazilian Ipe and Mangaris offer a modern and entirely unique façade. Hardwoods are incredibly durable, as well as weather and insect resistant. Most hardwoods are hung using a clip system, leaving space between the wall and the siding to allow moisture to flow through – and to enable the wood to dry evenly and avoid buckling. Hardwood is a little more expensive than softwood, but it’s worth every penny.
Composite: You know that feeling when you buy something brand new – a car, furniture, a house – and it looks so good you wish it would stay brand new forever? With composite siding, it (almost) can. Made from high-density materials, composite siding from manufactures like Resysta don’t absorb water, don’t grey in the sun and don’t shrink, splinter or crack. With a wide variety of available styles – and virtually no maintenance outside of a hose down every now and again – composite siding answers the bell for almost any style preference.
Shake: Homes in different areas of the country often have a certain geographical feel to their aesthetics – the Spanish tile roofs of South Florida, the Victorian style homes of the northeast, and the brownstones of New York City, to name a few. Southern California has a generous share of stucco homes, though many SoCal homeowners are re-siding with more visually pleasing materials. Shake siding – a cedar-based material cut into shingles that stack on top of each other – can turn your home into a New England beach cottage-inspired rustic dream. Shake siding is affordable (about the same price as softwood siding) and brings a unique bit of the east coast to your west coast abode.
Stone: Perhaps the most prestigious of all siding options is stone. It is an international symbol of strength and solidarity – impervious to weather, rot and just about anything else that mother nature throws its way. The Pyramids at Giza have been around for nearly 6000 years. With stone siding, there’s a good chance your home will stand the test of time as well. Stone siding can have a higher price tag – especially traditional stone which requires extensive masonry work. New products like Boral Versetta Stone, however, offer a far easier and more cost-effective solution. These manufactured stone “shingles” screw into walls individually without the need for masonry.
Metal: While metal siding is rarely used for individual homes, it’s a great solution for barns, sheds, and similar structures. Metal is by far the cheapest siding solution, incredibly durable and is easy to install. Metal siding can be cut in single sheets to the exact size of a wall. While it is used mostly for “working” structures, some homeowners have utilized metal siding as accent walls to create a unique, semi-industrial look for their homes.
Ready to Improve Your Curb Appeal?
As you can see, there are plenty of siding options that will allow you to reinvent your home. When you are ready, make sure to take the time to explore all the options. After all, your home will be sporting its new look for decades.
J&W Lumber can help. Contact us or stop into one of our showrooms today, and we’ll help outfit your home with the right style of siding for you.