When it comes to improving your home, siding installation probably isn’t your highest priority. Many homeowners assume their original siding will last throughout their house’s lifespan.
Unfortunately, that’s often not the case. Siding—the material used to wrap and insulate wooden portions of your home’s exterior—comes with an expiration date. It is not uncommon for homeowners to replace their siding every ten years or so.
If you’re unsure whether your home needs new siding, here are a few symptoms to watch out for:
Escalating Energy Bills
Siding is an important component of your home’s insulation. Over the years, weathering can lead to cracks, tears, and thinning in your siding, which will make for higher heating and cooling costs.
To benchmark, check with your neighbors occasionally and compare your energy costs with theirs. If yours seem unusually high by comparison, and your roof, windows, and attic insulation are in good shape, it may be time for a new siding installation.
Peeling Paint, Outside or Inside!
Many homeowners choose to paint their siding, and paintable sidings are designed to hold their color for years. But as the material ages, it is likely to become less and less color fast, and more susceptible to fading. This is not only unsightly; it’s also a good indication that the material is becoming less effective at protecting your house.
Peeling paint inside your home can be a sign of faulty siding as well. When the paint (or wallpaper) inside your home starts to peel from the walls, it’s frequently due to the degradation of your insulation materials, which lets in outside air. If your other insulation components are in good shape, a new siding installation in Marietta might help preserve your interior paint and wallpaper.
Bending and Warping
It’s easy to spot broken or cracked siding, but the material can break down in more subtle ways as well. Older siding frequently warps and bends as it loses its water-proof quality. This can be hard to see without closely inspecting the material from all angles. But once you notice it, you should act quickly, so that water and fungus doesn’t get inside the siding and cause additional damage to your home.
Rotting From Within
This is another hard-to-spot issue that poses real danger to your home. If siding does rot, the issue typically begins with the outer layer, and can be quickly addressed. But in rare cases, forms of dry rot will take hold within your siding, at the layer closest to your home. This can silently eat away at your house for years if not fixed.
The best way to detect this is by rapping your knuckles along the siding. If the material feels weak or damp, you should call a siding installation company for a closer inspection.
