From your roofing to your siding, the exterior of your home needs just as much care and attention as the interior of your home, if not even considerably more. After all, it is the exterior of your home that takes the brunt of the elements, from rain to snow to sleet to sometimes even hail. Regular inspections and renovations should be conducted to these exterior features – and it’s important to know when it’s time to make a replacement of a roof or your siding, though this exact time frame will certainly vary from home to home all throughout the United States.
For instance, hiring a roofing company to inspect your roof is important and ideally this roofing company will come out to your home at least twice throughout the year to do so, and once if two times is not possible. A roofing company can also perform roofing repairs, which can become necessary over time or, as is most common, after some type of severe weather event. A roofing company will first assess the damage before performing the repair, and the typical roofing company will likely not charge you more than $400 for a minor roofing repair. However, the average roofing repair as conducted by the average roofing company can cost up to $1,000 or even more if the damage is considerably more extensive. Therefore, it’s important to contact a roofing company to assess your roof as soon as you suspect any type of damage to be present, as damage left unprepared by a skilled roofing company is only likely to grow in scope and scale.
In addition to the roofing company, siding companies should also be contacted if a problem with the siding is detected. In fact, siding replacement is likely to become necessary after a certain point in time, as siding that is old, worn out looking, or perhaps even damaged can actually lower the overall value of a home by as much as 10% – which is certainly quite considerable in the grand scheme of things. There are many different types of siding to choose from, but you’ll likely want to go with one of the three most popular varieties, which include cedar siding, vinyl siding, and fiber cement siding. All have their pros and cons, so these will be important to weight before you ultimately make your final decision.
Cedar siding is currently the top type of siding used throughout the United States, and it can be incredibly attractive when used on just about any given home throughout the country. Some types of cedar siding will be painted, and the paint for cedar siding can come in a variety of different colors. Typically, you’ll want to repaint your cedar siding at least once every 15 or so years, but many households find that things look better when the siding is repainted only every ten years.
Cedar siding can also be stained instead of being painted, which can be ideal for a household that is perhaps looking to go for a bit of a more natural look. With such siding, maintenance will need to be a little bit more frequently. Ideally, the siding will be restained once in every five year period and no less frequently than once in every ten year period. If this is still too much maintenance for you, considering painted cedar siding or an entirely different kind of siding is likely to be the next step to take.
Vinyl siding, for instance, has risen in popularity as a type of siding all throughout the United States. Vinyl siding can last for as many as 40 years before needing to be replaced and is quite cost effective at the time of purchase as well. In addition to this, vinyl siding never needs to be stained or painted, meaning that it is incredibly low maintenance in comparison to other types of siding – even cedar siding, which is not particularly high maintenance in and of itself. All in all, there are many ways that you can improve the quality of your home, from your roofing to your siding choices.
