How can you protect your home from damaged siding while also making it visually appealing? Being proactive and taking advantage of repair opportunities, that’s how. The siding of your home is one of its most important assets. Like our skin, the siding of a home protects the inside from external damage like thunderstorms, excessive heat, and invasive critters. Along with protection, the condition and appearance of your siding can add extra value and curb appeal to your home. Whether your home’s siding is vinyl, wood, brick, or stucco, making sure your siding is in good condition is vital. Let’s look at some ways to protect your home and make the most of any future siding repairs.
How Siding Gets Damaged
The outside world is always finding new ways to harm your home’s exterior. Here are some common threats to your home and its siding.
Weather
Storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes can be a nightmare for homeowners. High-velocity winds, pounding rain, and scorching heat can cause immediate or prolonged damage to a home’s exterior (and interior).
Infestations
Termites, rodents, and other creepy crawlers love to hide and build their homes in exterior siding. Any weak points, cracks, or holes are prime for infestation.
Foliage
Trees and bushes can push through hard ground and concrete: which means they can definitely penetrate siding as well. Branches, vines, and roots can cause damaged siding over time.
Outdoor Appliances
Grills, power tools, and other appliances can melt, bend, and distort siding when close enough. Leaning appliances against your home or storing them close by can be problematic.
Constant Upkeep
Inspection
The best way to prevent damaged siding is to always be on the lookout for potential problems. Finding early signs of water damage, infestation, or general degradation can save you lots of money and headaches by contacting your insurance and a professional contractor immediately. Checking the exterior of your home every few months for any problems is a great habit to start implementing.
Clean and Upkeep
Like brushing your teeth to prevent cavities, it’s important to keep your siding in good condition to avoid future problems. Investing in a power washer or a ladder and a squeegee is a great idea. Also, trimming any encroaching trees, bushes, plants, and vines is a smart thing to do.
Painting
If your siding is made of a material that can be painted, it’s recommended that you update the paint, sealant, or stain every few years — depending on the material itself. Make sure that the warranty allows for any added protection. If applied improperly, the siding can become warped and will need to be replaced.
Updating Exterior
So, now your home has damaged siding and you need to repair it: now is your chance to protect your home and update its look!
Don’t Do It Yourself
First things first, if you aren’t a contractor and have no experience repairing homes, don’t do it yourself. Making the problem worse and voiding warranties are some pricey issues you could potentially run into.
Style, Color and Customization
Nowadays, there are many great options in regard to exterior siding. New siding materials like vinyl, aluminum, and fiber cement improve your home’s protection, energy efficiency, and visual appeal. New siding colors, a different profile, vertical siding, and lap siding are great new ways to improve the exterior appeal of your home.
Need More Information?
Reach out to the house repair professionals — 3JM Exteriors Inc. — at (630) 394-6618 or contact us online to learn more about repairing and updating damaged siding. Let 3JM Exteriors Inc. be the trusted expert you can count on for all your housing repair solutions!