I recently received an email from a good friend of mine where he was asking me about the sidings of my home in Atlanta, Georgia. I was a bit confused at first since I am certainly not a contractor but I kept on reading just to see what that was about.
He was noticing problems with the siding on his home. While he had some specific questions regarding
siding in Atlanta, I thought it would be worthwhile to discuss siding replacement in general. Weather conditions and the types of siding used vary greatly from one part of the country to another, but there are general rules that pretty much apply anywhere.
Nothing lasts forever, and the siding on your home is no exception. Broken clapboards or shakes can rot or break and your can no longer do what it is meant to do. Wear is not limited to
clapboards or shakes, as time and the elements will take their toll on any type of siding. When siding is damaged it lets dirt, air, insects, and water into your home. Further decay and damage will also occur in the wood around it. When the damage is limited to a few small locations, repair may be the best option, at least in the short run. It is possible to repair damaged areas or individual shingles and delay or prevent further deterioration before the situations gets out of hand.
The first thing to do is take a good look at the siding on your home. If you see bad spots, it’s best to make repairs as soon as possible. If the damage is minor, the damaged board or shake is the only part that must be replaced, and the job goes fairly quickly. In the case of clapboards, the old board should be replaced with a new one of the same size and shape. This is a simple process for a trained professional, and cost will be minimal. If you have damaged shakes or shingles, replacement is done similar to the way clapboards are replaced. The most difficult part of this operation is matching the replacement with the current shakes/shingles. Different areas of your home’s exterior get different amounts of sun and other weathering, and the colors and texture may be difficult to match. If the damaged area is in a highly visible area, you will not want the new shake or shingle to look significantly different from those that surround it. Replacing shingles or clapboards as they become damaged will keep your siding from deteriorating quickly and better protect your home from the elements. There are times when the damage is sufficiently extensive that replacement is the best option. There are many factors to consider when deciding to whether to do selective repair done or to have the siding replaced entirely. Naturally, initial cost is a major consideration. But the cheapest short-term option may end up costing considerably more over the long run. A consultation with a trusted professional is highly recommended, unless you want to do a great deal of research and calculations on your own. Whether you decide to employ a contractor or feel capable of doing the job yourself, it’s best to catch the problems early before further deterioration occurs.
