colonial home
(photo credit: Pinterest)
Okay, you’ve got a classic New England style home. A colonial, a victorian, an iconic wood shake. The exterior components on your home are made out of old fiber-based building materials – wood, pulp, and sand – materials that break down over time when moisture invades. This means regular maintenance to prevent all the damage that comes with weather and age. That’s a lot of time and money spent to maintain the vintage styling elements on your home! It also means you may not have the most energy efficient materials protecting your home. So, what do you do? Pick a siding style that looks just like wood!
A lot of people choose vinyl siding for their home. Why?
Vinyl siding will protect your home…
- In extreme weather events. Vinyl siding is made to withstand high winds, hot summers, and the coldest winters.
- Against color fade. Vinyl siding does fade, but nowhere near as quickly or as drastically as painted wood fades.
- Against rot and decay. Vinyl siding is polymer based and therefore does not absorb water. It’s also designed to interlock so rain rolls down the side of your house and does not get trapped behind the siding.
- From high energy bills. Many old New England homes lack insulation inside of the walls and get extremely cold during the winter. But insulated vinyl siding blankets your home in continuous insulation.
But do the benefits of vinyl siding come at the cost of style?
No! You can get vinyl siding in a variety of styles – beyond the standard clapboard style you’re used to seeing. Scallop and shake style vinyl siding are perfect for New England homes.
Shakes (1)
Did you know there’s an alternative to vinyl siding?
James Hardie siding leads the fiber cement siding industry. The HardieShingle line looks just like authentic wood shingles but comes with all the benefits of modern building materials: energy efficiency, low maintenance, and more!
Staggered Edge Hardie Shingle
Why Hardie Siding?
- It’s durable and weather proof. Hardie’s fiber cement siding, made of cellulose sand and cement, is one of the strongest materials to place on the side of your home. It also will not expand and contract in response to temperature changes, it’s fire resistant, and rot-proof!
- It looks like the real deal. Hardie Board looks just like traditional wood shakes. From the curb, it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference. Hardie Board’s actually been approved to replace wood siding in many Historical Districts across the United States.
- There’s a variety of long lasting color options. Color Plus Hardie Planks have color warranties that start at a minimum of 15 years and 25 years for selected colors.
- Hardie Siding is eco friendly! Composite siding is made from inert materials (cement, sand, cellulose fibers and water) that are sustainable and will not release toxins into the environment.
- Return on Investment – James Hardie products retain their value better than ANY other siding product you can put in or on your home. Hardie board has been given between an 80-90% return on investment by a variety of sources. This means an investment in Hardie siding for your home nearly pays for itself if you ever decide to sell.
Want to learn more about the difference between Vinyl Siding and Hardie Siding? Check out this blog post.
