How to Tell if Your Siding Needs to be Replaced

For many homeowners, replacing your home’s siding may not be very high on your home improvements to-do list. In fact, a lot of homeowners do not consider replacing their siding until there is a specific or urgent problem with it. However, the siding of a home is important and should not be ignored. After all, siding does fade, wear out, crack, break and age with time. Sometimes, old siding can begin to leak, and at this point it might already be too late to stop other major damage from happening. In this article, we are going to reveal some of the tell-tale signs that your siding needs to be replaced, especially if you want to prevent any extensive damage occurring in the future.

You Have High Heating and Cooling Bills

If you have noticed your heating and cooling bills have increased over the months or years, this is often a clear sign your home needs new siding. Of course, you should first rule out a leaking roof or any problems with your home’s insulation. However, if your heating and cooling costs have increased or are different to your neighbors who have a similar house structure, it could be an indication something is wrong with your home’s siding. Badly performing siding combined with low grade wall insulation is often the cause of high heating and cooling bills. It is important to regularly carry out an inspection of your siding and if you notice any gaps, chances are this is where your hot and cold air is escaping, and it is time to replace your siding as soon as possible.

You Find Yourself Frequently Painting Your Home

Do you find yourself frequently painting your home – for example every five or so years? This is often a sign that your siding is not performing at its peak. Well performing siding should ideally keep its shape and color for at least 8 years, and usually longer. If your siding is chipping, peeling or cracking often, this is an obvious sign there is a big problem with your siding and that it needs to be replaced.

The Siding is Cracked or Loose

If you notice one or two siding boards that are cracked or loose, you probably do not have to be overly concerned. Many homeowners are able to remove one or two bad pieces of siding and replace them. However, if there are large sections of your siding that is cracked, or if there are many siding pieces that are loose, it is a good idea to call in a professional contractor to assess the damage and replace the old siding to prevent any further major damage. If you do not remove cracked, broken or loose pieces of siding, water might seep in behind those pieces of siding and cause major (and costly) problems for you in the future.

There Are Holes in the Siding

Holes, both big and small, are a major sign that there is a problem with your siding. More often than not, holes in siding are a result of pests. If that is the case and pests have gotten into your siding, they can not only cause trouble on their own, but the holes they create might allow rain or snow to seep into and underneath your siding, which is very costly to repair once the damage has been done.

There is Dry Rot