What is siding?
Put siding is a material used to cover the exterior of your entire house. The most common siding materials are brick, wood, fiber, metal, vinyl, and stone siding. The most popular one is Vinyl siding. This is because it protects and significantly improves the appearance of your home's exterior, all while offering unrivaled strength and durability at an affordable price. Moreover, vinyl is a great alternative to traditional house paint, and it does a good job of dressing up problem walls.
With so many different styles and colors to choose from, the possibilities for vinyl siding are virtually limitless. The siding has numerous advantages, which make it an excellent option for homeowners. It can increase your home's curb appeal and value and is highly dent-resistant and resistant to damage from other sources.
Vinyl siding is extremely durable and designed to stand against harsh weather, including excess moisture, high winds, hail, and rain. In addition, Insulated vinyl siding is good at reflecting radiant heat. You do not need to be concerned with rotting, rusting, or vinyl warping.
Questions to Ask Before a Siding Installation
If your home siding is loose, cracked, faded, or damaged, you are probably thinking about home siding replacement. It can be costly, time-consuming, and messy, especially if you do not have a good contractor. If you are going to spend so much time and money, you should ensure you get it right the first time.
Just like in roof repair or replacement projects, hiring a siding professional is always the best option. After all, by doing so, you will be able to reduce the number of errors that can cost you a significant amount of money to correct. Before you hire a contractor, ensure to ask the following questions:
How Much Should I Pay For Siding Installation?
The larger your house, the more costly installing vinyl siding will be. New vinyl siding costs about $12 per square foot. For clients on a tight budget, that cost may be reduced to $2 per square foot if you select cost-effective options. Expensive materials can cost up to $50 per square foot.
The total cost of siding replacement is determined by your home's size, the number of stories, and the materials used. For instance, a 2000 sq ft house siding will cost between $3 and $11 per square foot. Generally, a homeowner might spend averagely between $4,300 to $15,800 to install siding on a 2,000-square-foot home.
However, this is not the final price. There is some unanticipated extra siding cost to consider. For instance, the cost of exterior siding may vary depending on the shape of your home. Some siding materials, such as vinyl, are sold in pre-cut sheets. As a result, cuts or other customizations may be required depending on the shape of your home. As more customizations are requested, the price will rise. Additionally, the cost may also increase if you need to remove and replace your home's existing siding, which will necessitate additional labor.
How Do You Install Vinyl Siding?
Materials and tools
If you choose to reduce the total project cost by doing the vinyl siding installation yourself you will need the following materials and tools: 12-foot lengths of siding, J-channel cut, window/door trim channel, utility channel, vented and existing soffits, corner posts, metal furring strips, and fascia board.
Vinyl siding installation
The siding must always be installed over a flat surface unless you are siding a new home or have removed the old siding. In such a case, you will need to line the walls with sheets of rigid-foam board, usually, 1/2-inch thick. Rigid foam provides some insulation and its main use is to provide a nailing surface that is flat. Roofing nails can be used to secure the rigid foam as well as the siding.
Beginning with the vinyl soffit, nail down the lengths of the J-channel on the inner part of the fascia board. The channel hides the trimmed ends of the soffit lengths where they meet the fascia. The soffit and siding pieces contain nail slots. Nails at the nail slot centers permit expansion and hold the heads out 1/32 to 1/16 inch. Don't nail anything too tightly.
Most homeowners find the installation process be to quite cumbersome. If you chose to have the new siding installed by a professional here are some questions you can ask your siding contractors:
Are You Insured?
The construction industry is risky. Workers get injured on the job and expensive property is damaged. All this can potentially lead to you getting a very expensive lawsuit. This is why first before the contractor you intend to hire gets to work, request their certificate of insurance.
Their insurance policy should particularly offer coverage for accidental property damage (liability insurance) and injuries (workers' compensation). This is vital because in case an accident occurs on your property while your contractor is working, their insurance policy would release you from the liability and their insurance will cover the bills.
If the contractor you have chosen does not have insurance you better find another contractor to finish the job.
Are You Licensed To Work In My State?
Siding is one of the most hotly contested aspects of home improvement and one of the most vulnerable to scams. This is why your contractor should have a valid contractor's license to work in your state. In the remodeling industry, there are two types of licenses: business and contractor. The latter is what you should be looking for.
A contractor license is proof that your state, city, or county has authorized that contractor to work in the business for which they have been licensed’. It is also your guarantee that the contractor will follow all applicable local and international building codes. Additionally, if a contractor is licensed in your state, it means they are familiar with the local building codes and know what they are doing.
The contractor should be able to provide their license information without difficulty. Do not hire the contractor if he or she declines to provide you with their license information. It could be risky. They could be scamming you, and you could lose a lot of money as a result.
Do You Provide Guarantees Or Warranties?
Every siding installation comes with a manufacturer's warranty, but not all contractors provide these workmanship warranties. Those who usually do only have two years of coverage, which is often insufficient in most cases.
A good siding contractor will back up their work with a warranty or guarantee. Construction jobs are frequently unpredictable. Even the best contractor can make mistakes. You will want to hire one who will admit their mistakes and repair the damage for free as long as certain conditions are met.
Who Are Your References?
Contractors in the remodeling business must have a good reputation. The best way to tell if you are dealing with a good contractor is to ask for references from people the company has worked with previously.
This will help you learn how the siding contractor has performed, what to expect if the company did a good job, what were their shortcomings, and how they delivered according to the customer's expectations? To get the best results, try asking for at least five names and their contact information. You do not have to call all of these numbers; instead, pick one or two at random to get a sense of the contractor's reputation.
In addition, look for references other than those provided by the contractor. For example, you could look up their page on social media to see if there are any negative comments. In addition, visit review pages on websites such as Yelp and Yellow Pages to help you get a more accurate picture of the type of service you can expect.
Do You Work With Subcontractors?
Sub-contractors are what they are called, and they are not always a good thing for homeowners. Some contractors take on a siding project then outsource the work in order to improve efficiencies and reduce costs. The company you hire may sell your project or portions of it to another company, which means they have no control over the job's quality.
It is preferable to have the work completed by a company that employs full-time workers. This way, you will know who you are dealing with, and you will not have a swarm of strangers on your property while the work is being done.
Make your house feel more like home today! For more information contact, Rocky Ridge Exteriors at their office at Castle Rock, CO 80104. You could also call 303-876-7651 to book an appointment today.
Comments