Painting Tips and Color Considerations
Popular Types of Siding for Homes
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Siding Design Options for Curb Appeal
Choose a siding design that improves your home’s curb appeal
Why Siding Design Matters for Curb Appeal
Most people know what curb appeal is and why it’s important, but the concept is difficult to quantify. Whether you’re looking to sell your home or simply retain or increase its value, curb appeal is just as important as interior design and style.
There are many things you can do to increase your home’s curb appeal. You can plant new shrubbery, install a trendy new mailbox or add some brick inlays to your sidewalk. But if you really want to up the ante, few things add to curb appeal more than new vinyl siding.
Siding Design Ideas for All Homeowners
Whether you’re planning on selling your home and want the best price or it’s simply time to replace your old slats, new vinyl siding adds more than just curb appeal. But if you aren’t quite ready to replace your home’s siding, you still have options. There are ways to improve your home’s existing siding without a complete exterior renovation.
Why Siding Design Matters for Curb Appeal
Most people know what curb appeal is and why it’s important, but the concept is difficult to quantify. Whether you’re looking to sell your home or simply retain or increase its value, curb appeal is just as important as interior design and style.
There are many things you can do to increase your home’s curb appeal. You can plant new shrubbery, install a trendy new mailbox or add some brick inlays to your sidewalk. But if you really want to up the ante, few things add to curb appeal more than new vinyl siding.
Painting Tips and Color Considerations
A fresh coat of paint can brighten your home’s exterior, but there are a few considerations you should be aware of first. For starters, the siding’s age and condition make a big difference. If it’s pocked and damaged, new paint won’t improve the curb appeal much. If your siding is nearing 20 years of age, it’s better to hold off until you can replace it. Painting your siding will only cost you more in the long run.
If the siding is in good condition, a fresh coat of paint can brighten your home’s exterior, but you need to choose your colors wisely. Vinyl siding is designed to expand in heat, and each color has different specifications. This means you can’t paint it with any shade darker than its natural color.
Maintaining and Cleaning
If you haven’t cleaned your siding in a while, doing so can give your home a surprisingly fresh look. Over time, the dirt and debris that collects on siding can begin to give it a dingy look. Since it happens gradually, you may not even notice, but once you clean it, the difference might surprise you.
More importantly, regularly cleaning and maintaining your siding will also help extend its life as well as the life of your home. Vinyl siding that isn’t well maintained can be a haven for mold. Left unchecked, it can damage your home’s structural integrity.
Siding Design Options for New Installations
When it comes to choosing the type of siding for new installation, you have quite a few options, each one offering unique benefits and price points. That said, now is a great time for installing new vinyl siding, since advances have enabled more expensive looks without the extra costs.
Popular Types of Siding for Homes
Trying to decide on the right type of siding for your home can be a little overwhelming. There are literally dozens of styles and materials to choose from. Some styles provide great protection but are difficult to maintain and cost a fortune. Others are more affordable but have limited life. Naturally, there are varieties that fit every possible scenario.
Some of the more popular siding types include:
- Vinyl
- Fiber cement
- Natural wood
- Cedar
- Aluminum
Out of the available options, however, vinyl is arguably the best siding for any new installation. Its extreme durability paired with its low cost makes it one of the best bangs for your buck. And since vinyl siding comes in an array of different styles and colors, you aren’t limited to boring horizontal planks. This is probably why it’s the most popular siding option in North America.
Vinyl Siding Styles
While there are many options available, selecting the right siding for your home doesn’t have to be a stressful ordeal. Aside from the practicalities of each vinyl siding type, the most important part of the process is finding a style and color that complements the rest of your home.
Some contractors, such as Thompson Creek, use specialized tools to generate digital previews of your home with updated siding. This makes finding the perfect fit easier.
One of the most common types of siding is lap siding. This design has been used for centuries, both in North America and in Europe, and it’s defined by its horizontal overlapping slats. While it’s affordable and certainly easy on the eyes in a traditional sense, if you’re looking for something unique, vinyl siding comes in varieties with a little more character.
Dutchlap
Next to lap siding, one of the most popular vinyl siding styles is the dutchlap. Dutchlap takes the traditional horizontal lap and creates a sharper contrast between each plank. The idea is to give your siding a hand-carved wood appearance with smoother edges yet deeper shadows.
Compared to traditional horizontal laps, dutchlap is more durable, with the deeper insets providing more strength. The extra space behind the slats also provides better airflow, so it’s less prone to moisture accumulation that could damage your home’s structure. All in all, if you’re looking for a traditional look with a unique yet classic flair, dutchlap is an excellent choice.
Cedar Shake
Cedar shake vinyl siding is a great choice if you’re looking to dress your home in a classic wood look. Originally, cedar shake was crafted from cedar blocks. Each tile was carved and placed individually on the wall. These days, vinyl shake makes achieving this sophisticated look much easier and more affordable.
Genuine cedar shake is rich in texture and color. But like other wood structures in and on your home, they require a lot of maintenance to retain their beauty, and they’re much more expensive, both in the short and long term. With vinyl shake siding, you get the same look without as much maintenance for a fraction of the price, and you also have a wide variety of colors to choose from.
Half Round
Half Round siding is an idyllic look that’s perfect for adding depth and texture to your home’s exterior. Traditionally, half round was made from individual wood shingles, though with a more polished appearance than shake or staggered. Their oblong appearance is why they’re sometimes referred to as fish scales.
Naturally, with vinyl half rounds, you can achieve this classic look without the added costs and maintenance of traditional wood shingles. Keep in mind, when paired with other styles, half round siding is excellent for accentuating certain parts of your home, which can help boost curb appeal even more.
Vinyl Siding Colors
Aside from new siding, the color you choose has an incredible impact on your home’s curb appeal. A fresh color can accentuate your home’s most attractive features, adding to its facade in ways that might otherwise go unnoticed. The best siding color to choose will depend on many factors, including the existing hues on the other exterior elements as well as the general architecture of your home.
For example, cottage or country-style homes are more liberal when it comes to color selection. Bright and bold siding colors, such as matte orange or brick red, look great on a classic country home. But Colonial homes usually go with classic, even tones, such as white or silver gray.
Another great way to help narrow down your color options is by checking out the palettes used on the homes in your neighborhood. Since neighborhoods often have similar architectural patterns, you can look at similar homes with different colors to give you ideas. This is also helpful since it’s a good idea to keep your home’s color at least close to the neighboring homes.
New Siding Costs vs. Investment
If you’re thinking of putting up the money for a new siding installation, it’s only natural to wonder about the investment angle. One of the first questions most people ask is what they’re gaining besides a boost in aesthetics.
Naturally, a fresh appearance on its own can boost the value of your home. Aside from that, new siding can have a significant impact on your home, both in resale value and in ongoing maintenance costs, and energy savings. It goes much further than just giving your home a fresh new look.
Does Replacing Siding Improve Your Home’s Value?
Replacement siding, especially if you go with vinyl, definitely adds to your home’s value. Aside from increased curb appeal and renewed protection, good vinyl siding also increases the energy efficiency of your home.
Additionally, a trustworthy siding contractor can help identify and repair any structural damage while installing replacement siding. This could be leaks, mold, or dry rot — all things that can significantly impact your home’s value. They can also replace or add new insulation to further improve your home’s energy efficiency.
Is the Cost Worth the Investment?
Looking at the investment side of things, exterior remodeling projects, such as adding vinyl siding to your home, are one of the best ways to improve your home’s value. In fact, a report from CNBC found that vinyl siding can retain up to 85% of its cost. That means for every $10,000 you spend on vinyl siding, you’ll add $8,500 to your home’s value.
Your siding’s age is also a factor in your investment. If it’s approaching 20 years old, new siding installation is definitely worth the cost. Quality siding helps protect your home from the elements, such as heavy rain, winter storms or excessive heat. Replacing your siding every 20 years helps keep your home in the best possible shape, which is more important to your investment than curb appeal.
Siding Designs and Ideas from Thompson Creek
High-quality vinyl siding is durable, reliable and easy to maintain. When compared to wood and brick options, vinyl is incredibly affordable. Best of all, modern vinyl siding comes in a variety of attractive designs and colors that make finding the perfect style for your home simple.
For example, with vinyl siding, achieving contrasting appearances is easy. You can up the curb appeal dramatically on multi-storied homes by layering different siding styles. A modest style, such as traditional lap or dutchlap, can serve as a base, while round-cap can bridge the gap to your roof to provide added flair.
Likewise, colors can play a big part in accentuating certain parts of your home. There’s no rule that says you need to color your home in one single color. With endless color options to choose from, you can design your home’s exterior to match your personal style and turns heads on the street.
Thompson Creek Replacement Siding
If you’re thinking of boosting your curb appeal in Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, DC, Thompson Creek has you and your home covered. Our quality siding is specifically designed to handle the unique mid-Atlantic environment as well as anything else you can throw at it.
From staggered and hand-split vinyl siding to dutchlap and cedar, Thompson Creek has a variety of styles to match any home. With each style available in dozens of colors, you’ll have no problems finding the right vinyl for your home.
If you’re ready to see what Thompson Creek can do for you, get started with a free consultation. We can answer any questions you have about your home’s new siding installation as well as provide a free estimate, so reach out today for more information.
Contact us at Thompson Creek to request a free siding replacement estimate.
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