Home Siding Repairs

Most modern siding is built to last but damages still occur. Read ahead to learn all you need to know about home siding repair and replacement today.

Your home siding serves the dual purpose of contributing to your home’s curb appeal, while also protecting it from the elements. Depending on where you live your home siding might be exposed to elements from all four seasons. You might also live in a climate prone to more extreme summer or winter temperatures. Most modern siding is constructed to withstand extreme elements and last for decades. Damages caused by weather or unexpected flaws in craftmanship are unpredictable, however, and at some point, you might be faced with unexpected repair vs. replacement decisions. Continue reading to learn all you need to know about home siding repairs today.

Reasons You Need to Repair or Replace the Siding on Your Home

Siding is manufactured to last for decades but does not always meet expectations. To be clear, most modern home siding is of good quality but Mother Nature is unpredictable. Home siding is also exposed to the same types of accidental flaws in workmanship and materials as many other products for your home. Sometimes, weather happens. This is especially true when you live in an area of the country where harsh winter cold or extreme summer heat are prevalent. Perhaps you live near the ocean, where the salt air does stealthy damage to the outside of your home.

Your siding needs to be repaired or replaced when holes, cracks, dents, or other types of damage occur. Some home siding repairs are reasonably simple to do as DIY projects. In fact, some DIY repairs and preventative maintenance help improve the longevity of your siding, consequently preventing the need for replacement services. Chips, cracks, and dents might reparable, but could also be the signs of deeper trouble. For example, some of these problems are caused by your house buckling slightly over time, or a leak you cannot see constantly dripping or running down the same spot. Conversely, chips, cracks and dents left unrepaired might cause leaks and other types of water damage to your home’s walls and other materials.

Blisters and bubbles start to form as siding ages. These issues are typical of older vinyl siding but can also occur with siding made of other materials. What causes bubbles or blisters to form on your siding? Commonly, water and condensation become trapped underneath the siding during summer the months. Humidity and moisture are often inconsistent from day to day (and sometimes hour to hour) during this season due to frequent rainstorms. Trapped water begins to evaporate after the rain stops and the sun starts shining again. This process causes your siding to expand in problematic, damaging ways. Wood siding is also at risk of succumbing to dry rot. In this situation water once again becomes trapped underneath your siding. Trapped water does not always fully evaporate when contained within wood materials. This causes wood siding panels to rot from the inside. 

The Choice to Replace or Repair Your Home Siding

The choice to repair or replace your home siding is not subjected to the same number of complexities and variables as your home windows. Your siding is either fixable or not. If it is fixable you need to determine if it is feasible to handle the repairs as a DIY project or if you need to hire a professional service to do the repairs. If it is not fixable and therefore needs to be replaced, you must determine how many panels need to be replaced and if new siding is available to match the rest of the good siding on your home. If your original siding is significantly older, you might have to reside your entire home to ensure you have a matching appearance around your entire house.

Types of Reparable Damage (and solutions)

When your home siding has small cracks, holes, or dents it might be possible to repair it instead of replacing it. Hardeners, wood fillers and epoxies are available for DIY siding repair. These products fill holes and cracks and harden any softened or weakened areas of the siding. This type of maintenance might be all you need to extend the life of your siding by many years or even prevent the need for replacement at all. Sometimes single siding panels, boards or shingles are replaceable without significant issues or expenses. This is of course dependent on the availability of materials to match the rest of your home.

How Bad Is the Damage?

You need to assess the scale of the damage to your siding before making decision about repairs or replacements. If over half of your siding is bad, you likely need to replace all of it. The extent of the damage might also go beyond your ability to recognize it, especially when dry rot or leaks exist in areas where you cannot see them with an untrained eye. Your best bet is to consult with a professional siding or home repair service to accurately assess the severity of your siding’s damage, then decide what steps to take from there. 

Insurance Options, Average Costs and Government Grants

Many home insurance policies cover damage to siding caused by wind, tornados, hail, and fire. Most homeowners insurance policies will not cover repair or replacement cost for rotted or worn out siding - or siding you or your family damaged by accident. The average cost to repair siding ranges between (approximately) $330 and $1,300. Siding installation (replacement) costs approximately $12 per square foot on average. Budget siding might cost as low as $2 per square foot, with boutique siding materials costing as much as $50 per square foot or more. Essentially, replacing the siding on a 1,500 square foot home using medium-quality materials might cost approximately $10,500.

Government grants specifically purposed for siding repair and replacement are not commonly available. Government grants are available for qualified home improvement projects, however, which might include repairing or replacing your siding. A few government-sponsored home improvement grant programs include:

Best Nationwide Home Siding Repair and Replacement Services

Home siding repair and replacement services are provided by trusted and reliable companies such as Lowes and Sears. Many nationwide home siding installations are also available near you. Some of the best nationwide home siding repair and installation services in operation today include:

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