How To Plan a Siding Replacement Project

A home’s siding is its first line of defense against the hazards of the outside world. Made from some of the most durable materials on the market, these panels block out the elements and help your home resist things like pests and water damage. However, no matter how strong, siding doesn’t last forever, and only replacing it completely can make your home’s defenses as reliable as they once were. So, if you’re looking to undergo one of these projects yourself, it’s vital that you know what it takes to get the best possible results. Read this guide on how to plan a siding replacement project to learn about the ins and outs of the process and what to expect from it.

Assess Your Siding Needs

Regardless of whether you’re repainting your deck or installing crown molding in your home, every home renovation starts with taking note of what your needs are. After all, it’s hard to determine what must be completed if you aren’t sure what needs to be changed in the first place. For siding projects, this means assessing what types of siding have worked for your home before and whether it was satisfactory. If not, and your previous material has sustained serious damage over the years, you may want to consider something new. Take your local climate into account as well to help figure out how much protection your home is going to need in the time to come.

Create a Detailed Budget

Once you know what your home’s general needs are for your new siding, you can start drawing up an initial budget. This is the best way to ensure that not only are you getting what you want, but that you aren’t going into debt in the process. As you make this mark-up, take estimates of what each component could cost—from the materials themselves to the professional labor you’ll need to hire. Then, update this sheet as you go to stay informed on what exactly you’ll be spending. Remember—while full siding replacement can be a bit on the expensive side, there are always options that can fit into your monetary situation.

Research Your Potential Options

After establishing your limits, both for your home and your wallet, it’s time to start researching the different products you may be interested in. Residential siding is available in a multitude of different colors, materials, textures, and even shapes to fit your durability and style needs. As such, this part of the planning is often the one that takes the most time. One of the most effective methods is to browse the internet. Siding manufacturers tend to post images of their products on their websites, and third-party review sites make it easy to see honest performance statements. Additionally, with how quickly you can surf the web, you can look at hundreds of options in the time it would take for you to drive to the store.

Some other ways you can get inspiration include:

• Looking through magazines
• Asking your neighbors what worked best for them
• Talking to your siding contractor about the products they’d recommend

Make Your Decision

Now, onto arguably the hardest part of the planning process—choosing the exact siding you want. With so many potential options to pick from, it can feel like an uphill battle to decide on only one. This is why the researching process is so integral to making this step easier down the line. The more information you have on a particular type of product, the clearer it’ll be whether it would make a good fit for your home. Make sure that you’re also taking into account what your style needs are, as well as any advice your contractor may have regarding your decision.

A few important characteristics of quality siding to keep in mind include:

• The durability and resistance to the elements
• Compatibility with the home’s design and structure
• A price tag you can afford

Select a Qualified Contractor

Then, if you haven’t already done so, the next step to planning a siding replacement project is to pick the contractor that will perform this work for you. This will also require a fair amount of research and price-checking to ensure they can accommodate your specific needs. You want a team of professionals that have experience with this type of work, have a lengthy list of positive reviews, and are willing to take your budget into consideration. Without these traits, you risk getting poor results or even paying more than you have to. You can ask your neighbors to help with this step as well, since they might be able to supply you with a list of companies they’ve used in the past.

Prepare Your Home for the Project

Lastly, as you wait for your project to begin, you should get your home ready for it. This means putting away any tools that may be laying out in your yard, placing tarps down near the work area, and protecting any plants from construction debris. Taking care of these tasks ahead of time will allow the professionals to get straight to the bulk of the work, saving everyone time during the next few days. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can even start removing your older siding in preparation for the new materials to be installed.

To help the process go even smoother, you can prepare in these ways as well:

• Moving your vehicles away from your home while work is being done
• Keeping your driveway clear for dumpster and debris removal
• Take pictures off from interior walls to prevent damage during construction

Projects involving home siding are notorious for being costly, time-consuming, and difficult—but they don’t have to be. At Bear Mountain Custom Painting, we pride ourselves on working with our customer to ensure that their project meets all their needs and expectations. Our siding installation professionals in Cumming have years of experience under their belt and can assist you in all areas of the process from the initial planning phase to construction. We also offer exterior home painting services in Cumming. GA to help you give your older siding a fresh new look. For more information on our great offers, visit our website or give us a call.