How to Know When to Re-side Your Home

by Paul Little, Blue Jay Exterior Renovations

(EJNews) – Knowing when to renovate parts of your home can be tricky. Your roof will tell you when it needs to be replaced but faulty or worn siding might not seem as urgent.  So, how do you know when it’s time to re-side?

Here are 3 factors that will help determine if the timing is right for you!

1. PLANS FOR THE HOME

The long-term plan for your home should be a factor in your decision to renovate your home’s exterior.

Do you want to make this your dream home?

If this is your forever home or at least somewhere you plan to stay a while, you’ll enjoy the benefits of new siding for years to come. A siding renovation is an opportunity to give your home the look you’ve always wanted, so choose higher-end products with features that you value – like Hardie board for its fire resistance, or engineered wood siding for its authentic wood grains.

Only planning on sticking around for a year or two?

If you are planning on listing soon, you’ll want to consider your home’s curb appeal. A well-dressed individual gives a good first impression, and new siding has that same ability. Old or worn siding can put potential buyers in the wrong frame of mind before they’ve even entered the house.

Consider choosing a siding option that matches your community. If you’re listing for $800K, buyers won’t be excited by vinyl siding on their future dream home. Hardie board and other premium siding options are well received on higher-end homes.

If you’re selling a starter home in a community with lower property values, less expensive siding options can work. Vinyl siding is a great option for replacing old, worn siding on a budget.

 

2. THE VALUE OF RE-SIDING

What will you get out of redoing your siding? You’ll make your home look better, which is certainly worth something, but what about a more tangible value?

Remodeling magazine runs an annual cost vs. value report for typical home renovations. Their 2018 report showed that replacing your siding recoups 77% of the cost on average. That was good for fifth on the list of all types of remodelling. That even ranked ahead of bathroom renovations and large kitchen renovations!

What’s more, adding a manufactured stone accent (often done during an exterior remodel) came in at number two on the list, at 97% recouped.

Re-siding is one of the most valuable home renovations you can perform and it can be a smart renovation choice even before it becomes an absolute priority. If you’ve got the itch to transform the look of your home, take comfort in knowing that it has a stronger return on investment than most other home renovation projects.

 

3. THE AGE OF YOUR HOME

The age and style of your community will also play a role in determining when and how you replace your siding in Edmonton.

Typically speaking, homeowners begin to start preparing for an eventual re-side when the house is between 30 and 40 years old. That’s not to say a home built in 1988 has to get that work done this year. It also doesn’t mean that you can’t reside a newer house. But if you take the time to drive through a community built largely in the 1970s or 80s, you’ll notice a few things:

First, you’ll notice that the majority of the home exteriors are starting to look a little bit worn. Wood siding will eventually start to warp or swell. Aluminum siding can dent, and expansion and contraction of the siding can lead to the corners separating. Old vinyl siding looks chalky and becomes quite brittle. Stucco can become stained and impossible to clean. Depending on exposure to the elements some homes will look better than others, but the exteriors of these homes will not generally look like new.

The next thing you’ll notice is that the occasional house has already been re-sided. Westridge is a great example of an Edmonton neighbourhood in this stage. The majority of the homes in this community were built in 1970s and every year more homes get a face-lift.

As a comparison, Aspen Gardens, which was mostly built a decade earlier, already has a significant amount of homes re-sided. This is true for many of the communities built through the 1960s.

If you’re unsure about the timing of your re-side, use these timelines and the rest of your community as a reference point. This can help to let you know whether you’re keeping pace with the rest of the housing market and your neighbours.

Blue Jay Exterior Renovations is Edmonton’s siding renovation expert. Visit www.bluejayrenos.ca to learn about how much a project can cost, what new products are on the market, how to select a contractor, and more.