Increase Your Home's Value with New Siding

Increase Your Home's Value with New Siding - Selecting Siding - Siding Types

By Teresa Opdycke

What do you first see when you drive or walk past a home? The exterior of the house, of course, which is mostly siding. The outer shell of a home gives a first impression; it’s what realtors call “curb appeal.” A house that looks run-down and worn out with faded siding, peeling paint, or crumbling brick looks grim and uninviting. A home that looks freshly painted, with seamless, smooth siding turns heads. Update and increase the value of your home by installing new siding on the exterior of your home.

Appearance
Is siding just about appearance? Absolutely not, but how your home looks from the outside can make a huge difference. If you’re planning to sell in the future, a well-maintained home will get you a higher price and selling it may be less arduous. New siding is an advantage to both the buyer and seller. It doesn’t matter how great your home may look on the inside, if a ramshackle appearance pervades the outside. Forget those brand new kitchen cabinets and the really spectacular fireplace. If you can’t get people inside because the outside leaves much to be desired, your home may be a hard sell. Installing new siding will make your house shine to anyone passing by.

Protection
The fact of the siding matter is that siding creates a barrier to everything we want to keep out from coming in. It’s the first defense against the elements. Siding protects what lies within from sun, wind, snow and rain. A good quality siding does even more by ensuring that your home is well protected. Tight siding keeps out unwanted insects that can cause interior damage to a home. All those things we want to stay outside will be just where they belong with a high quality, tight fitting siding.

Energy
As prices of oil and gas continue to rise, being conscientious concerning energy costs is becoming a bigger issue. Siding should insulate the home to some extent and protect the insulation that lies within the walls. Air tight siding should help in maintaining the inside temperature of a home. It should not allow air or moisture to get through to ruin insulation, or cause you to turn the heat up in the winter and turn down the temperature of the air conditioner in the hot summer months. Whether your intent is to sell someday or live in the house until you no longer needed it, you’ll want to consider installing new siding that will help in the battle of hot and cold and keep your home a comfortable living space.

Environment
Whether the environment in the home is toxic or the siding is toxic to the outside environment, adding value to your home by making it environmentally friendly and healthy for the inhabitants is a wise choice. These two plusses - environmentally friendly and non-toxic - could be key selling points. It's wise to replace siding painted with lead paints, or vinyl siding that becomes toxic when burned. Making a change for the better good of all is never a bad choice. Choose a siding that takes into consideration environmental safety. Looking years down the road when the siding may need to be changed once again, means looking at the prospect of a siding that will not be toxic to those who live inside the shell as well as to the environment when it’s time to be rid of it.

Whether you choose wood, brick, vinyl, aluminum or any of the other sidings available, you can add value to your current home by replacing the old tired look of your home with new siding. Rotting, chipping, peeling, warped and gaping siding does not give a good impression to anyone who happens by. Living in a home that is protected against the elements and an insect invasion allows you to rest easy. A harmonious home is one that acknowledges the need for environmental safety for the family as well as the earth. With the advantages of installing new siding so obvious, there’s little reason not to increase the value of your home.