Planning to put your house on the market? Weighing which home improvement will create the most return on your investment? Upgrading your siding is one of the best ways to boost your home’s appearance, protect it against the elements, increase its overall worth, and draw in new buyers.
While installing fresh siding is a significant investment, it can earn back as much as 85% of its cost when you sell your home. Read on to learn more.
What New Siding Offers in Terms of Greater Home Value
Better Protection Against the Elements
Siding shields the vulnerable structural elements of your home from damaging moisture. As rain, snow, hail and UV rays attack your exterior, siding resists their impact and prevents harm. It also keeps pests like termites from getting in and causing problems.
Benefit added: The newer your siding is, the more effective it will be at standing up to moisture damage, invading pests, hail, rain, snow, ice, wind-blown debris, and other factors—so your home will be better protected.
Greater Beauty and Visual Appeal
Beyond protection, siding also is a major component to how your home looks. Its design and color scheme can create impressive visual charm. Unfortunately, as siding ages, it can fade, sag, warp, and look less than its best.
Benefit added: With brand-new siding, you get tons of options for boosting your home’s appearance. You can create coveted looks like Farmhouse chic board-and-batten, for example. There are so many gorgeous colors to pick from. The fresh style not only looks great, but also catches the eye—which makes it easier to ask more in price if you’re renting or selling your property.
Stronger Insulation and Energy Efficiency
If you’ve noticed that your home isn’t as efficient as it could be, your siding may be the reason. As these boards age, they lose their effectiveness as insulators. Older homes may not have insulation underneath their siding boards, or the insulation that is there may have been damaged by moisture intrusion or disrupted by pests.
Benefit added: Today’s siding materials offer many insulating properties. This may include a special weather wrap covering your house beneath the boards, insulation attached to the back of siding, thicker panels that provide greater weather resistance, and more.
A Few Other Factors to Weigh as You Consider New Siding
When it comes to choosing new siding specifically for the value it adds, remember these things:
Are You Selling, or Staying Put?
If you are planning to sell your house, determine how much you’re willing to put into upgrades and how new siding would affect your asking price. Finding that balance is important.
On the other hand, if you’ll be staying in your home for a while, new siding will not only boost resale value later on—it will also give you greater enjoyment right now. You’ll benefit from the added protection, greater efficiency, and increased beauty.
Choosing Repair or Replacement
If your existing siding is relatively new, it may be worth repairing ruined boards, especially if the problem is minor and isolated.
If the siding is old, significantly worn, or damaged in many places, replacement is the better option. By investing in this upgrade before you sell, you can set a higher asking price.
Siding Material Makes a Difference
The siding you choose can also affect your return on investment.
- Vinyl – This common material comes in a variety of colors and styles and is affordable. It’s less sturdy—vulnerable to impacts, warping, and fading.
- Fiber cement – A highly versatile material, fiber cement is attractive, super durable, pest-resistant, and color-fast—but it’s heavy and labor intensive to install.
- Wood – The classic, natural feel of wood is hard to beat. But it is susceptible to moisture damage and pests. You have to paint it frequently and repair damage regularly.
- Natural stone (or stone veneer) – Natural stone is beautiful and strong, but it’s heavy and costly to install. Another option is stone veneer, which gives you the striking visual effect of natural stone in a more cost-effective way.
Envision Your Home with Gorgeous New Siding from Smart Exteriors
Now that you’ve seen the value of investing in new siding for your home, catch a vision for how beautiful your house can look! Look through our Smart Exterior’s portfolio of recent projects we’ve completed for delighted Kansas City area homeowners—and dream of the possibilities for a siding installation for your own property.
