All Types of Siding

Every house has a story to tell. If you take a good look, you can see how skillfully a house was built or remodeled, how well it has stood up against the weather, and how carefully the previous owners looked after it. When you cannot decide if you want to buy a particular home, what will often tip the balance is a thorough inspection. Quite often by looking at the siding, you can tell a lot about the place.

Although it's not as common as it once was, wood siding will deteriorate quite rapidly if it’s not looked after. Although a certain amount of weathering is normal, you will find during inspection that the walls facing the south sides of the house are the most weathered. If the damage is extensive you'll need to replace the whole wall, but a few cracked or warned shingles can easily be replaced. As well, if the siding is in otherwise good shape with the exception of vertical brown stains, you can guess that the installers didn't use the proper nails. Fixing the problem might mean that you'll need to sink the nail heads and prime them.

If you notice that the siding is discolored along the base, there could be several reasons for that. The first one you should look at is the placement of the bottom in relation to the ground. Siding that has been placed too close to the ground will become discolored for several reasons one of which could be roof runoff that pools too close to the ground. Another reason could be a badly placed lawn sprinkler. All of these problems are usually an easy fix and not something to overly concern the homeowner.

Stucco is generally considered very strong and maintenance free when installed on masonry structures. However if the building shifts it will crack. At the base of the wall close to the soil, loose crumbling stucco is a common sight and generally an easy repair. Much like stucco, brick is considered strong but the joints may crack if the foundation moves. If the brick veneer half wall is pulling away from an external wall this could be an expensive problem. Eroded mortar joints can be repaired with mortar fix if the bricks are sound. Here the homeowner should be on the lookout for any extensive damage since this could signal water damage and major foundation problems.

Last but not least are two of the more popular types of siding on the market today. Both vinyl and metal siding require little maintenance and they protect the underlying structure if properly installed. However, if there are spaces left where the courses of siding should meet you can expect problems like rot. Generally, this type of siding can be put over other types such as brick or even wood with the proper strapping in place. Vinyl siding especially, is maintenance free and has become extremely popular in the last few years.

Olympian Civil Home and Building Inspections (866) 476-2056