When Should You Replace Your Home’s Siding?

With time the siding on your house will wear out. It starts to crack and break, allowing air and moisture leaks that can do expensive damage to your home. Sometimes it’s obvious when siding needs to be replaced, but sometimes it’s not so obvious. Here are some signs that your home’s siding needs to be replaced.

Warps, Cracks and Rotting

Looking at your siding, do you notice places where it looks loose, cracked or warped? If you see these damaged spots, take a knife or a screwdriver and poke the layer underneath and see if it’s becoming rotted. If you notice rotting occurring underneath, the situation is becoming serious and you need to act as soon as possible. Allowing air and moisture to infiltrate your home’s outer defenses can cause major damage, increase energy expenses and be an expensive headache you don’t need.

Holes or Bubbles in the Siding

Bubbles just under the siding’s surface is a good indication it needs to be replaced. This means water is becoming trapped on or under the siding and it is no longer performing as an effective barrier. If you notice holes appearing in the siding, they could be caused by insects. The insects getting through your siding can do damage, but the holes they leave can also allow unwanted moisture and air to penetrate into your home to do damage as well.

Fungus, Mold, and Mildew

Are you noticing a buildup of fungus, mold or mildew on your siding? This could be an indication that water is seeping into the interior of your walls and doing damage beneath the siding. While this isn’t a telltale sign that new siding is needed, it does need to be investigated further.

Faded Siding

If your siding is becoming faded and losing its original color, it’s a sign that the siding is starting to outlive its usefulness. Siding is usually formulated to retain its original color for as long as its life expectancy. So if your siding is severely faded, it’s a sign that its effectiveness as an air and water barrier is becoming compromised. Fading may not indicate the siding is no longer serviceable, but it is a characteristic to keep an eye on.