Once upon a time in the Chicago area, brick bungalows ruled. But suburban sprawl brought new homes and a change in building materials, and today the exterior of most homes consists primarily of siding.
“Siding is the material most used on tract homes today,” said Gary Mueller, owner of B&G Construction in West Chicago, “and for wood houses, it’s a cosmetic or a covering for people looking for a low-maintenance home.”
Popular choices of siding include aluminum, vinyl and cedar. According to Bob Carter, president of Seamless Gutter Corp., which has offices in Lombard and Palatine, it was surplus metal from World War II that brought us siding in the first place.
“The government built three huge factories in McCook, Ill., and two others, in Tucson and Louisville,” Carter said. “There was at least a three-month pipeline of materials already made after the war, stuff they were using for B-26 and B-29 bombers. The three big manufacturers–Alcoa, Reynolds and Kaiser–didn’t know what to do with the stuff. They decided the best use was to make siding out of it for low-cost housing.”
Vinyl siding appeared in 1965. It was an oil-based product that typically cracked and faded.
“Vinyl tends to fade more, and really take a beating from the ultraviolet rays,” Mueller said. “It does resist dents better, but under extreme conditions it can also crack and shatter.”
Mueller says vinyl is considered “the new kid on the block” in the siding industry and that consumers shouldn’t be surprised if home centers and contractors sing the praises of the product in an effort to promote it over other options.
But Carter argues that vinyl has become the material of choice, and says that as a replacement covering over a wood house it’s the best buy. Today it makes up 70 percent of the market.
“A vinyl siding that’s properly installed with the necessary underlayment behind it is one of the best values you can buy for your house,” he says. “It’s made now with UV inhibitors and other technology based on research that’s been done regarding fading and expansion.”
There are certain advantages and characteristics of each of these siding choices. Let’s start with aluminum.
Installation of aluminum for new construction involves nailing the panels right to the house’s studs and boards. Carter says aluminum hangs better and tends to keep the architectural lines of the house straighter.
Aluminum tends to expand less than vinyl, from one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch.
“Aluminum has a `memory,’ ” Carter said. “It can expand in hot weather and return as it cools off.”
Unlike vinyl siding, aluminum can be painted. “After 25 or 30 years or so, you might need to paint siding that old because the painting technology today is better,” Mueller said.
Carter adds that any painting of older existing siding should be preceded by a power wash of your house using a non-oil-base cleaner in order to produce better adhesion.
“Because of technology today, there are better paints that will work just as well as the original factory paint except they won’t be baked on, which makes the finish harder,” Carter said. “There’s no need to paint siding that’s been produced in the last 10 years; it would have to be really old material that’s chalked or badly faded.”
Mueller says a good quality siding should last the life of the house.
Vinyl siding comes in three different grades: virgin vinyl, regrind and a composite of sorts known as a cap sheet.
Virgin vinyl is the most costly and can cost more than $1 per square foot just for materials. Regrind consists of recycled vinyl materials literally ground up and sells for around 50 cents per square foot. Cap sheet is the cheapest of all vinyls and has a virgin vinyl cover with different backing materials made of a lower grade of regrind. It’s found discounted at home centers, is more of an introductory level product and sells for around 45 cents per square foot.
Vinyl is installed more loosely than aluminum to allow for its greater expansion; and inexpensive, low-quality vinyl can look wavy. Thicker grades tend to sag less, and Carter says buying vinyl with a wood grain pattern in it can disguise a lot of the movement.
Mueller says you should expect to pay from $2 to $2.50 per square foot installed for most siding, whether it be aluminum or vinyl.
Carter says prices fluctuate less with aluminum because it’s a natural metal product that rarely decreases in price, and says an average-size home will cost about $7,000 to $8,000 to be resided, including materials and labor.
If you’re interested in cedar shingles, you’d better bring more than one wallet: Prices as high as $4.50 per square foot installed aren’t uncommon, plus you’ll be facing the cost of upkeep and restaining every five years.
If you’re looking to purchase siding and have it installed, here are some other things experts say to look for:
– Except for a few premium colors in vinyls, you shouldn’t have to pay any extra for any shade of siding or pattern, which typically are smooth or wood grain.
– Any siding you buy should carry a manufacturer’s warranty that is good nationwide. Most warranties are lifetime ones, and many are transferrable to the new owner for up to 50 additional years.
– Insist on seeing the installer’s certificate of workman’s compensation from your contractor. Falls from ladders can cost a homeowner dearly.
– Experts say it’s best to buy your siding and have it installed by the same people.
– Remember that for vinyl siding, you’ll need to budget extra cash for the underlayment, an extruded foam insulated material with a perforated plastic or paper film that forms a vapor barrier and is used to attach the vinyl siding to the house.
– When determining the cost of the project, be sure to include accessories such as channels for windows, corner posts, caulking, plastic plates for lights and starter strips.
