Looking to replace the siding on your home but don’t know where to begin? It can be difficult to choose the right siding for your home with the sheer number of options on the market today. From engineered products to true wood and stone, it’s hard to know what materials and styles your siding materials should be. As a homeowner, you want the best, but you also don’t want to spend a fortune. What should you do?
At Lakeside Renovation & Design, our passion is to see St. Louis homeowners love their exteriors, and we have been helping them do exactly that for 20 years. We know what to look for in siding and have compiled a list to help you compare the most popular siding materials on the market.
Comparing Home Exterior Siding Materials
Most homeowners use three standards to compare their siding choices: aesthetics, cost and performance. It is most important to ensure a high performance in any siding material, but keeping costs low and having a beautiful exterior remain important factors as well. Finding a siding that meets all three criteria is not impossible, but does come with some thought and comparison. Here’s how the most common forms of siding stand up in those categories:
Wood
Aesthetics- Wood siding provides homeowners with a classic, beautiful home exterior. The look is comfortable and timeless, making your home one to be proud of.
Cost- Wood siding falls into a lower to middle range siding cost. Depending on what type of wood siding you desire (shakes, shingles, clapboard, etc.), the price for wood siding can vary.
Performance- Wood siding can last for years and effectively protect your home, but not without a great deal of maintenance. Wood requires regular resealing and repainting to keep your home secure.
Stone
Aesthetics- Stone remains a gorgeous home exterior option. With a wide range of styles and textures, stone can make a home look beautiful architecturally and add an extremely luxurious dimension.
Cost- The cost for stone siding varies depending on the type of stone, but this remains one of the most expensive siding options, typically ranging from $11 to $15 a square foot. The amount of labor that goes into placing stone siding can often drive the cost up even more.
Performance- Natural stone can be an extremely durable material that can maintain its beauty for many years but not without proper maintenance. Stone performs well but needs care and continual sealing.
Stone Veneer
Aesthetics- Stone veneer provides many options depending on the look of your home. It mimics the look of real stone but requires less work and is cheaper, making it a great aesthetic siding option.
Cost- Stone veneer is an appealing option to homeowners because it is one of the most affordable siding options on the market and is nearly a third of the cost of real stone siding.
Performance- Veneer remains an extremely durable form of siding, standing up to the exterior elements without heavy maintenance.
Brick
Aesthetics- As one of the prettiest forms of siding, true brick provides homes with a welcoming and luxurious feel. The variety of sizes and colors of bricks give homeowners lots of options, making it a sought-after aesthetic.
Cost- Brick is one of the most expensive siding options on the market, running costs as high as $15 per square foot – nearly three times the cost of other siding options. With the amount of work that goes into siding a brick house, this cost can sometimes run even higher.
Performance- Just like the story of the three pigs, a brick house stands up well to outside elements. It is extremely durable and long lasting, performing at standards worthy of the cost.
Stucco
Aesthetics- Stucco provides a home with a luxurious and clean finish. It gives homeowners a picturesque exterior and looks great in addition to other forms of siding, making it an aesthetically desirable siding option.
Cost- Stucco lies in the midrange for siding material investments, typically costing $6- $10 a square foot, because it always requires professional installation.
Performance- Stucco requires a great deal of maintenance to help it perform well. While the material will effectively protect your home, it does need to be continually checked for cracks and holes.
Vinyl
Aesthetics- While vinyl can give a loose mimic to the look of real wood, often times, the installation requires the overlapping of boards, creating noticeable and less pleasing seams in the siding.
Cost- Vinyl remains one of the most cost-efficient siding options available. It can run a homeowner as low as $3 to $8 per square foot.
Performance- Vinyl is a low maintenance product, not requiring repainting or sealing. It can stand up to the elements and keep your home safe for years to come. It also increases the R-value of your home, making it an energy-efficient siding.
Fiber Cement
Aesthetics- Fiber Cement gives homeowners the option of having the look of wood, masonry, shingles and even stucco without the same amount of work. The boards are designed with grooves and lines to mimic real wood siding and remain very aesthetically pleasing.
Cost- While Fiber Cement is more expensive than vinyl, it remains an affordable siding option. It can cost close to the same amount as true wood siding (and is far less expensive than stucco) but requires far less maintenance, saving homeowners both time and money.
Performance- James Hardie’s Fiber Cement siding is the number one siding in America. It is the most durable form of siding on the market, remaining fire resistant, rot resistant, weather, moisture and pest resistant and is extremely low maintenance. It remains one of the highest performing materials on the market today!
Get Your Preferred Siding Today
Let us help you find and install the perfect siding — one that will last for years, look amazing and not break the bank. Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation today.
