There are many benefits to replacing old residential siding. New siding can do a lot for you and your home, such as increasing the home's insulation properties, boosting your property value, reducing how much maintenance you have to perform on your home, and a lot more. However, replacing your siding means work and money. Therefore, you probably don't want to replace your residential siding as a homeowner until you absolutely have to. With that being said, here are a few signs that will alert you as to when you need to get your home's siding replaced as soon as possible.
Cracked or Loose Siding
There are some instances when you will have a board that has become loose or cracked. When this happens, the layers beneath the boards may not be damaged. If this is indeed the case, you can likely replace the damaged boards. However, if large areas of the siding have been affected or the underlying materials have been damaged, a complete replacement may be necessary. It is important to keep an eye out for loose or cracked siding because moisture can seep through the cracks and cause serious damage.
Rotted Siding
If your siding begins to rot or crumble, you will need to replace it. Depending on how serious the rot is or the type of rot it is, you may not be able to notice it. The reason for this is because rot, especially dry rot, will often begin beneath the surface of the siding. Therefore, you won't notice it occurring until serious damage has already occurred. With that being said, you should grab a screwdriver or something similar and gently poke at your siding, looking for any soft spots, which is a sign of rot.
Bubbles
When you look at your siding, it should look nice and smooth. If you see bubbles in your siding, this is an obvious sign of serious trouble. More often than not, bubbles are indicative of moisture being trapped between the house and the siding. Since the siding is designed to protect the home from moisture, something went amiss somewhere. If this type of issue is not addressed quickly, further damage could occur, including mildew, mold, and rot.
If you notice your siding is cracked, loose, rotted, or bubbling, you need to reach out to a local residential siding contractor to schedule a thorough inspection to see if you need any repairs or replacement.
