Climate plays role in choosing the best siding

Consider the options to help extend lifespan and add curb appeal to a home’s exterior

I always say to protect your home from the outside first. Keeping the elements — and I mean the wind, the rain and the snow — from getting into your home is a lot easier than dealing with it when it creeps inside.

Do you pay much attention to your home’s siding? It’s not just there to give the house a certain look; it can also offer some muchneeded defences against penetrating weather. If your siding is old and falling apart, it may be time to replace or repair.

New siding can better protect your home. By installing new materials, you’re extending the lifespan of the exterior of your home and that can even raise the value of your home at the same time as increasing its curb appeal.

If you’re taking time to upgrade your siding, it’s also a good opportunity to add extra insulation if you need it, which can help cut down on energy costs.

TYPES OF SIDING

There’s not one siding for all occasions. The climate of your city will play a big factor in which kind of siding you should choose. What works in a hot climate may not work well in a wet humid area, and vice versa. Here are a few options to look at when it’s time to re-side your home. These aren’t your only choices, so before you call in the contractor, take some time to explore all your options and find what will work best for your home.

Vinyl: Vinyl siding comes in a wide range of quality and styles. If you choose good-quality vinyl siding, it should last no matter the climate. Cheaper vinyl can get damaged by either extreme heat or cold and bend or crack with fluctuating weather. If you live in a colder area of the country, there are insulated vinyls that can help protect against wind, rain and snow.

Stucco: Usually mixed from a combination of sand, cement, lime and water, stucco — when done right — can provide some nice insulation to your home. What you want to avoid is having stucco right next to a buildup of snow. It doesn’t handle a lot of moisture well, which is why you’re more likely to see stucco homes in a warm, dry climate.

To prevent stucco from crumbling due to excess moisture, you need to control the air and moisture behind the finish. As long as you have a good moisture barrier between the stucco and its substrate material (what the stucco is applied to), it will help prevent water from hitting that material. If moisture gets trapped there, it will start to break down the substrate material, as well as cause the stucco to start crumbling.

As an extra defence against water, you will want to leave about eight inches (20 centimetres) of space between the ground and your stucco to account for snow accumulation in the winter. You want to prevent snow from resting directly against the stucco, potentially allowing moisture to penetrate the material.

Fibre-cement siding: Composed from sand, cement and cellulose fibres, this is a good choice for an all-purpose siding. It’s resistant to salt air and humidity, so if you’re along the coast, a fibrecement sided home will protect better than other materials. Even if you’re not near the water, it provides protection against cracking and is fire-resistant. It’s also good for hot or cold climates as it works well to prevent heat transfer from your home.

MASONRY

You might not think it, but brick is considered a siding material. Brick is great because it’s durable and weather-resistant. It’s a porous material, so if you don’t have a proper vapour barrier installed behind the brick veneer, you could wind up with a water problem. If your home gets a lot of direct sunlight, brick siding can help keep that extra heat out in the middle of summer.

Typical brick maintenance will require repointing, which involves replacing the old, worn out mortar, with new mortar. If you make sure to repoint when necessary, your brick should last a long time. As with stucco, account for snow accumulation, leaving space between the ground and your masonry.

I’ve been telling people for years that you’ve got to build according to the conditions of your area. Building needs will vary according to region, and if you build with that in mind, you’ll have a home that’s safe, strong, and built to last.

Watch Mike Holmes in his new series, Holmes: Buy It Right, premièring Sept. 10 on HGTV Canada (check local listings for show times). For more about Holmes, visit makeitright.ca.