the house detective

Buyers uncertain about exterior siding

DEAR BARRY: After my house was inspected, I noticed that the rain gutters had been bent by the home inspector's ladder. I checked this out by placing my own ladder against the building and found that the gutters are easily bent. I mentioned this to my neighbor, and he said that his gutters did not bend when his roof was inspected. Isn't there a way for home inspectors to access a roof without damaging the gutters? Ron

DEAR RON: Most rain gutters consist of thin gauge sheet metal that bends easily under the weight of an occupied ladder. Fortunately, there is a simple method for leaning heavy loads, such as ladders, against gutters without causing damage.

The trick is to place the ladder so that its rails straddle one of the fasteners that secure the gutters to the building. These points of attachment are the only places where the gutters are reinforced against lateral pressure. If the ladder is placed in any of the intermediate locations between these fasteners, bending is very likely to result.

DEAR BARRY: In the desert town where we are moving, some houses have stucco exteriors, and others have either vinyl or aluminum siding. We asked our home inspector which is best, but he didn't seem to have a preference. Do you have any advice in making this decision?

Esther

DEAR ESTHER: The choice of exterior siding is often a matter of personal taste, the same as with interior furnishings and colors. This may be why your inspector declined to offer an opinion. However, there are some practical considerations to be weighed, and in this respect, stucco affords some significant advantages.

1. Stucco is a very long-lasting material, good for the life of a building, and it generally maintains its color and freshness of appearance for as much as 20-30 years.

2. Stucco provides thermal insulation against hot weather, helping to keep a home cool in the summer, especially if the exterior is a light color.

3. Stucco insulates against outside noises, making the inside of your home noticeably quieter than with exterior siding.

4. Stucco strengthens a home, providing additional structural rigidity. This is because a stucco building is essentially encased in an envelope of wire and cement.

Among the disadvantages of vinyl and metal siding is a general tendency to cheapen the overall appearance of a building. From a distance, these materials offer the traditional look of wood siding, but up close they tend to feel and appear less substantial than conventional materials. Vinyl and aluminum are more fragile than wood or stucco, resulting in cosmetic damage that cannot be easily repaired. Manufacturers of vinyl and aluminum siding emphasize that their products are guaranteed for as long as you own your home: a claim that pretends to be a lifetime guarantee. The rub is that people typically sell a house within 3-7 years of purchase.

If you don't like the look of stucco (a matter of personal taste), wood siding or cement board siding are better choices than aluminum or plastic. However, none of these sidings will last as long or be as maintenance-free as stucco.