The time has come to replace your wood siding. Maybe it's rotten, or perhaps it is just chipping away and falling off. In any event, you have to choose a replacement siding option. Many homeowners make the switch from wood to either composite or vinyl, but sticking with wood is an option, too. What are the pros and cons of replacing your wood siding with more wood? Take a look.
Pro: Your home will maintain the same look.
If you really enjoy how your home looks, then replacing the wood siding with new wood will allow you to preserve that look. This can be a real benefit if you have an older, historic home that you want to keep authentic. It can also work well if you've worked hard over the years to coordinate your home's exterior and your landscaping and you fear that changing the look of your home will throw it all off balance.
Con: You'll still have to worry about maintenance.
People who replace their wood with vinyl siding get to take a deep breath and do a lot less maintenance. They don't have to worry about scraping and painting their siding, and they don't need to spray it with insecticides to keep termites away, either. If you replace your wood siding with new wood, you'll be facing just as much maintenance as before.
Pro: You can do more of the work and repairs yourself.
Wood siding is pretty easy to work with. Even if you don't have much experience with siding, you can probably make basic repairs yourself. You've probably developed basic siding repair skills over the years that you've had wood siding. Replacing your wood siding with new wood siding means you'll get to keep using those skills. Vinyl or composite siding requires professional attention when something goes wrong.
Con: You won't be adding any insulation.
Many older homes are not very well insulated. A common solution for this is to replace the old wood siding with insulated vinyl or composite siding. If you just replace the wood with new wood, you'll be passing up this opportunity. Yes, you can have insulation added separately, but that adds cost.
When the time comes to replace your wood siding, you either have to go with more wood or switch to another material. A siding contractor like Select Exteriors can help you explore the pros and cons above in more depth.