8 Problems With Your Old Siding?

Siding problems might seem hard to spot if you are unfamiliar with them. What do these problems look like and how can you know for certain if you are even having problems with your siding? Let’s talk about that . . .

Are you frequently painting your house? Painting more than once every 10 years means something is wrong with the siding. Frequent paint could indicate the siding needs to get replaced. Chipping, cracking, or peeling paint is the most basic way to know if your siding is failing. Good siding on a home’s exterior should last ten years or more before it needs to get painted.

  Secondly, old siding causes loss of energy efficiency. If you have noticed your power bill climbing it might be do to “outside forces” so to speak. It is best to rule out a bad roof or poor attic insulation before just replacing siding. But heating or cooling costs which are significantly higher than neighbors in the same bracket is a clear indication that heating or cooling could be escaping through the home’s exterior. Little more needs to be said if this or the next problem is occurring.

Warped or rotting siding is a huge problem. Rotting siding is very dangerous. Warped panels and rotting are indicators that your siding is unable to prevent water from getting inside your house. If this happens it’s only a matter of time before water damage ruins the structural integrity of the house. You can see these problems manifest with your own eyes if you do a visual inspection yourself on the house. Take a screwdriver with you to do this type of inspection. Poke underneath any pieces of siding that seem warped to know how solid the layer underneath is. If you see rotting or water damage it is a clear sign to replace the siding as soon as possible to prevent further damage.

Is your Siding Faded. Why? Because as homeowners we tend to put siding on the back burner because we think it will last forever. Guess what? Siding fails and breaks down over time just like everything else. The only problem is that we don’t see it in the house as often so it goes to the back of our mind. All siding has a life expectancy. If your siding is so old that it’s lost all its color a good “paint job” is not going to fix this. Its previous waterproofing which use to be effective may have run its course. Fading color is a good sign to watch for with your siding.

Old siding

can trap water in bubbles on your house. If this happens it is a clear indication that siding needs to get replaced immediately. Bubbles indicate that water has become trapped under the surface of the siding. The sole purpose of siding is to protect your house and keep water out. If water is getting in, new siding installation is needed asap to avoid further damage. Water damage can happen with all siding that are old including; acrylic siding, wood siding, and James Hardie siding.  

Dry rot and siding don’t mix, but it is often found on older homes (we could be referring to your home right now). This type of rot is not always seen by the naked eye. It begins below the surface of the siding and begins to eat away at the siding itself causing major problems underneath. While the surface of this siding still looks intact, the bulk of the siding underneath could have already rotted away. If this happens it’s doing little to protect your home from the weather. If your siding has reached this stage it is not energy efficient any longer.

Insects can get through holes in old siding very easily. If there are holes in your siding it is a sure sign that creepy crawly things can get inside. These creatures can cause a lot of problems on their own, but holes in siding can also allow other elements like water and wind to get into the cracks. Siding is designed inherently to keep things out. If holes are present in your siding replace yours sooner rather than later.  

Panels on old siding can become loose over time. This is the last major problem we see with siding. If you have loose panels that might be hanging of your house wonky or off kilter it’s definitely time to replace the siding. This problem could indicate poor installation when the home was first built. It’s not doing you any favors by letting all that water in either. Siding doesn’t need to be letting in water it need to be protecting you from it.

In conclusion, there are many reasons a homeowner might want to replace their old siding. The above are just a few reasons why. We all want to protect our house from the outside elements, but by replacing the siding you might just give your home a new aesthetically pleasing face lift it deserves, and create a cost efficient house which keeps your energy usage down. Conservation Construction of Texas stands out above the competition with our superior installation and integrity. We’ve been in the business over 30 years, and with our limited lifetime warranties (which are transferrable) you’ll have nothing to worry about for years to come.

As always thanks for reading and we’ll see you next time. We hope you enjoy the rest of your Friday afternoon.