8 Tips You Need to Know About Re-Siding Your House

Whether you just moved into a new home or have been living in your current home for some time, renovating the exterior and replacing the siding can improve your home’s curb appeal.

Exterior siding renovations can be costly and timely but knowing where to start can create a less intimidating process. Carefully planning out each step won’t make you feel overwhelmed and will help ensure that you don’t miss anything.

Here are eight great project steps you should know and follow:

1. Find your inspiration

If you’re not sure where to start, you can look online through social media accounts on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Houzz. You can also take a drive through your local neighbourhood or town.

Visit our Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Houzz profiles for updated inspiration content, and more!

2. Create your budget

Creating a budget will help keep your project on track. It will allow you to decide what exactly you can afford and can help you choose what aspects of your project are a must-have or what you should step away from. If you’re wanting everything on your list for design, you may want to think if getting a small loan is right for you. Factor in your monthly housing budget to help you what is affordable for you.

3. Choose your siding materials and products

Make sure to look at all of your options for siding materials. There are a variety of brands, product materials, colours and so on to choose from that may impact your budget or your inspiration. Visit your local or favourite exterior building store, like Buchner Manufacturing, to view your options.

Questions to ask yourself:

  1. What material do you like? Aluminum, vinyl, steel, wood, stone, or fibre cement?
  2. What is your preferred colour scheme?
    1. Bold colours
    2. Light colours
    3. Dark colours
    4. Neutral colours
  3. What matches my inspiration the most?

4. Finding a contractor or DIY?

Hiring a contractor can be an added expense to your budget. You can save some costs by completing the exterior siding renovation yourself by following the manufacturer's installation guide.

If you're looking for a contractor, our counter sales representatives can recommend experienced installers that you can look into and decide whether they are suitable for your project. Not sure what questions to ask? You can use our Questions To Ask a Roofing Contractor” blog as a guide. You will want to be sure to choose a contractor who specializes in the material you have chosen.

5. Remove old siding

This is a pretty self-explanatory step but either you or your contractor need to remove the old siding before you can put on anything new. Make sure to take proper safety precautions before starting the removal.

6. Inspect your home’s structure

After the old siding is removed, it’s beneficial to take an extra look at the structure of your home. Are there any holes for water or air to seep into the home? Rotting? Water damage? If you see any damaged areas, it’s best to fix them before installing the new siding to ensure it will last and no more damage is done to your home that will affect the durability of the structure.

7. Wrap your home in Home Guard House Wrap

Wrapping your home in a weather-resistant layer will give it one more layer of protection against water, wind, and other weather factors.

8. Install the siding according to the manufacturer’s guidelines

Whether you’ve chosen aluminumvinyl, stone, wood, fibre cement, or cedar shakes, you should always go to the manufacturer’s website and see how to install the siding according to their instructions. You can always check to see if there are any YouTube videos from the manufacturer as well to get a more hands-on approach to see what needs to be done. It’s a great tool to use if you happen to be a beginner.

There you have it – the 8 essentials steps to re-siding your home. If you have recently re-sided your home or plan to in the future, we’d love to see your before and after pictures! You can submit them here for a chance to be featured on our social channels.