Buying Vinyl Siding: Through A Retailer Or A Contractor?
Installing your own vinyl siding can save money over having a contractor side your home
, but your budget can quickly get busted if you aren't familiar with the materials needed for the job. Even if you plan on doing your own siding installation, purchasing your materials through a siding contractor may save you time, money, and a whole lot of problems on your DIY project.
Save Time and Money by Purchasing your Vinyl Siding from a Contractor
Even the most seasoned DIYer seldom purchases vinyl siding, and familiarity with how and where various vinyl trims are used and how much siding you should order can determine how smoothly your project goes. Constantly running out of materials or having the wrong trims for your application can slow the job down and even cause you to redo work; before you know it hiring a siding contractor might have been less expensive.
Vinyl siding retailers can be helpful, but very few of them have ever installed siding and they can't see your home from behind a counter. A siding contractor can make a job-site visit and help compile a list of the materials you'll need for the project based on their experience with installing vinyl siding. They can also:
Point out possible problem areas on your home
Give you some instruction on how to prep your home's sheathing
Recommend siding tools you'll need
Pass along some tricks of the trade for siding installation
Siding contractors often receive a volume discount on the vinyl siding they purchase from distributors which can allow them to sell you the siding for close to what you might pay at a retailer, and even if you have to pay a few dollars more for purchasing from a contractor, in the long run it may be money well spent.