subject: Vinyl Siding: An Insight [print this page] If you ask any contractor, few things will bring up the kind of divisive responses as the subject of vinyl siding. Those who love the material talk about the fact that you never have to paint it, making it one of the few maintenance-free materials when it comes to home building. On the other hand, you have the purists who believe that a home should always be enveloped only in real wood. Naturally, both sides have their points and counterpoints, but the fact remains that many people prefer the low maintenance freedom that comes with vinyl siding.
If you look back into houses built before 1950, you never saw vinyl siding. In terms of the thousands of years people have been building homes for themselves and others, there's no question that it is a relative newcomer in the world of materials. It was first introduced to be a substitute for aluminum. Unfortunately, its reputation quickly took a sharp hit when the early materials didn't live up to their promise. Cracking, fading, and other problems left homeowners cold and there were few people speaking up for the benefits.
This changed through the following years. Contractors began improving their application techniques and the materials themselves improved quite a bit as well. Today, it is one of the fastest growing materials in terms of overall popularity for new home builders. Approximately thirty percent of the siding market belongs to vinyl and it looks like that trend is not going to be slowing down anytime soon. Part of the reason for this increased popularity is certainly cost. When you compare putting it up to some of the more expensive woods, there is a pretty big price differential. This certainly means something in this day and age, when money is definitely an object and everyone is concerned about the housing market.
Of course, initial price is only part of the overall picture. Ask anyone who chooses to go with vinyl siding and one of their primary reasons is likely to be the decreased requirement when it comes to maintenance. A home comes with a never-ending list of expensive chores. Anything a homeowner can do to reduce those costs (not to mention the time and annoyance) is usually something they will be interested in. Termites will never be a problem and the homeowner will never have to get out the spray paint.
If you're interested in building a home, talk to your contractor about vinyl siding and see if it makes sense for your circumstances.
