How To Select The Siding For Your House

• What are the different Types of Siding?

• How do I choose from the variety of different types of Siding.

• How do I select the color of the siding?

• How do I select the texture of the siding?

• How do I calculate how much siding I will need?

1. How do I choose from the many varieties of siding?

1. Below is a list of questions you can ask yourself to help you select the right siding for you.

   • What style of house am I going for?

   • How much experience if any do I have installing siding?

   • What are my financial limitations?

   • Is maintaining the siding going to be an issue for me?

   • Which type of siding will go with the local surroundings?

   • Will my siding of choice coincide with the type of house I have built?

   • Will the siding I select complement surrounding homes?

   • How will the local climate changes affect various siding types?

   • What type of preparatory work needs to be in place prior to installing each type of siding?

   • Do I plan on painting or staining my home periodically?

   • Would I prefer a siding made of natural substances or man made substances?

   • Are there any limitations as to which types of sidings are available in my particular area?

   • Which look do I prefer?

     • Modern

     • Traditional

     • Country

     • Rustic

     • Historic

     • Contemporary

     • Eclectic

2. Below are samples of homes with the various types of siding:

   

3. A fun method that can be of assistance to your decision making process, is to drive around your area taking pictures of homes that you like. This will enable you to view the various types of siding first hand, and see which is preferable to you.

4. How do I choose the color and texture of my siding?

   • Below are some questions to ask yourself to help you make your selection. ( I'm sure you will come up with questions of your own as well.)

     • Which color and texture complements the style of the house?

     • Which color and texture complements the home site and neighborhood?

     • Which color and texture do I prefer?

     • what are the maintenance issues with a particular color and texture?

5. How do I calculate how much siding I will need?

   • When calculating siding, you will need to know the area of each portion of the house that will be covered with siding.

     • You will also need to know the area of every portion of the house that won't be covered with siding. Such as windows and doors.

     • You will then subtract one from the other, and the result will give you the total area to be covered in siding.

       • Total area of every outside wall of your house.

         • Multiply the length x height of each wall.

         • Add all of the area totals together for a total walls surface area.

       • Total area of all Gable Ends or triangular walls.

         • Multiply 1/2 the base x the height of each.

         • Add all of the area totals together.

       • Add both of the areas totals together to get a total surface area of the house.

• Subtract the total area of all windows and doors from the total surface area of the house, and the result will give you the total area to be covered in siding.

  • Total Surface Area - Area Of Windows & Doors = Total Area For Siding