“When we bought this place, the exterior actually looked pretty good,” Renee said. “But over the years – and I guess we’ve been here a little while, our youngest just graduated college! – the weather and sun has taken its toll. There’s definitely some sun-fading going on, and there’s some storm damage that needs to be dealt with. I know we need new siding – and I really only want to have to do this job once. What do I need to know?”
Even the best vinyl siding has a limited lifespan. If your Wilmington, MA home has had the same exterior for twenty years or more, it’s definitely time to think about an upgrade. Renee’s concerns about wanting to reside the house only once resonate with a lot of people who are old enough to have children graduating from college. Pragmatically, the high quality vinyl sidings available today deliver 30+ years of reliable performance without fading.
One of the advantages of choosing vinyl siding is that it requires little to no maintenance or upkeep. “Over the years we’ve had this siding,” Renee explained, “We’ve used the power washer to keep it clean – my husband John usually does that in the spring. You never have to worry about painting it, either, which saves a lot of money.”
When choosing your new vinyl siding, you’ll have a choice of horizontal or vertical siding. Some homeowners choose to combine the two styles of vinyl siding for a custom look, sometimes in combination with shingles or brickwork. Horizontal vinyl siding is the most popular configuration – when you ask your Wilmington siding contractor for examples of their work to consider, you’re surely going to be shown some horizontal siding examples. Vertical vinyl siding is also uniquely well suited to the New England aesthetic so common in Wilmington, MA: the Batten Board look has many fans because it’s charming.