Working With A Professional Contractor

If you're looking at companies that provide siding installation services, you're probably also curious about how the process works and some of the choices you'll need to make. Here are four things all customers should know before they start looking for help.

Types of Products

Siding has come a long way since the days when wood and aluminum were the dominant options. You can now find an array of products including ones made of vinyl, stone, fiber cement, brick, and steel. There are also plenty of composites that use plastics or compressed wood.

Stone and wood tend to have the wow factor. However, other products can be molded to produce effects very similar to wood and stone.

Durability varies from product to product, but nearly all materials on the market today should deliver at least 20 years of use. Some high-end products like brick and stock might perform well for up to 100 years.

Costs

At the low end of the scale, vinyl, fiber cement, and aluminum products cost between $1,600 to $3,000 to install about 2,000 square feet of materials. You can easily go much more expensive, moving up to brick or natural stone products that can range from $30,000 to $100,000.

It's worth noting that the thickness of the materials will dictate some of the price. Thinner materials may warp more easily, potentially creating unprotected pockets on the side of a structure.

Preparation Requirements

Unsurprisingly, any siding and barrier materials already present on the building have to go. However, it's also important to clean the surface, check the underlying wood for problems, and verifying that everything is smooth. Warps in the wood will lead to defects in the siding that are not covered by the guarantee if they were known beforehand and the customer chose to proceed. Depending on the severity of the issues, you may have to hire a carpenter to correct them before the siding goes up.

Equipment

Especially if you have a multistory building or one that's located on a slope, expect to see a fair amount of equipment on your property for the project. Siding installation services contracts frequently use ladders, and there are also systems for attaching platforms to the side of the structure to reach more difficult locations.

The contractor will want to set up a staging area on your property. This is a spot where they can position materials, equipment, and vehicles.