Choosing the Right Siding and Installation Contractor is Vital for Your Replacement Project
If you’re thinking about new siding for your home you’ve come to the right place.
Here at Northern Lights Exteriors, we pride ourselves on staying up to date with the latest siding products and techniques available in the market. With over two decades of experience, our team of contractors has been to many continuing education opportunities and have seen all the “revolutionary” new products come to market. We have a straightforward, honest, and informed approach to every project. We invite you to look at just a few of our hundred-plus reviews and give us a chance to earn your business.
If you’re not sure about which siding suits your needs, we want to help you make a decision you’ll be happy with for many years to come.
How to Choose the Best Siding for your Home
The footprint of your home, your aesthetic preferences, and budget are not exactly the same as anyone else’s. It’s important to follow a step-by-step process to narrow down the variety of siding options to something that allows you to make a confident decision.
Step 1
On a piece of paper rank a series of factors as best you can. What are the factors? We’ve mentioned most of them in the descriptions above:
- Ease of maintenance
- Resistance to fire
- Resistance to rot, mold, mildew, insects and birds
- Price
- Color choices, especially if you have a very specific custom color in mind
- The “Wow factor.” Of course all types of siding can have attractive elements, but sometimes homeowners want that extra curb appeal that makes a statement.
Maybe some factors are of equal weight to you, so it’s fine to put them side-by-side and not force a ranking. Still, try as best you can to come up with a list of higher and lower priorities.
Step 2
Once you have that list, star items that are non-negotiable. Maybe it’s all negotiable, but for some people, they really are dead-set on certain factors like not exceeding a fixed budget or having the minimum-possible maintenance.
Another scenario is let’s say you’ve been wanting to upgrade the exterior of your house for quite some time. You don’t do it often, but when you do, you want to make a statement and for it to be something that gets your attention, every time you pull into your driveway. You might put a star* next to the “wow factor” in this case.
By this point in the process, you may already have a strong sense of the kind of siding to go with, but if not, Step 3 will come to the rescue:
Step 3
Bounce your thoughts and questions off one of our project managers. Not only can they show you samples of the different materials, but they bring many years of problem-solving experience to the table.
For example, if you really can’t exceed a certain dollar amount but are looking for the absolute lowest-maintenance siding that’s also good in a fire zone—give your project manager the challenge of seeing what might work. We hand-pick these guys to be friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.
In fact, our project managers get paid the same whether you decide to go with the least-expensive or most-expensive options, so you can relax: you’re in a No-Pressure Zone.
We move at your pace
Speaking of “no pressure,” we recognize that people have different timetables. Of course, after a hailstorm, some people will have an urgent need for a solution. In that case, we can swing into high-speed mode, and can even help them to negotiate a better payout from their insurance company for the damage. Learn how the insurance process works or review our 9 Dos and Don’ts for Making the Best of a Bad Situation When Your Home is Damaged.
For other people, they’re just in the early stages of thinking about exterior remodeling, and want to kick around some options. We’re fine with that, too: after all, big decisions should not be rushed.
Most people need to see and touch different types of siding before getting completely comfortable with choosing one for their home. That makes a lot of sense because as great as the internet is, still it’s no substitute for the kind of impressions you get when you can actually handle different siding materials.
Siding Choices Have Trade Offs
That’s right: There’s no “perfect” siding. The most beautiful siding with the least amount of maintenance, most durability, and at the lowest cost just doesn’t exist. With varying needs and so many options, tastes differ. What works great for one might be a not so desirable choice for another.
For example, you can have a super-attractive home exterior made of the ultimate siding, it’ll look great and hold up with zero maintenance for literally 1,000 years! It’s called stone. Castles are proof. The tradeoff is a matter of money: expenses could easily get into millions of dollars. Considering the army of stone masons needed, not to mention many tons of stone.
Be On Guard for “Too Good to be True” Siding Options
On the other end of the spectrum are the ads from big-box stores and flyers in your mailbox with statements that seem to promise no tradeoffs at all: these siding contractors claim to install “no maintenance” attractive, bug-proof and rot-proof vinyl siding for what seems like half the going rate! (If you “Act NOW!!!”)
The tradeoff? It’s QUALITY— more specifically the lack of quality. Siding companies that advertise super-low prices simply do not have secret knowledge of how to deliver a high-quality product at half the going price. Instead, they’re cutting corners somewhere.
Maybe it’s paying very little for unskilled labor and not bothering with workmen’s compensation insurance or licenses; or it’s using inferior grades of thin, recycled vinyl that will crack and yellow quickly. Maybe it’s a “bait and switch” where they hook you on a low price and then hard-sell you on a more-expensive option. In the end it will definitely be something, if the price is too good to be true.
What We’ve Learned from Over 20 Years of Experience as Denver Siding Contractors
At Northern Lights Exteriors we offer a ‘sweet spot’ of siding options. Instead of offering every type of siding under the sun we’ve done the research and taken the guesswork out of it for you. Northern Lights Exteriors has a selection of proven and reliable siding materials we can stand behind and stand up to the weather in Colorado. Contact us today to learn more.
