What to Expect with a Re-side Project using James Hardie

If your home’s siding is worn out and you feel like your curb appeal has gone to the wayside, it may be time to re-side your home’s exterior. A project like this can be an investment, so you’ll want to be sure you’re spending your funds on a durable product that will hold up over time.

Thankfully, for the 10^th year in a row, Remodeling magazine’s ‘Cost vs. Value Report’ states that re-siding your home with fiber cement siding provides #1 return on your remodeling investment for upscale projects—even 25 percent higher than if you were to add a bathroom to your home.

The leader in this type of siding is James Hardie. The company pioneered fiber cement technology in the 1980s and has invested decades of research and development in engineering their durable, versatile product. If you opt for the fiber cement siding option, you won’t be alone—James Hardie® siding and trim currently protect over 5.5 million homes across the U.S.

Here’s one example of a re-siding project from start to finish. A transformation of a 30-year-old, faded, cracked cedar-sided home to a fresh, durable James Hardie-sided exterior.

Ready to start your re-siding project? Here’s what you can expect:

Be sure it’s time to re-side: You’ll want to start by evaluating the exterior. Take a step back and inspect the siding from the curb, take note of anything noticeable like sagging, staining or damage. Then scrutinize the siding from a closer angle—examine it close up, from every side, top to bottom. You’ll want to look for sagging, cracking, blistering, fading, buckling/dents, rot, water stains, evidence of insect damage and missing pieces. If you notice two or more of these problems—it’s likely time to re-side.

Consider the amount of maintenance you’ve been putting in: As siding wears out, it may be costing you more to maintain it than it would to install new siding. Or you may find that you’ve skipped out on maintenance all together, leading to underlying structural damage. If maintaining your home siding, or neglecting it, is a concern, a re-side could be in your future.

Design your dream home exterior: Drive around your favorite neighborhoods and take in the home siding that strikes you. Take note of the colors, the placement, and the type of siding (whether it’s horizontal, vertical or shingles). Start compiling your favorite exterior siding designs from Pinterest, Houzz and home magazines. This will help when you share your vision with your contractor.

Choose a contractor: When selecting a contractor to work with you want to be sure they’re dependable and professional. It’s helpful to start by asking around, check in with friends and neighbors about who they would recommend. Once you have a few recommendations, you want to do your homework. This means checking to be sure your contractor is licensed and insured, specializes in home siding and is a member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

Prep for construction outside: A re-siding project typically takes about 1-2 weeks to complete depending on the house size, home needs and weather. Once the project is underway, a contractor’s team will typically work Monday-Friday from 7 or 8 a.m. until dinnertime. You’ll want to be prepared for the crew to take up a substantial amount of space in the driveway and yard. If you have exterior plants or landscape elements that are important to you, protect them or remove them and keep them in a less-occupied space.

Prep for construction inside. As old siding is being torn off and new siding is being nailed on, your interior walls may rattle and you’ll likely hear the pounding from inside. If you have fragile items hanging from the walls that could fall due to the rattling, remove them.

Once the remodel is complete and radiating with curb appeal, you’ll quickly notice how thrilled you are to pull into your own driveway.  It just got way more exciting to call your newly sided, polished exterior, home.