DIY Network

Siding with the Best: Choices From "Blueprint for Home Building" episode DBHB-107

Now that you know about the two functions of siding, it's time to find out about the many kinds of materials that can be used to cover your home.

"There are several options that a homeowner can have in terms of sidings or exterior claddings," John Broniek, manager of builder programs at IBACOS, said. "You can have vinyl siding, you could have wood siding, you can have brick, you can have stone. You can have a stucco system. A lot of those choices vary from region to region."

Note: Exterior Cladding is another term for the exterior surface of your home.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

There are several choices for the exterior of your home, but brick, wood and stone make some of the most visually pleasing, but they cost more than stucco or vinyl. You may decide, however, that the added cost is worth it thanks to their long-lasting qualities and aesthetic beauty.

• Brick (figure A) is an especially higher priced choice, due to the cost of materials and labor for the installation. A lot of people today want to imitate the look of homes where they actually made the brick on the site and a lot of people will spend the extra money to get that handmade look because that's the look they want to duplicate.

  While brick can add 25 percent of more to the cost of your house construction versus a less-expensive option such as stucco or vinyl, it more than makes up for it due to durability.

• Wood (figure B) is the next high-end siding option to consider for your home. Much like brick, it may also cost 25 percent more than vinyl or fiber-cement siding. Lumber products are volatile in their price fluctuations, and the supply is also volatile.

• Natural stone (figure C) is another high-end option to consider, but it's costly for a different reason -- because it's heavier weight, which means it's more difficult to install. This will raise the labor costs, obviously.

  Note: Both stone and brick take longer to install than vinyl siding, and this additional time is another element contributing to their higher cost.

	Figure D
	Figure E

If you love the look of stone and brick but your budget won't allow for the added cost, you do have alternatives:

• One way to achieve the look of a high-end siding material without breaking your budget is to use synthetic substitutes. For example, if you want the look of wood siding, consider using an engineered wood as an option.

  Engineered wood (figure D) is when you take wood chips. First you would break down the wood chips into a size of a fiber and then you would add additives, resins, wax and with heat and pressure, bond them back into a homogeneous panel. What that gives you is a very stable product that can provide you a very excellent finish and a lot of versatility when it comes to siding the house.

• Like wood, stone has a synthetic alternative called "cultured stone" (figure E), which provides homeowners with the high-end look of natural stone -- but without the higher price tag.

  Cultured stone is actually a manufactured stone veneer product that replicates natural stone in size, shape and texture. And it's a lightweight product, which means it has installation advantages. Unlike quarried stone, which may be limited to a geographical area where it's available, this product can be available anywhere in the country.

In the next segment host Jeff Wilson will go over some more lower-cost options for your home's exterior.

GUESTS :

John Broniek
Buildings Programs Manager
Ibacos
Website: www.ibacos.com

Jim Niehoff
E-mail: jniehoff@cement.org

Alfonso Gil
Senior Estimator
AA Foam Design
E-mail: aafoamdesign@yahoo.com