Siding Question: Steel V. Vinyl

[cliffy]

My wife and I are building a new home....or should I saw we are having it built for us. Any way, the builder has given us a million and one options on pretty much everything. We are almost getting sick of making choices...believe it or not.

One decision is regarding the siding. Steel versus vinyl. Our builder is super nice and isn’t pushing one over another. The vinyl is cheaper but I remember hearing horror stories about possible warping and other durability issues. Steel is very nice but it would add about another 10k to the budget. Does anyone have any info regarding either product? Thanks.

[sparcebag]

Vinyl is junk,steel is OK they both have lap joints or visable seams.My self I'd go with the concrete products,you have to paint it, but if first coats of paint are done correctly, it will last quite a while with little maintance.

[18 inch Crappie]

Seamless steel.........

[minneman]

The down side to vinyl is after some years it gets a chalky faded apearance, looks great to start with but longevity is rather short IMO. Its brittle when cold, and moves alot with changing temps, so instalation needs to be done right.your limited to a few light colors.

Box steel will $ave you over seemless but you'll have the butt joints like w/vinyl. you get a bigger color selection with steel. it dents instead of breaks, and is hard to fix.

cement is a better product than the old masonite siding. comes painted or primed, most companys warrent the paint. If done right it can be very nice looking. there are lots of different options/mouldings etc that can be used with it that will add to the looks of your home.

With the bit of a slowdown in the building craze in this area, I think shopping around a bit may save you some $$$.

Also think "Resale" during your decision making process. you never know when you'll need to sell and get the most bang for your buck.

[Scott K]

Doesnt anyone use cedar wood anymore, I like the look, it maybe high maint. but it sure looks nice.

[eurolarva]

If your wife ever should decide to open a daycare she will not be able to get a license with Steel siding. In the event of a fire it stays contained with metal making escape harder. At least that is what the licensing people told my wife. James Hardie siding is real nice however it is a pain to install and not cheap

[sparcebag]

Only siding I'd use,Maintance??? not if its treated right,a Good oil semi transparent,before its installed,then clear for up keep.The only way to go!

[JohnMickish]

Quote:

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Seamless steel.........

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Ditto. There is nothing uglier than a house with seams. Seamless also raises the resale value when you want to cross that road.

[tonka]

one of my friends just got steel siding and it was about the same price as vinyl. he said the price of petroleum has vinyl siding prices high. i almost wanna say that the steel was cheaper but i'm not sure.

[Gus]

My inlaws have steel on their house which is original. They built the home in '75 and the siding still looks good. Sure there are a few marks here and there from accidents and kids but I have my doubts that any vinyl siding would have survived any better. Most probably would have needed to be replaced by now. I know my next residing project will involve steel.

[river-rat4]

Here are some pictures of 2003 installed vinyl by a professional. After todays storm showing durability, not quite sure what outer shell would be better than cement siding.

Size reference (half dollar/ Quarter)

6:26 PM the deck

West side of house

Another West side picture

South Side of house

There are many, many more like the above. This is TimberCrest brand and has a lifetime color fade warranty. On the East side of the house it has the "Chalky" look to it already.

I would be interested in the Steel, but would it dent with hail verses break like vinyl?

I, would not buy vinyl again, I hope this helps.

river-rat4

[slotlimit]

Dang man sorry about your luck. To bad it wasn't put up 20 years ago then it would be good luck. Turn it over to the insurance company. After hail like that I'm sure you can get new shingles as well. Hope no one got hurt.

[Gadgetman]

We had a bad hail storm several years ago and I ended up getting a new roof out of the deal. My steel siding had no damage that we could find at all. I do know that a baseball will put a dent in it as will a rock thrown by a lawn mower

[bottomdweller]

My house is 3 years old and my detached shed is almost 5. The siding is clay and is now turning very chalky, fortunately the siding company is replacing all siding and reimbursing labor,but it is still going to be a big hassle. If I had the money I would go cedar or cement, just my .02

gl

[sparcebag]

Clay??? I thought Adobe was a southwest thing.

[river-rat4]

Thanks, and nobody was injured. I was able to put the truck in the garage (2007) with two minutes to spare, literally.

I will see what AM Fam says. If they won’t replace the whole house (Two sides damaged, other sides chalky), I will find the receipts for the siding on the front side without damage.

I have to check out the shingles and plastic roof vents, should be interesting.

Question?

Will an Insurance company replace the whole house siding if only two sides are damaged by the storm? I would think they would as sun fade occurs and all sides must match, right?

Appreciate any input.

river-rat4

[slotlimit]

I'm not sure about what the insurance company will do about the faded siding. It would seem to me that it should be covered by the siding companies warranty? This is what I do know though. My parents neighbor used to be an adjuster. He told my dad that almost anyone in Minnesota who has house that has gone through a hail storm or 2 has damage to their shingles. The shingles had been on my parents home for about 20 years and my dad went up on the roof with the neighbor. He wasn't up there for 5 minutes and he told me dad that he had hail damage. So the next day my dad called up his insurance and within a couple of weeks new shingles.

[river-rat4]

Thanks for the input. I have yet to get on the roof. Insurance co has been notified, I will be on the roof b4 they arrive.

Thanks for your input.

river-rat4

[hanson]

Back to the siding question...

If you have the option, I would personally go with Fiber Cement siding. (James Hardie, Certainteed, etc.) Its paintable and will last forever. I also feel it has a warmer, more natural look to it.

To be honest, I can't stand vinyl siding at all. Yuck. Steel is obviously a much better, more durable material but it also has the same "look" as vinyl.

[river-rat4]

UPDATE-

I will be getting a new roof (not just a second layer, but a tear off and new).

As far as the vinyl siding goes, I will get new siding on the damaged sides (2). The faded side I will have to go to the manufacturer and pull a warrany deal.

rr4

[Roofer]

Steel is about the best you can get for your money, but only if you have a good enough installer. Most want to put on hardie or vinyl because it is more "forgiving". If we want to paint, why not stick with masonite. It is better than cement board and cheaper. Vinyl isn't so bad as long as you don't go cheap...and again, have a good installer. Seamless is OK and that's it. It doesn't go on as good as regular steel and is not as strong. I do this for a living every day and I am using steel siding myself (not seamless).

Most guys can't/won't install steel, but it is definitely better. If you guys need a price, let me know.

River-rat4, don't get taken by the storm chasers or the immigrants. I have fixed enough of their work around here.

[river-rat4]

Thank you guys,

I am going to get some green for the damage. But, as I stated, not for the two "non damaged sides" that are chalky (vinyl). So to move into steel would be pretty pricey, correct?

river-rat4

[Roofer]

Yes, it would be a price difference. You can stay with vinyl. There are ways to get the rest of your house paid for, and sometimes not. Alot depends on your insurance company.

Whatever you do, get it fixed. There is sure to be another storm and if it isn't fixed, you don't get paid again.

As far as the roof, they have to pay for both layers, but only once. It is not legal for two layers anymore, so they have to pay to bring it up to code.

[luckey]

One thing not mentioned here is the vinyl thickness. There is a varity of material. I just built a detached garage and put on vinyl the same style and color as the house but it's twice as thick. It cost about $400 more (for 16 sq.) than the run of the mill siding but it has less warp, and is way more durable.

[cliffy]

Thanks for all the info....we ended up going with steel. Lots of good choices out there....steel just seems the best for the house we are building and our budget. Thanks again.