Vinyl siding: the good and the bad (houses, neighborhood)

[gritr5]

We are narrowing down our house hunting and apparently there is a house of our dreams in the market (location, space, # of rooms, basement, etc.). The problem is: it is a vinyl siding house (all over). Here is my question: how really bad is such a construction compared to brick or depends on the trade-off? Would you recommend staying away from vinyl siding houses or it really doesn't matter?

[domergurl]

There are so many these days ... it's really a wash.

[DLK55]

So many new developments and remodels use vinyl that it's kind of hard to avoid in newer or renovated homes unless you're looking at higher end housing. Vinyl has improved over the years so I would say the age and quality of the siding would be the main considerations. Your primary concern would be color fading and cracking over time.

If it's fairly recent construction, a lot of newer siding is warranted for 15, 25 years or more so cracking or fading wouldn't be any more of an issue than paint cracking, chipping, peeling or fading over time. There are also better paints on the market for painting it than there used to be, so changing the color is more of an option than it once was as long as you aren't going much darker than the original color. Heat retention (along with expansion and contraction) is one of the main enemies of painted vinyl siding so the lighter the better.

I wouldn't worry about the siding so much as the quality of the construction of the house itself. Siding can be changed relatively inexpensively but if a house has any structural/engineering warts you can have real headaches.

[mbuszu]

Originally Posted by gritr5

We are narrowing down our house hunting and apparently there is a house of our dreams in the market (location, space, # of rooms, basement, etc.). The problem is: it is a vinyl siding house (all over). Here is my question: how really bad is such a construction compared to brick or depends on the trade-off? Would you recommend staying away from vinyl siding houses or it really doesn't matter?

Unless you go high-end construction-wise, you'll see vinyl on the vast majority of the houses you look at (at least for 3 sides). There are varying levels of vinyl siding quality as well as good and bad hanging practices that can affect aesthetics (and even functionality). As others have stated, the overall quality of the home's construction is the most important thing to consider. Obviously, if you don't like the way the house looks that's a big deal too.

I live in a home with wood & brick siding on the front and vinyl on the sides and rear. I wish I had brick or stone on all sides as there is definitely less maintenance involved, greater insulation (for both temperature and sound), more durability (and longevity), and it looks a lot classier. I also recognize that the siding I have is low-end and thus the seams are rather apparent.

If you do some research online you find articles which describe how the durability promises of vinyl siding have been significantly exaggerated, that after just 15-20 years it will have not only changed color (so that matching replacement pieces becomes impossible) but also vinyl becomes brittle as time goes on. In most cases after about 20 years some of it will have begun to separate from its attachment points as well. It is popular amongst builders because it is easy to put up - and popular amongst homebuyers because it is thus very affordable; that's it.

All that said, changing my siding isn't top on my list of priorities right now. A completely brick or stone-sided home in my neighborhood would look out of place and I have no interest in having the most expensive home (that would make it difficult to recoup what I put into it).

Do take a look at the rest of the homes in the neighborhood. What does everyone else have (and is your prospective home comparable or different?)? When you make your judgement-call weigh all the options not just the house's siding. Vinyl has drawbacks to be certain, but if the house is 10 years old or younger, perhaps you wouldn't be looking at having to do anything to it or for it for years to come anyway.

[kygman]

Just bought a house with vinyl siding on all sides. I love it! House is 10 yrs old and siding looks good. House is nice and quiet too! Had a storm dump 2.5 inches of rain one night. We didn't know it till we went out the next morning.

[gritr5]

Thank you all for your comments.