With spring here, it's time for exterior home maintenance and repairs.  As you're cleaning up around your house, be sure to thoroughly check your siding to see how it held up this winter.

Siding is an important factor on any home, and with the right care and type of siding,  your home can be protected for many years without fail. Siding needs to be in good shape to provide that protection.  However, some homeowners might not know how to spot siding problems when they happen. By knowing the signs, you can ensure that the siding on your home is cared for, ready to go and that you have the protection you need and want from your home.

Here are the siding problems you should look out for if you have vinyl siding:
  1. Buckling and warping of the siding - These can be major indicators that something is wrong with the siding on your home. Without the proper siding maintenance, these problems are more likely to occur. Improper installation and weather factors can also cause this to happen.
  2. Issues with moisture - Unless you have a waterproof barrier under your siding that blocks the moisture from the outside to the inside of your home, moisture can get inside. When installed correctly, without wiggle room, vinyl siding should block the moisture from the outside and protect the inside of the home. If you can move the siding at all, it is not doing its job. Do a moisture test to find out how much is getting in.
  3. Mold and mildew on the siding - If there is mold on the siding of the home, this is a cause of concern. This mold can not only reach into the inside of the home and do damage, but it can make everyone living in your home very sick. Having this removed and washed off can be one thing, but you have to find out why it is there in the first place, so it doesn’t come back again.
  4. Flashing is not properly installed - When flashing is not properly installed to the side of the home, this makes for gaps between the siding and the house. This leaves places for moisture, mold and pests to get in and cause damage. Leaks into the inside of the home happen this way; flashing is more important than you think.  Gaps also allow air in and out, meaning you could be wasting money on heat and cooling.
  5. Is there noise from the outside? - Is your siding moving with the wind? Do you hear loud creaks, clattered and groans from the siding on your home? If you do, then this means the siding is not laying properly against the wall and should be repaired.
When you want to have your siding repaired or replaced, give our MN siding contractors a call here at Quarve. Remember, by choosing to switch to metal siding, you can bypass all of these problems.  We are a licensed MN exterior home remodeling contractor installing vinyl, James Hardie fiber cement, and shake and cedar siding for homes around the Twin Cities, including the zip codes of 55435, 55439 (Bloomington, Edina), 55077 (Inver Grove Heights, South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake) and 55126 (Shoreview, Arden Hills, Lino Lakes, North Oaks, Roseville).