What Home Siding Styles are there to Consider?

home siding styles

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Home siding styles have come a long way in recent decades because of competition among material manufacturers who try to produce the most durable, appealing, and affordable siding. We want to explain those styles, identify which ones we like best, and persuade you to utilize our expert services whenever you’re ready to replace your siding.

Popular Home Siding Styles in St. Louis

When we refer to a “siding style,” we usually mean which type of material you would use for the job. The most popular siding styles around St. Louis are James Hardie Siding (fiber cement), vinyl, and engineered wood. Here’s a synopsis of each of those.

Three Major Siding Styles

  1. Vinyl
    Vinyl is the material with the lowest costs, but you get what you pay for most of the time. Fortunately, they now produce a type of upgraded vinyl siding that withstands moisture and the elements better than in old days. Overall, you would probably want something a little more heavy-duty if you own a house in a classier neighborhood.
  2. Engineered Wood
    There’s still traditional wood siding, but you’ll also find a market for engineered wood, which they make out of wood bundles sealed together with resin at high heat. It does a lot better than classic wood against wood rot and woodpeckers, but for the price you pay, there are better options.
    If you’d like to look further into this, you can read our other article on the benefits of engineered wood siding.
  3. James Hardie Siding
    James Hardie Siding comes from a synthetic substance dubbed “fiber cement.” That synthesis of Portland cement, sand, water, and cellulose fibers creates much better insulation, not to mention fire resistance. Many home improvement critics consider this the most visually appealing siding brand.

Which Siding Style Do We Like Best?

We prefer the James Hardie brand ahead of all the competition. It will require a somewhat higher cost investment than wood or vinyl, but the durability and longer lifespan is well worth it. Plus, if your home struggles with termites and woodpeckers, you’ll never have to worry (at least not on the exterior) when you choose cement siding.

James Hardie Siding comes with tremendous manufacturer guarantees, typically around 30 years. However, if you talk to St. Louis homeowners who got it back in the 90s, they’ve yet to have any trouble. It’s possible for this siding material to last closer to 50 years before needing another replacement.

Only Hire a Pro to Install James Hardie Siding

Any siding job involves hard work with lots of measurement, careful nailing, and detailing. We don’t recommend you do this type of work in your home. However, you also can’t afford to hire any random siding company.

James Hardie Siding lasts a long time and looks great if you get a certified installation crew to put it together. That’s because the manufacturer uses siding boards with different angles, sizes, and configurations. If you don’t hang them properly, you’ll get sloppy results with boards hanging way over the ends of the house.

Hawthorn Home Exteriors: Prompt Installation Service on All Home Siding Styles

Even if you don’t choose the preferred James Hardie style, we can help you install any material. We also serve our clientele with window and door installation.

If you look on the homepage of our website, you’ll notice an emblem for “James Hardie Side Master” (Installer Academy). That’s basically the seal of approval from the James Hardie company, signifying our status as a preferred installation contractor for the popular fiber-cement brand. While you’re free to choose any company to do this work, our guys receive extra training to do it properly (from the manufacturer themselves).

You can contact Hawthorn Home Exteriors anytime to learn even more about home siding styles and what to expect during the installation process.

Mark Moore

Mark Moore

Founder & CEO

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