Siding Inspection: Inspect Now, Avoid Problems Later

Sidings are the weatherproof materials that protect the vertical surface of your home from the effects of different weather. Be careful to check the siding while doing your exterior home checking.

Common Defects

While you are inspecting sidings, make sure that you identify the following common potential trouble spots.

• Are the siding materials and the paint or stain in good condition?
• If you find white spots on stain or peeling paint, it indicates moisture problem.
• You must also look for decay, split siding, or excessive rusting of nail heads.
• See if there are caulking around doors and windows at corners.

Exterior Home Checking: Materials Used in Siding

Different materials are used for siding, such as wood, aluminum, vinyl, brick, stones etc. Following is a brief overview of what to check in each type of sliding in order to identify potential trouble spots in the new house you proposed to buy.



Wood Siding

Wood sidings come in various forms, such as redwood, plywood and pressed wood composition products. Following are some of the problems that you may find during your inspection.

• Sunlight can damage the surface of wood, and provide more space to which water can cling.
• When water is absorbed into wood, it can cause swelling or cracking.
• Moreover, if wood remains damp for a long time, it may decay.
• Because of leaking roofs, faulty flashing, or faulty gutters, sometimes water penetrates behind siding or trim. This eventually results in the most serious water damage.
• While you are conducting siding inspection accord special attention to check the vertical joints. Some examples are the joints between the siding and the windows.
• Paints give extra protection from sunlight and water to wood. If the paint is severely cracked or peeling, it indicates potential problems.

Aluminum Siding

If aluminum siding is properly installed, it generally requires very little maintenance. Therefore, you must check if the aluminum sliding has been installed properly.



Vinyl Siding

Vinyl is the newest type of siding you can find in homes, and demands great maintenance. However, some vinyl sidings sometimes become brittle in cold weather. If you are considering buying a vinyl-clad home, make sure that there is warranty and it is transferable to you.

Masonry

Generally, masonry walls, such as brick walls or stone walls, require little maintenance. While you are inspecting the siding, check for cracks and closely examine the condition of the mortar. Sometimes, you can find voids in the mortar, which can lead to more rapid deterioration of the surrounding mortar and bricks.

Asphalt Siding

Asphalt siding is rarely used now. However, if you find asphalt clad home, and want to replace the same because of some problems, it could be a very difficult task, as replacement asphalt siding is not readily available.

While doing your exterior home checking for the new house you are planning to buy check the sidings properly to avoid problems later.