Siding is one of the most important but often neglected building components. The siding and surface paint protects the structure from the elements and is likely the most noticeable component a building will posses.
With proper care, paint and sealing all types of siding should have a long useful life, typically over 30 years. However as a building ages and there are periods of time when the siding is not adequately maintained (typically missed paint & sealing cycles) there will be areas of water intrusion and seal (caulk) failures.
It has been our experience that most buildings will require at least a partial siding repair/replacement project around the 30 year mark due to some areas of the siding failing. These projects are not typically surprises as siding will often show its failure points in the way of rotted areas, warping, cracking, peeling paint and fungus/mold/mildew growth.
The good news is that with proper budgeting the siding replacement can be funded for well in advance. Often siding is replaced in phases or their is a siding repair contingency every 3-5 years in the reserve study. This allows adequate budgeting without the need for full scale replacement if there is no need for it.
*Reserve Analyst Tip* - If your building is in need of new exterior siding consider fiber cement as it is a long life material which has a similar look to wood, requires little maintenance, is rot resistant and typically has longer paint cycles. Over the life of the product fiber cement has significantly lower maintenance costs associated with it (25-30% on average) versus wood siding.
Links to Maintenance Manuals:
Wood Shingles / Fiber Cement / Vinyl Siding / Brick Siding / Exterior Paint & Caulking
