5 Factors to Consider When Choosing Residential Siding:
- Type of Construction— re-model or new build
- Installer— seasoned or first-time installer
- Location— surrounding environment
- Theme— modern, rustic, contemporary, and industrial
- Personal Value—budget, durability, maintenance
When it comes to choosing siding for your home, there are a lot of different options to consider. Once you have chosen the type of material for your siding, you still need to select the brand, style, color and finish.
How do you find the right metal siding for your home? Here are 5 factors to help guide you through finding the perfect metal siding for your house.
1. Type of Construction
When selecting residential siding, an important aspect to consider is the type of construction the project falls under. Is your project a new build or are you looking to give your current house a re-model or “face lift”?
If you are starting from scratch, you are not limited on your panel profile or color selection. You can use your theme, color scheme and your own inspiration to guide you.
However, if you are looking to re-model you need to keep your current building in mind. Your new siding needs to incorporate well with the other colors and products on your home. You need to be conscious of how you will transition from product to product. And, you need to plan on removing the old product, as well as work through connecting and attaching the new product. Being aware of your construction type is vital in selecting residential siding.
2. Installer
Another element to consider when selecting residential siding is the installer. Are you, the homeowner, looking to do the project yourself or do you plan to hire out a contractor? If you have a contractor, is this his/her first time installing metal siding or is he/she well-seasoned?
Metal siding can be installed by people of all skill sets; however, you want to keep the installer’s abilities in mind. Selecting a panel that has a more basic install may be a better option for a first-time installer.
3. Location
You also want to keep your location in mind when selecting residential siding. Your location has the power to select not only your panel profile, but your finish and gauge too.
Ask yourself these questions when choosing metal siding:
- Is your siding near a high-volume traffic area?
- Do you have hot summers or cold winters—or both?
- Is your home located in a rural area or in the heart of the city?
- Do you live by the ocean or in the forest?
4. Theme
Modern, rustic, contemporary, and industrial are just a few of the different themes for residential siding. These themes can be achieved based on the style of panel and finish you select. For example, corrugated panels are often labelled as the traditional panel, and known for their continuous pattern. Standing seam, on the other hand, is often loved for its clean lines and ability to hide the fastening system used to install the product. Whatever panel inspires you, it is not the only factor that composes the theme—color also plays a huge role.
Textured colors often help pull off a rustic look, while darker colors achieve a modern look. What may appear as an agricultural panel can quickly be transformed into a modern panel just by a change of color. The theme of your project has the ability to guide you in selecting the right product for the project.
5. Personal Value
Before you even begin looking at your options for residential siding, you need to determine what is most important to you. It may be your budget, your need for a low maintenance product, or a rustic style—whatever you choose needs to be the foundation of your selecting process. The moment you stray from the root of your project, you may discover yourself overwhelmed, discouraged, or even struggling to find the right metal siding for you.
While all the residential siding options can seem overwhelming at times, using these five factors can be a great guide to make the selecting process easier and even fun! Choosing the right panel, finish and gauge comes down to the type of construction and installer you have, as well as the location and theme. Most importantly, remember what is the root of your project and don’t waiver from what inspired you to use metal in the first place.
If you need some inspiration to help you choose the right metal siding, check out our blog on using metal siding on a modern home. Visit our product pages to browse through all the different colors and style Bridger Steel offers, or contact our team of professionals to get the details of your residential siding project handled!
