Installing Vinyl Siding? 4 Additional Improvements To Make At The Same Time
Is the outside of your home looking like it is in disrepair? If so, you may be looking to replace your old vinyl siding to bring new life to the exterior. This is also a great time to have other improvements done to your home while the old siding has been removed in preparation for the new siding. Consider these 4 things.
Add A New Moisture Barrier
It is important to have a good moisture barrier behind your new vinyl siding. The first step will be to replace the existing sheathing with new plywood, and then install a new moisture barrier that will protect your house from potential water damage. These new materials also help protect a home against heat loss and air leaks, which improve your home's overall energy efficiency.
Add New Foam Insulation
It's possible that the foam insulation behind your old siding is not in the best shape either. This is often the case when you are replacing another material with vinyl siding, like old wood siding. You should also consider adding a foam backing material to improve insulation behind your new siding.
Foam insulation is another way to improve energy efficiency for your home, but also give it additional resistance from the wind. The foam insulation can also provide protection from potential storm damage.
Use Vinyl Siding With Rigid Backing
Vinyl siding material can be fragile is not installed properly on a home. While conventional material may be more affordable, you could find that it becomes easily damaged if it doesn't have additional reinforcement.
Consider purchasing vinyl insulation that is reinforced with a rigid backing on it. Some forms of vinyl siding have a foam backing attached to it, which can double up as additional foam insulation for your home as previously mentioned. Other types of vinyl insulation have a backing that is ribbed, which just gives it additional strength without the insulation.
Repair Structural Damage
Now is also the time to perform any necessary structural repairs to your home's exterior. If you have wood that is rotting, now is the time to replace it with new wood that will be much stronger. The new siding and insulation should protect the new wood, which will prevent it from rotting once again since any leaks should be fixed with new vinyl siding.
For additional ideas on improvements that you can make, contract a local vinyl siding contractor at companies like Kemp's Windows Inc.