Replacing your home’s siding can’t be that hard, right? You’ve watched plenty of home renovation shows and know what to look out for. You may also feel pretty confident having done your research on Google and watched plenty of YouTube videos. Perhaps you’ve even picked out the color and type of siding you want and are ready to get started. However, Pacific Home & Patio would like to save you a lot of time, money, and aggravation with the following reasons a Boise siding project isn’t a DIY job.
Fixing Unforeseen Issues
So maybe your old siding is pretty ugly. But do you know things can be a lot worse beneath the surface? Once you take off the beat-up siding, you may end up finding certain things like rot. Even worse, rot can’t just be covered up and forgotten. Furthermore, you may not even know what you are looking at or know that it needs to be fixed. Only an experienced Boise siding professional can spot things that an average homeowner may not.
If additional work is required, it’s important to get it done before you install your new siding. If you don’t, you may discover that a small or overlooked problem has grown into a much larger, expensive one to fix down the road. Even if you do attempt to fix any issues as they arise, your siding project may suffer from some serious unexpected delays. This, in turn, can turn into additional expenses and aggravation.
Necessary Tools
Once any issues have been fixed, you’ll have to consider that actual siding installation process. Imagine boxes and boxes of siding that have just been delivered to your home. Now what? Siding can be compared to a gigantic puzzle with hundreds of pieces scattered about in different bundles. Unlike a small jigsaw puzzle, however, this one is really big. You’ll need more than one pair of hands and a hammer to get the job done. You’ll also need a wide variety of necessary tools like:
- A square
- Chalk line
- Level
- Tape measure
- Fine-tooth hand saw
- Power saw
- Utility knife
- Electric drill
- Tin snips
- Snap lock punch
- Nail hole slot punch
- Unlocking tool
- Fasteners
- Staples
- Safety glasses
- A break
- And more…
Many of these tools won’t ever be used again once the job is done. Whether you purchase them outright or rent them, the expenses of doing it yourself becomes very costly, real quick. In fact, you may find that the cost of doing it yourself equals the same price as hiring a Boise siding professional who has the proper tools and experience to get the job done right without all the headaches.
Lack Of Expertise
Experts on Youtube make the siding process look easy, don’t they? If you watch closely, you’ll see how everything flows smoothly. Furthermore, experts are knowledgeable in all the rules and regulations that come with the job.
When you take on the task of doing it yourself, however, it’s important to take into consideration that siding comes in a wide variety of thickness grades. Furthermore, if they aren’t installed correctly, this can leave any empty void between the wall surface and siding panel. You should also think about what kind of insulation you have installed or plan on installing. Only an expert will know what your home has and what it needs.
It’s also important to understand that siding can shift, expand, and contract with temperature changes. If it’s installed too tightly or loosely, it can buckle or create unattractive gaps between the siding panels. Unless you are a Boise siding professional, you won’t know how to install the siding correctly to prevent any of these issues from happening.
Clean Up
When you watch experts on T.V and Youtube, you probably won’t see the clean up process of a Boise siding project. Why? It’s not pretty. That’s why it’s important to keep in mind that you must clean up and dispose of all the old siding you take off. Even worse, most municipal garbage services won’t take away this kind of debris. Instead, you will most likely end up hiring a professional garbage removal service which will cost additional fees to have it all dumped.
Your Boise Siding Contractor
When it comes to residing your home, there’s a lot to consider when taking on the challenge of doing it yourself. Before you begin, take the time to talk with the Boise siding contractor at Pacific Home & Patio by filling out our online form or give us a call at (208) 376-0000. We’ll take the time to answer any questions you may have and provide you with a free quote estimate.