I like to say, “Mother Nature is constantly trying to bring your home back to nature.” Keeping the exterior of your home well-maintained and sealed will help keep Mother Nature at bay and protect the underlying elements of your home from water and insect damage. 

There are a variety of siding materials available to clad and protect your home. My aesthetic favorite is cedar siding. However, my low-maintenance favorite is cement-fiber siding like Hardie board or equivalent. 

I’ve seen cement-fiber siding installed on a home—never painted and 30-plus years old—in perfect condition; this stuff is amazing! Ideally, cedar wood siding should be painted or stained to extend serviceable life, but some—like my wife—prefer to risk it a bit, keeping the siding bare and letting it “weather” over time to build character (e.g., it turns gray and black over time). Ultimately, I recommend keeping all exterior elements well sealed to safeguard against water/insect damage and to extend serviceable life. 

Composite siding and SPF wood trim, for instance, should be proactively painted and caulked to prevent rapid deterioration. Vinyl siding, on the other end of the spectrum, requires little-to-no maintenance. Obviously, November isn’t the best time of year to paint or stain, but you can still maintain caulking details and cut vegetation back from the building’s exterior. 

Maintaining the exterior of your home and keeping Mother Nature away will go a long way towards reducing and eliminating costly damage over time.

Do you have questions or comments about home inspections in general? Go “All” in and tweet us (@AIHomeInspect).