Understanding the Differences Between Vinyl Siding Replacement vs. Repair

When you notice cracks, warping, or other wear and tear on your Asheville home’s vinyl siding, you’ll quickly need to decide: should you repair or replace that siding?

That can be a tough question to answer if you’ve never patched a vinyl siding panel before or don’t know whether the time is right to replace the siding instead. The right renovation project could be perfect for your budget and your property, but choosing the wrong one might lead to more headaches and siding maintenance. Today, let’s compare vinyl siding repair vs. vinyl siding replacement and help you choose the best option for your home.

Comparing vinyl siding repair and replacement

Vinyl siding repair and vinyl siding replacement can differ greatly depending on how much work needs to be done. A simple vinyl siding repair could be as quick as a one-hour job – the other option might take a lot longer and cost more if you need to purchase brand-new siding panels.

As you decide whether it’s time to repair or replace damaged siding, we recommend keeping these big considerations in mind.

Signs it’s time to replace vinyl siding

Damaged siding doesn’t all look exactly alike. Do you just see a few small marks or dents in the siding? Sounds like the ideal time for a repair.

It’s usually a better idea to replace bad vinyl siding panels if you notice one or (especially) several of the below signs:

• Big splits or cracks down siding panels. Extensive damage can’t usually be repaired.
• Swelling in more than one place on a given board.
• Mold, mildew, rot, fungus, and other growths all over the siding panel(s).
• Several siding panels keep falling off.

Aside from these signs, there are other big indicators that your Asheville home is due for a larger vinyl siding replacement job. For instance, if your utility bill suddenly spikes in the summer or winter, it might be because your siding isn't adequately insulating your home. Getting new, properly insulated vinyl siding is definitely the best choice in this case.

Average cost of vinyl siding replacement

For most homeowners, price is the biggest factor in determining whether they’ll choose to repair lackluster vinyl siding panels or replace them. Vinyl siding repair is almost always cheaper than the cost of vinyl siding replacement. All you need to pay for is a few tools, which you might already have, and additional paint to ensure your repaired siding matches the panels around it.

What about replacing vinyl siding panels? The average cost of new siding heavily depends on the type of siding materials you have on your home! For example, vertical vinyl siding costs $3-$8 per square foot, while insulated vinyl siding is usually $4-$12 per square foot. If you need to replace your home’s complete set of vinyl siding, expect to pay between $6,000 and $16,400.

Things get even more complicated when you consider alternatives to vinyl siding, like aluminum siding, wood siding, and fiber cement siding. Regardless, buying new panels and slotting them into place costs more (in terms of money and time, as you’ll see below) than repairing them.

Labor considerations

Some vinyl siding repair jobs are pretty straightforward! Smaller vinyl siding repairs might only take a half hour to an hour at most.

In fact, you might be able to follow a basic step-by-step process like this:

• Clean the damaged siding area.
• Apply caulk to small holes or divots in the siding.
• Or cut out small pieces that are no larger than an inch with a utility knife, then cut a replacement patch from a new siding board and apply caulk to the edges.

Replacing a vinyl siding panel can also be quick if you have some experience. But replacing more than one panel – say, all the vinyl siding along the eastern wall of your house – will take several hours at minimum. You might prefer to call a contracting team to tackle this work for you instead of doing it yourself.

How long do you want the siding to last?

So long as it’s properly maintained, vinyl siding should last for around 30 to 40 years. While vinyl siding can transform your home, extreme weather, lots of sunshine, and other factors can make your siding panels lose their luster sooner than that. On the other hand, maybe your home is already 40 years old, and its siding is starting to near its maximum lifespan.

When you notice damaged vinyl siding, think about how old the panels are. If they’re already getting up there in age, it might be time to look into vinyl siding replacement. All the effort you put into restoring a series of 39-year-old siding panels, for example, might go to waste if that siding keeps falling off your house over the next year.

Brand-new siding, like Everlast’s Residential Composite Siding, has a better chance of looking great and working well for your home for decades before needing serious repairs. In these cases, it’s almost always a better investment to replace rather than repair.

Taking the chance to upgrade

We don’t always get to choose the siding on our homes, at least at first. If you bought your Asheville property and it had mediocre siding when you moved in, broken panels are your opportunity to pick the right siding for your budget and your peace of mind.

Imagine replacing basic vinyl siding with a new siding material in the perfect color. Top-quality products, like Alside’s ASCEND Composite Cladding, are fantastic choices if you want to move away from vinyl siding and upgrade to something with a superior look and feel.

By replacing poor-quality siding with new, high-quality siding, you’ll increase your home’s property value and boost its curb appeal. In the long run, you might even save money on your utility bill!

Can’t decide? Ask a contractor

What if you’ve weighed all the factors in your mind and still can’t decide whether vinyl siding repair or replacement is the way to go? There’s nothing wrong with asking an expert contractor who’s seen plenty of homes and many types of siding in every possible condition.

At Window World of Asheville, our experienced contractors can inspect your property, carefully examine the siding all around your home, and help you decide whether repairing or replacing that siding is the better option. No matter which you choose, they'll be able to help you get the job done by repairing worn-down siding panels or replacing them with brand-new siding options! Request a free quote or visit our showroom to get started!