Wood & Fiber-Cement Siding Installers in Baltimore, MD

Baltimore Cedar Siding

Baltimore cedar siding is a smart choice for anybody looking for a high quality, beautiful, and environmentally responsible siding option in "The Greatest City in America." Of course, cedar siding isn't for everyone. It does require more maintenance than other options, such as vinyl or fiber cement siding, but if you're looking for siding material that protects your home and takes the neighbor's breath away, Baltimore cedar siding is exactly what you've been looking for.

Why Choose Cedar Siding?
If your home is in need of siding, it's probably safe to assume that you've already looked into the many siding options out there. Undoubtedly you've been pitched the maintenance free wonders of vinyl, aluminum, fiber cement, and other wood siding materials. In the face of that, why choose cedar siding for your home? Cedar has a lot of excellent qualities, many of which fit Baltimore to a T. Here's just a few to consider.

• Cedar is Naturally Resistant to Bugs and Rot—If you want the classic, distinguished look of wood siding, then cedar should be at the top of your list. Baltimore gets about 40 inches of rain annually, spread out fairly evenly over the year, and the high humidity in Crabtown is legendary. When it comes to cheaper wood siding, like pine, those factors add up to rot, mildew, warping, and splitting, especially if you're not diligent about keeping a good coat of paint on it. Of course, you can always buy treated lumber, but that can contain some pretty nasty chemicals (can you say "arsenic?") that make it less than ideal as siding material. On the other hand, cedar contains oils that naturally make it resistant to water, rot, and insects.

• Cedar Siding in Baltimore Comes in all Shapes and Sizes—In a city that's been around as long as Baltimore (since 1729) you'll run into just about any style of house you can imagine, from the famous row houses downtown to new builds out in the burbs. Unlike vinyl and fiber cement siding, cedar comes in quite a few styles to match just about any architectural style or sensibility. Baltimore cedar shake siding, board and batten, lap board, tongue and groove, and beveled siding are the most popular styles of cedar siding in Baltimore.

• Cedar Siding in Baltimore is Environmentally Friendly—This fact surprises a lot of Baltimoreans. Other siding industries make a big hullabaloo about the fact that they're made of recycled plastics or metals, and that they can be recycled once their useful life has come to an end. They are also big purveyors of the "if you cut down a tree it never grows back" myth. The truth of the matter is that when it is harvested responsibly cedar siding is far easier on the environment than the alternatives. After all, wood is a renewable resource. Trees grow back. Once we exhaust our supplies of metal ore and petroleum, however, they're gone forever. Even more importantly from an environmental standpoint is the energy it takes to manufacture other sidings. Just as an example, it takes about 20% more energy to manufacture an equivalent amount of steel building materials as wood, not to mention the many forms of pollution that are a by product of the manufacturing of steel, aluminum, vinyl, and concrete.

• Cedar Siding in Baltimore is an Excellent Insulator—Baltimore's winters aren't as brutal as those experienced by cities further up the Atlantic Coast, but they're nothing to laugh at either. That being said, in these times of high energy costs, any extra insulation helps. Cedar siding has that covered. By some accounts it insulates up to 400 times better than metal sidings, and even bests fiber cement siding 4 times over. It's not sufficient on its own to insulate your home, but in concordance with other home insulation, cedar siding in Baltimore will save you precious pennies when the energy bill comes due.

That's just the Tip of the Iceberg
Of course, there's many more reasons that cedar siding is a great option for homeowners in Monument City. It can't be matched for looks, it's an excellent insulator against noise, and it's very cost competitive compared to most other materials. And if you own a historic home in Baltimore that's clad in the traditional white cedar shake siding style, you're well aware that there simply isn't any debate on the manner. Talk to a contractor, installer, or supplier who specializes in cedar siding applications to learn more about cedar siding in Baltimore and what the best option is for you.

Baltimore Hardie Board Siding

According to Remodeling Magazine's Cost vs. Value Report 2006, there are 5 remodeling and home improvement projects in the City of Baltimore that you can invest in and reasonably expect to get all of your money back when you sell your home. Fiber cement siding, also known as Hardie board siding in Baltimore, is near the top of that list. With an expected recoup value of 103%, you can install the best siding option in Baltimore on your home and know that if you sell your house tomorrow you'll come out ahead on the deal!

Installing Hardie Board Siding in Baltimore vs. the Rest of the Country
In fact, you get a higher return by installing Hardie plank siding in Baltimore than in almost any other city or metropolitan area in the country. The national average return for installing fiber cement siding sits at just 88%. Why the huge difference? Most likely it's due to a housing market that's reawakening after half a century of decline. Don't forget that over the last 50 years, during the lean times, over 1/3 of the population of Baltimore fled to other cities or the surrounding suburbs. That left a lot of homes uncared for, boarded up, and just plain neglected. Slap new Baltimore Hardie board siding onto an older home, however, and you've gone from warped, cracked, and weather damaged wood siding with a few paint chips on it to one of the best looking, most durable siding products on the market in about a week's time. That's what we in the home improvement business like to call instant results.

Baltimore Hardie Board Siding is a Bargain Compared to the Rest of the U.S.
The next question most Baltimoreans have is how much they should expect a Hardie plank siding installation in Baltimore to run. Again referencing the Cost vs. Value report mentioned above, you should expect to pay just under $13,000 for a Baltimore Hardie siding installation job on an average sized home. And again, Baltimoreans get the best of both worlds. Not only does Hardie plank siding in Baltimore get bigger returns than in the rest of the nation, it costs less than in other major cities and metropolitan areas as well!

Baltimore Hardie Board Siding Benefits
Enough with the finances. More important than how much you spend or should expect to recoup, is how Hardie board siding in Baltimore performs when it comes to protecting your home. The quick answer is exceptionally well. As for the long answer, Hardie siding in Baltimore is the superior siding product in just about every category, including durability, longevity, looks, and relative cost.