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Friday, April 15, 2011
One of the more desirable exteriors is stone. It is all natural, extremely durable and relatively maintenance free as you might imagine. Slate, limestone and granite have all been used on houses in the past. The real down side to stone is cost - it is expensive. You can expect to pay around $17 to $29 per square foot, depending on your geographic area. To ameliorate the cost a bit, you might consider stone veneer. Although it is not authentic it is less expensive and appears the same as true stone although it’s not as durable.
Another desirable material is painting exterior brick color in Glencoe. Brick is also expensive but not as bad as stone. Expect to pay $7 to $13 per square foot. Brick is also very durable and can go decades without repair. Again, veneer is an option to reduce cost but is also not as durable.
Cement fiber is another option like stucco. It is durable but not as much as brick and stone and gave the look of many other exteriors such as brick. Expect to pay somewhere in the range of $3-$5 per square foot.
Vinyl siding is extremely popular as it comes in many different sizes and colors. It is relatively durable depending on the grade. You may want to stay away from “builders grade” as it not as durable although it is the most inexpensive. However, all vinyl is inexpensive compared to other siding options and is also maintenance free making it an attractive choice. Installation will run about $3 per square foot. The downside to vinyl is that many people feel that is looks “cheap” no matter how good the quality.
Aluminum siding may be used instead of vinyl as it is more durable than vinyl but is can dent and it is difficult to repair. Expect around $4 - $6 per square foot installed.
Finally, wood is a great siding choice as it is an authentic natural product like stone. However, it is not as durable as stone and requires much more care. You need to inspect it yearly to make sure it is not rotting or otherwise falling apart. However, you can greatly reduce problems by using pre-coated boards rather than painting the boards once the siding is installed. With standard painting, only the side of the board facing out is painted but with pre-coating the entire board is painted and then installed. In this fashion, the entire board is protected and sealed which greatly lengthens its lifespan. Expect to pay $4 to $8 per square foot installed.
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