St. Louis Cement Siding

In St. Louis, cement siding is not the most popular form of residential siding, but it might be the best. Unfortunately, not enough homeowners know exactly what this unique siding material is or what benefits it holds for your home. Cement siding (also called fiber-cement siding) is a composite material made from cement, sand, water, and wood pulp. While it can be painted any number of vibrant colors or textures, often it is fashioned to imitate the look of wood. In fact, there's a good chance you've seen a home you thought was clad in wood that was actually sporting cement siding.

Benefits of Cement Siding in St. Louis
First, cement siding is durable, nearly in the same way that brick or stone siding can last for many, many decades with minimal maintenance. It won't fade in the sun, grow brittle during the winter, and runs only negligible risk of being damaged or detached by the even the fiercest of winds and the heaviest of rains. It's also fire and pest resistant. Plus, different forms of cement siding, including cement board siding, plank siding, and shingle siding mean you can customize the look and visual effect of your siding. Generally speaking, you should talk to a cement siding contractor and ask for photos of their projects. It's one thing to tell you that cement siding is a beautiful and versatile siding material, but without seeing pictures it's hard to appreciate just how great this composite material can look.

St. Louis Cement Siding and St. Louis Neighborhoods
While cement siding in St. Louis may be great in absolute performance standards, your choice of siding must be considered in the context of your local neighborhood. Creating a home distinctive from the others on your block is a good idea, but you don't want your home to stick out like a sore thumb. This can be a fine line. In fact, sometimes a homeowners association can dictate your siding options to protect the aesthetic unity of your neighborhood. Opting for vinyl siding in a neighborhood dominated by fiber-cement, brick, and other forms of high-end siding can adversely affect your property value and make it more difficult to sell when it comes time to put the house on the market. Alternately, cement siding in St. Louis is a great way of keeping up with the Jones's without the exorbitant price. This is particularly true in a place like St. Louis with such strongly defined cultures in various neighborhoods around the city.

St. Louis Cement Siding Installation
For many, this goes without saying, but cement siding installation is not a DIY project. The one thing cement siding isn't good at is absorbing the focused pressure of a concentrated impact. It can handle the worst St. Louis weather has to offer, but a hammer and chisel can be lethal, or at least, it can chip or otherwise harm your siding. For this reason, slightly different methods must be used to install the siding. This also means cement siding takes a bit longer than other siding installation projects and helps account for why cement siding tends to be slightly more expensive than vinyl.

Choosing a St. Louis Cement Siding Contractor
When looking for a siding contractor, look for someone with specific experience handling fiber-cement. It's not just homeowners who can find themselves in over their heads. Installing cement siding in St. Louis requires precision and more than a little manpower. Worse, a hired contractor is unlikely to be honest about his or her inability to do the job right. Improper installation may void the manufacturer's warranty, leaving you down river without an insurance paddle.

ServiceMagic can help you find the best local contractor available. Every professional in our database is put through a rigorous ten-step screening process. Meanwhile, our customer ratings and reviews allow you to see what other St. Louis homeowners have thought about their experience with local siding contractors. These reviews also create a powerful incentive for contractors to meet and exceed your expectations.

The Cost of St. Louis Cement Siding
The cost of cement siding in St. Louis is, on average, about $10,000, although some sources quote the cost closer to $12,000. Either way, these figures may not accurately reflect the cost of your project. It's not uncommon to see projects as low as $5,000 and as high as $15,000 or $20,000. These figures might cause an initial sticker shock, but it's among the least expensive options out there. Only vinyl siding is cheaper, and it can't offer the same performance or aesthetic value as fiber-cement.

According to the Remodeling Magazine's Cost vs. Value Report, you can expect to see about an 80 percent return on your siding. This means if you spend $10,000 on your siding project, you can expect to see a jump of about $8,000 in your property value. Yet, this estimate is a conservative one. Before home prices tanked, St. Louis homeowners saw an 82 percent return. Plus, fiber-cement siding is likely to become more coveted more home-buyers as awareness of its durability increases.

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