by Michael Buck
10/20/2021
Keeping your home in tip-top shape can make you swell with pride when neighbors give you shout outs and help attract a swarm of buyers during a sale (what seller doesn’t love a bidding war?).
But as any homeowner knows, it’s essential to make smart choices about where to invest your home improvement dollars. When it comes to maximizing your investment, exterior remodels can give you exactly what you’re after — a huge “wow” factor and great value for your money.
In fact, Remodeling magazine’s ‘Cost vs. Value Report’ found that replacing the siding on your home with fiber cement siding provides the number one return on investment of any major exterior remodel.* The same report also says new fiber cement siding provides a higher return on investment than re-siding with vinyl siding.
Plus, new fiber cement siding provides exceptional performance and durability, which means it can benefit you as a homeowner as well as your listing if you’re thinking about selling.
While replacing the siding on your home can seem like a major undertaking, the process is relatively simple. To get the best return on investment from your major exterior remodel, just follow these five steps:
1. Select your fiber cement siding. You should know that not all fiber cement siding is created equal. James Hardie invests heavily in research and development, putting our exterior products five generations ahead of generic fiber cement.
2. Choose your siding style and texture. Hardie® siding comes in a wide variety of styles and textures for ultimate design flexibility. Browse our fiber cement siding options.
3. Pick your color scheme. Bring your vision to life with more than 700 prefinished colors to choose from. If you’re thinking about selling your home, you may want to consult with a local real estate agent about whether certain colors sell better in your area than others. Explore our house siding colors.
4. Connect with a local contractor. Use these helpful tips for hiring a trusted contractor. You can find a pro in your specific area using our contractor locator tool.
5. Prepare for your project. Replacing the siding on your home may not be something you’ve done before, so read about what to expect. This guide has tips to help you prepare your home and questions to ask your contractor throughout the process.
You should also be prepared for what happens once your project is finished. You’ll start receiving a consistent stream of compliments on your siding for years to come, and if you’re selling you may need to plan for a flock of potential buyers. In any case, it will be easy to see why fiber cement siding is consistently the best value for a major exterior remodel.
Project shown in the photo above by All American Exteriors.
*Remodeling Magazine 2021 Cost vs Value report, national average for exterior home replacement projects over $15,000. ©2021 Hanley Wood, LLC. Complete data from the report can be downloaded for free at www.costvsvalue.com.
