Exterior home siding is a significant investment and homeowners and contractors alike need to carefully consider the pros and cons of insulated vinyl siding as opposed to regular vinyl siding when deciding what material to use when covering the exterior of their home, addition or renovation.
The fact that exterior cladding plays the biggest role in the curb appeal of your property makes it an important decision. With so many options to choose from, including brick, stucco, siding or any other number of available choices depending on climate and conditions of your regions, the choices can be overwhelming. Afterall, choosing the exterior material for your home is a decision that will be with you for a long time: this isn’t like changing the paint colour of your front door!
Insulated vinyl siding is relatively new to the market and as such, there are many questions about why to choose it over regular vinyl siding:
- What is the difference between insulated vs. regular vinyl siding?
- Does insulated vinyl siding affect the R-value?
- Can I get insulated vinyl siding in the colour I want?
- Does insulated vinyl siding look different than regular siding?
The Renovaction team has a lot of experience with installing both vinyl siding and upgraded insulated vinyl siding. Here’s what we know about why to choose insulated vinyl siding versus regular siding that has been on the market for decades.
What is insulated vinyl siding?
Insulated vinyl siding is a type of exterior cladding (covering) that is made from vinyl siding with form-fitted expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation permanently built into the back side of the double-four courses of vinyl siding. This insulation adds rigidity to the vinyl, resulting in exterior siding that looks and feels considerably more solid than regular “hollow” vinyl siding, and offers a number of benefits.
What are the benefits of insulated vinyl siding?
As the name implies, insulated vinyl siding has more insulating properties than regular vinyl siding. The insulation increases the R-value of your exterior siding which will help you with heating and cooling costs as well as increasing the comfort of your home in cold winters and hot summers.
Another benefit of insulated vinyl siding is that it keeps your exterior walls dryer (due to the heat retention properties of the form-fitted expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation) and can reduce the growth of unwanted mould and mildew – an important safety factor when it comes to the protection of you and your family inside your home.
Homeowners who have upgraded to insulated siding also eport a reduction in outdoor noise levels infiltrating their homes. Because the insulation is more solid and the joints are more seamless, insulated vinyl siding doesn’t rattle or whistle in the wind like hollow vinyl siding is prone to do.
What does insulated vinyl siding look like?
From a distance, visitors might not see the immediate difference between regular siding and vinyl siding that has permanent insulation built-in. A closer look, however, reveals a much sturdier and solid looking more seamless finish to your home.
Insulated vinyl siding should be installed by an experienced installation team to benefit the most from the “seamless” look to the siding. Overlapping seams of regular “hollow” vinyl siding can stand out whereas insulated vinyl siding has a much more seamless look when installed correctly.
If you are concerned that choices of colour, texture and profile choices are more limited by choosing insulated vinyl siding, rest assured that this is not the case. This product is available in a wide range of colours, textures and profiles that offer an elevated look to your home. The look that you are dreaming of for your exterior curb appeal can certainly be achieved with insulated vinyl siding.
Professional Installation
If you are looking for an installation team in Ottawa, Gatineau, or throughout the Outaouais region, don’t hesitate to reach out to the team here at Renovaction. We are happy to answer your questions about the difference between insulated vinyl siding vs regular siding and the scope of your project as you renovate or remodel your home.
