Nothing at all can be as important towards the look of a home as roof and siding. Take two identical wood-frame houses, for instance. Finish one in white clapboard with a cedar plank shake roof and the other in pink stucco with a clay flooring roof, and you've made some major and very different aesthetic statements.

Yet there is more to prospects choices than appearances. Roof and siding will also be a residence's first line of defense against the weather. This is exactly why the materials need to be durable, properly mounted, and well maintained. Conventional options wooden, brick, stone, and stucco for walls; cedar, standing, and tile for attics are time-tested and handsome. They truly are also pricey. So in recent decades they are really joined by man-made look alikes that cost less plus may need the maximum amount of upkeep.

"You experienced to select between easy-to-care-for and nice-looking, " says an over-all contractor. "Today you could have both. " Read on for Tom's installation techniques and an assessment the new generation of roofing and siding products.

No roof covering or siding material on it's own is a great barrier contrary to the elements. So in front of the outer skin continues on, he protects all of the vulnerable areas -- the corners and corners -- with sticky whitening strips of waterproofing membrane. Then simply he tops everything with layers of builder's sensed, a thick, asphalt-impregnated newspaper.

The plastic housewrap under the siding on most new houses or upgrades is supposed to give up wind and water. Yet Tom uses the old (and much cheaper) materials -- builder's felt or rosin paper -- because he prefers to insulate with spray foam. "there is no air or moisture passage to be concerned about, " this individual says. And always, whether over felt, paper, or a wrap, Tom tacks up drainage strips before he hangs wood exterior. "It needs an air space behind so that it can dry away. inch