Exterior Design Options: Exploring Siding Styles

This Siding Style Comparison Will Help Evaluate Options for Your Home

While siding plays a key role in protecting your home from the elements, it should look good while doing it. But if you’re unfamiliar with siding types and terminology, it can be difficult to make an informed decision. Getting a good description of siding style options and providing a comparison is one way we can help you out.

Here at Wright at Home Roofing & Exteriors, our goal is always to help homeowners get the perfect look for their home. We understand that part of the process will be educating potential customers—after all, we’re working on home exteriors every day, while homeowners will only be planning a renovation project every few years. 

To help catch you up with available products, here’s a complete siding guide covering materials and style options.

Siding Materials

Before jumping into styles, it’s important to cover the different materials available when it comes to siding for your home. Each will have its own distinct advantages and disadvantages when it comes to pricing, durability, longevity, and more. Here are some of the most popular materials used for siding.

• Vinyl – Vinyl is the most common material used for siding today. It is generally favored for its acceptable performance relative to its lower cost. Vinyl siding is typically the cheapest to purchase and install, can be insulated to improve its energy efficiency, and is widely available in a host of styles.

• Fiber cement – The gold standard of modern siding products, fiber cement siding from renowned manufacturers like James Hardie has emerged as the industry leader when it comes to blending durability, aesthetics, and longevity. While it is more expensive than vinyl, the look and long-lasting qualities of fiber cement are difficult to match.

• Metal – In terms of functionality, metal siding is every bit as durable and long-lasting as fiber cement, can cost around the same to install, and in some cases may even require less maintenance. That said, not all homeowners will like the look of metal siding, particularly those who prefer to steer away from a highly modern look. 

• Wood – The original siding material, natural wood is still sometimes used today, and its classic look can’t be denied. However, options such as vinyl and fiber cement aim to emulate the look of wood, and they do so while eliminating drawbacks such as fire risk, susceptibility to rot, pest vulnerabilities, and more.

Siding Style Comparison

With some of the most common materials laid out, here’s a comparison of various siding style options.

• Lap – Lap siding is the most straightforward style, as it mirrors the look of how most wood siding was installed. It is a horizontal orientation comprising overlapping boards that form a watertight barrier. This classic look is available in just about any material.

• Dutch lap – Similar to lap siding, Dutch lap is a horizontal style composed of overlapping boards of material. The main difference here is the shape of the siding, with notches along the bottom and a slightly concave shape at the top that slots in. This is another classic look that is widely available, though materials like fiber cement and wood are more commonly seen as standard lap styles.

• Board and batten – In comparison with the classic looks of lap and Dutch lap, board and batten is a much more striking siding style. This vertically oriented design is made from alternating siding boards that are joined and sealed using wood molding called “battens.” This creates an attractive visual aesthetic through prominent vertical lines throughout the exterior. 

• Shingle siding – Shingles may be more common in roofing, but shingle styles may also be used for siding installation projects. As with your roof, shingle siding is composed from many small pieces of siding that are alternated and overlapped to create a pattern on the surface of your home. Often used for accents and contrast, shingles styles may also be used across an entire home to create a unique appearance.

Try Our Siding Visualizer for a Live Style Comparison!

While it’s all well and good to talk about siding styles and review some pictures, different siding will always look better in specific contexts. Depending on your color choices, the design of the rest of your home, and other factors, the perfect siding style will depend entirely on your situation and your personal tastes.

If you’re looking for a more personalized siding style comparison, we highly recommend our siding visualizer tool. Have a few options in mind already? We’re happy to schedule an in-home consultation to plan your home transformation!