Choosing Exterior House Siding
for Your Small House

When choosing exterior house siding for your small house there are several factors to consider which will help you determine your choice. First of all, the architecture of your small house and the outside surroundings help in determining what design of siding would look appropriate. For instance, colonial style architecture would require a different design of siding than perhaps contemporary style architecture. Outside surroundings also play a role such as a woodland, country, suburban, or desert land parcel.

Secondly, you will want to consider the climate in your location as well as your lifestyle. If you are a busy person or simply desire the small house simple lifestyle, you may want to choose exterior house siding that requires little maintenance other than perhaps a pressure wash periodically. The climate is another deciding factor because if there are some harsh seasons such as winter or other, you will want to choose an exterior house siding that stands up to these weather elements.

The type of siding I went with was rough-cut Adirondack-style pine. Every board had to be treated front and back with Thompson's Water Seal Advanced (the creamy stuff, not the clear product). The application only lasted a couple years. I then started doing the main house in Behr Exterior Stain; a yellowish color that was similar to the original color of the wood, maybe a little darker.

I would not do wood siding again. It was too expensive, hard to find, and needed to be special ordered. It was too much work putting it on, and too much work maintaining it properly. The only advantage is that it gave the house a wonderfully rustic look that I really liked.

If you are not keen on putting all this work into rough cut style wood siding, the exterior house siding industry has made impressive technological advances in siding manufacturing. You can now acquire vinyl siding that very closely resembles the rustic wood siding without the maintenance. Instead of merely looking like a cheap imitation of the real thing like some vinyl sidings of days gone by, new technology has made the “real” look achievable without the high cost and time consuming maintenance.

Some small house owners are choosing exterior house siding that resembles that of real stonework. The siding is faux stone pieces that are attached to metal lathing that is nailed to the outside sheathing. Grout that is especially designed for exterior use is then applied between the stonework and then finished with a protective coating. The process is somewhat costly and rather time consuming, but it really looks authentic when the job is complete. The labor to complete this kind of job is nowhere near the labor involved with doing the real thing.

You will want to take this information into consideration when doing your homework for exterior house siding. Not only should the siding add beauty and style to your small house but it should also serve a good function as well. After all, your siding is protecting your small house just like all the other protective features you took into consideration during the building phase of the project. When it comes right down to it, you should be shopping in a cost range you can afford while looking for style, function, maintenance, as well as durability that will last a long time before replacement is needed.

Stay tuned for more pictures.....