Should I Repair my Existing Siding or Replace it with HardiePlank?

One of the important decisions about how to take care of your Atlanta home or investment property in the most economical manner is the following:

Should I repair and paint my existing siding or replace it with new HardiePlank fiber cement siding?

After getting three estimates from siding and painting contractors, the consensus is usually:

A repair estimate to repair the swollen and damaged boards, on a home with moderate damage to the existing siding, often runs from $1,500 to $3,000.  If a whole side needs to be replaced that alone can be $4,000 or more.

Typical paint jobs in the Johns Creek, Alpharetta, or Cumming area, like most of Atlanta’s northern suburbs, usually run $3,500 to $6,500 for the whole house.

So repair and painting on many homes often average out to $5,500 to $8,500.

Most of these homes can be completely re-sided and receive a quality paint job for $16,000 to $21,000 dollars.

For many homeowners, the repair option will provide a quickly vanishing value, versus re-siding and painting, which creates lasting value.

If you unexpectedly decide to sell your home after having chosen the new siding, you will be rewarded, since a complete siding replacement investment, according to Remodeling magazine’s annual Cost versus Value report,  is one of the best paybacks of all home repairs.