PDA

View Full Version : Steel Siding for Single Family Homes?


Bigtime
Apr 10, 2013, 1:00 PM
Hoping I could gather some answers from those of you that may be in the know.

It looks like steel siding is starting to show up on some builds here in Calgary, everything from the corrugated to wider panel stuff. Also in different colours, from the typical silver to darker greys and blues, and even white.

We drove around Ramsay and Stanley Park last night and saw quite a few examples of it.

Our debate is thinking of replacing our 1984 vintage beigey-cream aluminum siding with it. Then accenting with cedar for the windows, soffits, front door, etc.

What are the pros/cons of going with steel? What do you think of it personally?

O-tacular
Apr 10, 2013, 1:49 PM
Could look awesome. I would just say to be careful with the corrugated stuff as it was big on 'modern' houses from the 90's though. Could look dated if done wrong.

Bigtime
Apr 10, 2013, 1:52 PM
Yeah I'm leaning away from the corrugated and instead going with the wider flat stuff. Kind of a plank look if you will.

That giant house with no stairs in Stanley Park has two different widths installed vertically, looks pretty sharp. However with our smaller house we'd just stick to one size.

O-tacular
Apr 10, 2013, 1:57 PM
Yeah I'm leaning away from the corrugated and instead going with the wider flat stuff. Kind of a plank look if you will.

That giant house with no stairs in Stanley Park has two different widths installed vertically, looks pretty sharp. However with our smaller house we'd just stick to one size.

Are you talking about the crazy Star Wars Sturgess house? Yeah, I think the flat stuff could be awesome. The contrasting wood accents would really pop. I'd be curious to see how it turns out. You should post update pics.

Bigtime
Apr 10, 2013, 2:09 PM
Are you talking about the crazy Star Wars Sturgess house? Yeah, I think the flat stuff could be awesome. The contrasting wood accents would really pop. I'd be curious to see how it turns out. You should post update pics.

Yup that is the one, it had a almost grey-dark blue steel siding on it. Then up on Stanley road there were a couple of houses with steel too, one had the corrugated and the other flat white with what looked like an ipe or rosewood accent on it. Looked very sharp.

If we do proceed with it I'll definitely post some pics of it here. We are also thinking it may be a little bit of a battle to approve it in our neighbourhood, but I think with contextual proof of it working in other communities like Stanley park we can carry the day.

O-tacular
Apr 10, 2013, 2:29 PM
Just curious how the price of metal siding compares to other options like that expensive flat stucco or hardyboard?

Bigtime
Apr 10, 2013, 2:38 PM
Just curious how the price of metal siding compares to other options like that expensive flat stucco or hardyboard?

We're just starting to look into that, but it may be slightly cheaper than those two options.

Surrealplaces
Apr 10, 2013, 3:32 PM
Personally I like the look of steel siding. I don't know if there are any issues with it, but it can look great. I really like the look of corrugated, but I too would probably avoid it, simply because the flat plain style look would be more timeless.

kw5150
Apr 10, 2013, 5:54 PM
careful with massive hail storms..........

93JC
Apr 10, 2013, 6:19 PM
careful with massive hail storms..........

Vinyl isn't going to be any better.

Bigtime
Apr 10, 2013, 6:39 PM
Vinyl isn't going to be any better.

Not touching vinyl with a ten foot pole, it just looks so cheap. We are going between the steel and the hardiboard.

careful with massive hail storms..........

That's what insurance is for. We have the original aluminum siding on the house from '84 and it has weathered hail very well. Just a few dents and nothing more.

Calgarian
Apr 10, 2013, 7:25 PM
Id go with Hardi, but that's just because I think it looks better.

hulkrogan
Apr 10, 2013, 11:03 PM
Steel looks really funny on a house that isn't of a contemporary shape. If your house is traditionally shaped, Hardiboard is a much nicer looking choice IMO.

craner
Apr 11, 2013, 12:09 AM
Id go with Hardi, but that's just because I think it looks better.

I agree with this.

kw5150
Apr 11, 2013, 4:17 PM
Vinyl isn't going to be any better.

I didnt mention vinyl, and i suspect aluminum would hold up better but no one mentioned the hail aspect yet, so I did..

Vinyl is a bad idea in Calgary because of the hail. Actually, vinyl is a very unsustainable choice as they have HEAPS of the stuff in landfills all over north america, especially in the southern US when hail obliterates the vinyl.

Bigtime
Apr 11, 2013, 4:19 PM
Yeah I've seen what hail does to vinyl, saw some home in Olds a few years ago after a nasty storm. Those homes looked like someone took a freaking 50 calibre gun to the siding.

Elbownian
Apr 11, 2013, 5:29 PM
Out of curiosity, are there any homes in the city that have been faced with zinc tiles like the ones used on the UofC downtown campus? It always struck me that those would be a decent stylistic fit to replace wood or cedar shingle siding, even on an older home.

freeweed
Apr 12, 2013, 4:58 PM
I'd have to think that steel siding would be much more fire-resistant than vinyl. In fact this is probably the single biggest reason I'm considering re-doing the outside of my house (and it's only 7 years old).

Be curious if anyone has any idea as to that... and what kind of cost is one looking at. I realize it depends a lot on the size of the house - but on average, are we talking a few thousand? 5 figures? Never done any major reno work on a house so I'm completely ignorant here.

Bigtime
Apr 12, 2013, 7:18 PM
I think for our house re-doing the siding (house and detached garage) is going to be a 5 figure amount. Not 100% sure on that yet. Will probably know more in a couple of weeks.

Wigs
Apr 29, 2013, 7:53 PM
Bigtime, did you pick the type of siding yet? My vote is either Hardie board or steel. I'm surprised at the variety of Hardie exterior products (http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/products-exterior.shtml) and good variety of colour choices.

Innersoul1
Apr 29, 2013, 9:08 PM
I like the steel siding but I think that it has to fit architecturally with your house. Otherwise it might look off. I am a huge fan of Hardie Board. It's so low maintenance and looks fantastic.

jsbertram
May 1, 2013, 3:02 AM
There used to be a salesguy who would have sample panels of plastic, aluminum, wood and steel siding. As part of the spiel he'd take out a ball-peen hammer and whack each of the panels to show the results of 'Calgary's famous hailstorm damage' to outdoor siding.

Of course the wood siding fared best because it was actually solid oak. However what you ended up getting stapled on your house was the cheaper 'chip-board' that was pressed together with glue, wood-chips and sawdust. There was even fake 'saw marks' and 'growth rings' on the 'good side' that were pressed into the sticks as they were run through the presses.


I would spend a little extra on a quality product that doesn't need to be replaced every time the 'hailstorm of the decade' hammers on the side of the house. It's painful enough to repair hailstorm damage done to roofs as well as cars & RVs and other expensive items normally left outside, without adding new siding too. With a proper roof overhang, it should take the brunt of the damage unless the hail stones are flying horizontally.

There are some houses in Silver Springs where you can see the home-owner (or more likely the insurance company) only replaced the damaged side of the house with new siding that didn't match the rest of the house.

freeweed
May 1, 2013, 5:30 PM
There are some houses in Silver Springs where you can see the home-owner (or more likely the insurance company) only replaced the damaged side of the house with new siding that didn't match the rest of the house.

It's usually a combination of both. If a homeowner is stuck with the full bill, they almost invariably will only replace the damaged portions. But when the insurance companies try this, people scream bloody murder.

It really depends on your insurance company and (if they're tightwads) how willing you are as a homeowner to shoulder some of the burden.

Same goes for roofing, flooring, or damn near anything else.

Bigtime
May 6, 2013, 8:09 PM
Bigtime, did you pick the type of siding yet? My vote is either Hardie board or steel. I'm surprised at the variety of Hardie exterior products (http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/products-exterior.shtml) and good variety of colour choices.

We have not decided yet, just beginning to actually start the design process of our renovation now.

Surferguy
May 26, 2013, 3:34 PM
Ive done bit of looking around now too, as I will be building a garage/workshop this fall. I am considering this look - Shou-Sugi-Ban (http://pursuingwabi.com/2007/11/05/shou-sugi-ban/).

I think if accented with natural unburnt cedar you could make for a very interesting look. Bigtime can you explain more about what you mentioned with the community or home association? When you want to do stuff like this what kind of approvals do you need? Is it a building permit? I am new to the exterior game.

monocle
Jan 29, 2015, 6:01 PM
Bigtime, what have you learned?

Spring is around the corner and I've seen a few houses with steel siding integrated and thought of you. I don't think city permits are needed, but could be wrong. Home Owner Associations probably don't apply in your neighbourhood.