Ever walked around your house after a heavy wind storm off the Red River and actually looked closely at your walls? Most people do not until something starts leaking or blowing off entirely. Fargo Siding Solutions is out on jobs all over Fargo every week, from the older character homes near downtown to the newer builds stretching out toward the open prairie edges south of 52nd Avenue. Every neighborhood takes a beating differently, but one thing remains true across Cass County: our local weather does not play nice with exterior walls.
Here is what you need to look for during a basic Siding inspection. Take a slow lap around your foundation.
Check for Loose Seams and Warping
Vinyl Siding hates rapid temperature swings. We go from blazing summer heat to sub-zero freezer temperatures in a matter of months, and that plastic expands and contracts constantly. If you see panels that look wavy, buckled, or pulled away from the corner posts, water is finding a way behind there. Once moisture gets trapped against your sheathing and freezes, you are looking at rot before the spring thaw even arrives.
Inspect the South and West Walls First
Drive around Fargo and pay attention to which side of the houses look worn out first. It is always the south and west exposures. They take the brunt of the blazing summer sun and the fierce winter gales coming straight across the flat farmland. If your Siding is fading, chalking, or getting brittle, those are the walls that will fail first. Fargo Siding Solutions always tells homeowners to start their Siding inspection on the weather side of the house rather than the sheltered courtyard in the back.
Look for Impact and Hail Marks
We get dumped on with severe thunderstorms every summer, and heavy hail is no stranger to North Dakota rooftops and Siding. If you have engineered wood or fiber cement Siding, look closely for chips, starred cracks, or holes where moisture can seep right into the wood substrate. With standard vinyl Siding, you are looking for small circular fractures or holes punched straight through the face. Do not ignore these just because they look small from twenty feet away.
Catching these small issues early saves you from massive headaches later. If you spot something that looks off during your walkaround, contact Fargo Siding Solutions for Siding work in Fargo, North Dakota. Our team will come take an honest look and tell you whether a simple fix will do or if it is time to think about something tougher.