We are pricing out siding for a house near Hyannis and the quotes

[soumitss]

Hi all. We are pricing out siding for a house near Hyannis and the quotes are all over the place depending on the material. Vinyl is obviously the cheapest, but I keep hearing it looks cheap, fades and cracks in the cold. Half the neighborhood seems to have it and most of it looks fine to me. Is the bad reputation deserved or is it about the grade of product and who installs it? I am trying not to overspend on something that will look tired in ten years. The house faces south and gets full sun most of the day on the front.

[hydrogenn]

Most of the bad reputation comes from thin builder grade panels installed badly in the nineties, which is a fair description of what people picture when they hear vinyl. The current insulated products are a different thing, and the fading complaints mostly attach to dark colors on southern exposures. Installation matters as much as the panel. Nailed too tight and it buckles in the first hot spell. We put Cape Cod vinyl siding on ours through Roofing & Siding of Cape Cod and it has held color and shape. Ask what the panel thickness is and get the warranty terms in writing. Lighter colors hold up better on a southern wall, which is worth knowing before you fall for a dark sample.