However the additional thickness of the insulation adhered to the siding does create some challenges that must be understood prior to installation.
My vinyl siding doesnt have good insulation.
It s a trade off you ll have to consider.
Thankfully they ve changed those building codes to require building paper under vinyl.
Drawbacks of insulated vinyl siding.
You have plenty of options with vinyl siding if you want an authentic look.
Adding insulation to the back of vinyl siding can raise the cost by 20 to 50.
My siding is mostly in good shape.
Even from a distance vinyl siding just doesn t look as good.
Manufacturers have vinyl siding and accessories that mimic the look of wood stone and other natural siding materials.
Pros and cons of insulated vinyl siding vs non insulated siding.
Vinyl siding is made from polyvinyl chloride pvc and requires no painting or caulking.
Installing insulated vinyl is similar to a standard vinyl installation so there s no reason why labor costs should be significantly higher with insulated vinyl.
Hope your project turns out well.
Insulated vinyl siding advantages.
While vinyl siding may be cheaper and maintenance free it doesn t look as good as natural products.
It doesn t take much sense to realize that vinyl siding is not water tight and that your sheathing should always be protected by a layer of paper of some sort.
This siding is available in a variety of colors and textures.
Here is an overview of the data.
For all it s improvements vinyl still doesn t have the same look and feel of real wood or even fiber cement.
Studies backed by the siding industry have shown that insulated vinyl siding offers modest benefits at a substantial cost.
Despite the good qualities of vinyl it does pay to have extra insurance in the form of house wrap.
This is negligible however as a fully insulated exterior should have an r value of 13.
If your neighbor has insulated windows and you have vinyl siding your neighbor s windows could reflect the light back onto your home in a way that causes your siding to melt even on the coldest of days.
I have a 1996 double wide mobile home that needs new siding and windows.
The insulation bends the way that light passes through the glass a little like a magnifying glass.
Reduced energy use ranging from just 1 percent to about 11 percent.
It s good to see that your contractor is putting it on top of felt.
However if vinyl is being used as a rainscreen it cannot have insulation in this area.
The main drawback of insulated vinyl is its relatively high cost.
Vinyl siding can have foam insulation put behind it which increases its r value to 3 or 4.
Vinyl siding without insulation has an r value of 0 67.
Your vinyl siding will perform as the primary defense against moisture and air leaks but your house wrap comes in strong as a secondary defense.