Wood trim on your house!

It’s time for Dependable Construction to explore and discuss the wood trim that’s installed on your house. Let’s talk about all the wood on the outside of your house, Fascia, Frieze Boards, Rake Boards. Most houses that were built after 1984 used Tree-Farm wood for all these areas. Okay you may be asking at this point “What is Tree-farm wood?” Tree-Farm wood consists of young trees that were still drinking LOTS of water, (about 20 year old trees), that were cut into boards and placed into a kiln. These boards were then painted and placed on the outside of your home as Fascia, Frieze Boards, Rake Boards.

Exterior wood like this is not designed to withstand the exterior elements of the weather. This means it won’t last as long as the pressure treated wood contractors are required to install.

What should homeowners do?

1. Homeowners paint their exterior every 2-3 years. This is more costly than vinyl since it has to be done every 3 to 4 years.
2. Homeowners can replace with PVC wood. Dependable Construction does this  every time we receive a call to brick-mold around an exterior door. This is a great option since it does warp, crack or shrink, scratch however. Homeowners will find it may be cost prohibitive in some cases as it does cost more than wood.
3. Homeowners can install aluminum fascia metal over to protect the wood. This option is the most economical for homeowners overall and can be done in a variety of colors. Down side is the color will fade and the metal can scratch.
4. Homeowners also have the choose of installing PVC trim over top to protect the wood. However just like the PVC brick-mold there is a cost increase. Making this option not the most economical for homeowners who don’t want to upgrade.

Homeowners should note that while trim can look rather simple to bend and install its more complicated than that. If the correct bends aren’t placed in the metal to help add integrity it can warp. This will completely defeat the purpose of the trim. Homeowners should call a professional like Dependable Construction to get a quote on the work.