Siding Struggles

The two biggest enemies for home durability are moisture and air. A high-performance home is protected on all sides by an airtight and watertight barrier (like a new Gore-Tex jacket) and leaves a cavity between the water-resistant barrier and cladding for water to escape. But many new and resale houses lack these solutions to prevent air seeping in and out and moisture building up. This starts to decay the siding, deteriorate the structural elements it covers, and undermine the integrity of wall insulation. 

Couple this water buildup with low-grade building materials and hasty installation and you end up with a booming industry dedicated to replacing siding and repairing the damage done to the walls behind it and the basement and foundation below. A Homeadvisor.com article put the average cost of whole-home siding replacement at $11,235, although premium options can be much more expensive and associated repairs – such as replacing drywall, mold mitigation, and  wood rot caused by water infiltration – can further increase the total. 

Window Woes

Even if a home is well-insulated in the walls, attic, foundation, and between floors, if its windows are low quality and/or improperly installed, the entire building envelope will be compromised, excess air, heat, and moisture will flow both ways, and the need for repair or replacement will be accelerated. In the short term, window issues contribute to energy loss, which causes the mechanical systems to work overtime to cool or heat your home. This combination can lead to a significant increase in monthly bills, which is hardly ideal when utility prices are already up by around 28 percent. 

Over time, this continual cost, the annoyances of outside sounds getting in, and compromises in comfort caused by hot spots and cold draughts are compounded by deterioration of the windows, framing, seals, and other components. Some people choose to try and repair their aging windows, but truly eliminating the underlying issues is often only possible with complete replacement. This isn’t going to come cheap. According to Modernize, “the average cost to replace windows in your home as of 2023 is $450 to $960 per window.” So if your home only had 10 windows, you could be looking at $4,500 to $9,600, with bay, bow, egress, and other types driving this price even higher. And that’s just the cost of the actual windows.

Made to Mold

As the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors noted in a report on how long building components should last, “Life expectancy varies with usage, weather, installation, maintenance, and quality of materials.” Such factors don’t merely impact windows alone. When they’re poor quality, have inadequate hardware, or aren’t put in correctly, the air and moisture exchange will start to negatively impact other parts of the structure. If you’ve got condensation or frost forming during the winter months, water will not only degrade frames, but also seep down into the walls, compromising the effectiveness of the insulation and allowing moisture to build up. 

This can be compounded by thermal bridging, which occurs when warm, moist air hits cold surfaces and can contribute to the buildup of mildew and mold. This can also be caused by inadequate gutters, downspouts, and drainage, walls that retain water rather than removing it, and the lack of a rain screen that leaves the exterior structure vulnerable to wet weather. Homeguide.com reported that the average cost of mold remediation is $2,325 but noted that “The damage that needs to be addressed alongside the mold can increase costs by $5,000 and beyond.”

Minor to Major Maintenance

A 2021 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) survey found that the typical house requires $950 a year in maintenance, but as this was limited to minor repairs, the total cost is likely to be much higher if you factor in more significant issues. In summarizing their findings, the NAHB suggested that “the annual operating costs per dollar value are higher for older homes” and rise significantly for properties built before 1960. While their assertion that new homes initially require less upkeep, variable construction standards and the widespread use of low-grade materials mean that even if you build a typical house from scratch, you might be faced with repair and replacement costs much sooner than expected.

We are seeing homes across the Kansas City metropolitan area that are under 20 years old with extensive wood rot, moldy and decaying siding. Issues like this  are directly related to improperly installed windows, shotty craftsmanship, and the lack of water and air control in the envelope. Costly repairs are not exclusive to older homes.

The total cost of repairing or replacing certain parts of your home might also be higher than you anticipate. According to responses submitted by 1,019 homeowners to the home services company Cinch, 44.9 percent of people said they underestimated the costs of home maintenance and 30 percent wished they’d waited to buy their current home based on the expense of upkeep. American Family Insurance recommends budgeting a dollar in annual home maintenance for every square foot of livable space. 

No home is ever going to be truly maintenance-free. However, when it’s built to the high standards of Passive House construction, the impact of excess air and moisture will be mitigated, windows and siding will last far beyond their typical fail points, and overall upkeep costs will be lower. This will enable you to keep more of your hard-earned money, enjoy the comfortable lifestyle that your well-built home supports, and achieve the peace of mind that comes with durable construction.