Cedar is a type of wood that has many distinctive material characteristics over other types of wood that also make it an ideal choice as a building material, especially when used as siding for your home. Understanding the unique advantages that cedar has to offer your home can help you decide whether or not cedar siding is the right choice for your needs.

Aesthetic Considerations

One of the main advantages of cedar siding is the aesthetic that it creates when installed on a home. Cedar is a warmly colored wood that provides both a rustic and luxurious appearance. Another key consideration of cedar as a siding material is that it can be altered fairly easily, either stained to a new shade or color or even worn down to provide a more natural and "lived-in" look, depending on your exterior design considerations.

Insulative Qualities

A major advantage of cedar as a building material is that it is extremely dense. This means that it is extremely hard for heat to move through it, which can help prevent heat transferring between the interior of your home and the outdoors. This can save you money in both the summer and winter months and improve your overall comfort levels no matter the exterior weather.

In a similar way, this density also helps insulate noise outside of your home, which can be an extremely important consideration for homeowners who live near a major road or another common source of noise.

Naturally Rot and Pest Resistant

Another key advantage of cedar over other types of wood is the fact that it contains a number of naturally occurring oils that make cedar extremely resistant to mold and rot, as well as pest infestation. This means that you won't have to worry about sealing and treating your wood constantly and that rot and pest damage are much less likely over time. This can result in significant savings in both time and money spent on maintenance.

Sustainable

Another important piece of information that you should take into consideration when thinking about installing cedar siding on your home is the fact that it is a sustainable building material. Cedar siding can either be sourced from sustainably grown trees or it can be made out of recycled or reclaimed wood. This means that installing cedar siding on your home can greatly increase the environmental impact and carbon footprint of your home construction project.