Q: Dear Paul,

I am thinking of selling my home and considering improvements to make it more attractive. It has vinyl siding and I have heard this is not considered green. Another person told me they read that vinyl siding was green. Should I replace it?
­—Nancy, Stone Ridge A: Dear Nancy,

Let’s get the facts straight about vinyl. The Vinyl Siding Institute’s report “Is Vinyl Siding Green? A dozen things You Might Not Know That Make Vinyl Siding Green” states: “Vinyl siding has the potential to contribute to achieving more points than other exterior cladding in the leading green building certification programs.” The report says vinyl’s green attributes include an efficient manufacturing process, modest transportation energy use (it is very light), long durability, and low maintenance. TreeHugger’s Lloyd Atler called the report “epic green washing” and remarked: “The production of PVC results in the release of hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals into the environment each year. When PVC burns in fires...hazardous substances are formed which present health hazards to building occupants, firefighters, and surrounding communities.” Green architect Jodi Smits Anderson had this assessment: “Vinyl is not beneficial in production or disposal. It is relatively benign on a house—but we shouldn’t be making it in the first place. Never have air intake near vinyl on a south side of the house because the siding will emit toxins as it heats in the sun, and those toxins will come into the air in your house. Vinyl is not recyclable and, as waste, will slowly leach poison [dioxide] into the ground and water. Vinyl lasts a really long time [like any toxic waste].” Before making any decisions, ask yourself a few questions:

• Is the siding in good shape? If it does not need replacing, the greenest thing to do for now is to leave it. If it looks dirty, give it a power wash. Green buyers won’t like it but if they like your house and the land it shouldn’t be a deal killer because they can always replace it. Other buyers like vinyl siding because it is low maintenance.

 • What is under the siding? Some houses with nice wood siding are covered with vinyl siding simply for ease of future maintenance.  Have a contractor do some exploration to see what is under the vinyl. For some buyers, knowing that there is a good wood siding underneath the vinyl would be a huge plus and in fact might help a sale happen. (Some buyers will be concerned about what they might find under the siding so knowing in advance is good.)

• Are there architectural details or historical style hidden by the vinyl? If so, you might want to remove it because this will definitely make your house more appealing. My brokerage sold a Victorian house covered with vinyl siding. The buyer plans to remove the siding on the front of the house visible from the street to show the original wood and detail.

Hope this helps,
—Paul

Have a question for Paul? E-mail him at greenadvocate@scheinmedia.com