Cracked Siding - on a 4 year old home

Cracked siding on a newer home? It’s not just cosmetic.

We recently inspected a home that was only 4 years old, but the siding was already cracking in multiple areas. How can something fail so quickly?

📉 Some lower-cost siding products are more prone to early failure.
Certain brands and thinner vinyl products can become brittle, especially after exposure to sun, temperature swings, and normal expansion and contraction.

🏠 Siding is your home’s raincoat.
Its job is to keep water out of the structure. When siding cracks, it creates openings where water can get behind it.

💧 Water doesn’t stay where it enters.
Once behind the siding, moisture can soak into the sheathing, framing, and insulation. This can lead to rot, mold, and expensive repairs — often hidden from view.

🔍 Early cracking can be a sign of bigger future costs.
What starts as a few cracks today can turn into widespread failure over time, meaning partial or full siding replacement much sooner than expected.

⚠️ The key takeaway:
A newer home doesn’t always mean problem-free. Material quality and installation matter just as much as age.

This is exactly why a thorough home inspection is so important — we’re not just looking at how old something is, but how well it’s actually holding up.

Learn how cracked siding can affect a home. Iron Gate Inspection Services provides professional home inspections throughout Central Indiana