Pre-finished Steel Siding

Though historically not a commonly considered material on houses, metal can be an excellent choice for siding, especially if your house has a contemporary aesthetic. From corrugated steel to flat, coated panels, steel siding can be seen on a growing number of new houses.

Look for local manufacturers to reduce the cost and emissions from shipping the finished product. The pieces can be quite large, up to 16 feet long in some cases. Many colors and several rib patterns are available for enameled sheet metal siding.

Steel siding can be very durable if coated with a durable coating, such as galvanized, enamel, or powder coated. Steel has a fairly high embodied energy, but usually doesn't require much maintenance.

"Overcladding" is a way of giving older, poorly-insulated apartment buildings a new skin, by wrapping them in a layer of insulation that is then covered with metal siding panels. This prolongs the life of the buildings, and saves huge quantities of energy by increasing their insulation level.