By Ashok Chaluvadi | NAHB
According to data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), vinyl (including vinyl-covered aluminum) was the most common primary exterior wall material on new single-family homes started in 2016 nationwide (27.2 percent), followed by stucco (24.4 percent), brick or brick veneer (21.8 percent), and fiber cement siding (such as Hardiplank or Hardiboard) (20 percent). Wood or wood products accounted for 4.4 percent and stone, rock or other stone materials accounted for only 1.3 percent.
The Census Bureau’s SOC data are available by the nine census divisions. Vinyl siding was the most widely used primary exterior material in four out of the nine census divisions. In both the Middle Atlantic and New England, 72 percent of new homes started in 2016 used vinyl siding, while in the East and West North Central divisions, vinyl accounted for 53 percent and 63 percent respectively.
