should I let ivy grow on the side of my house?

Yes it will cause damage. If you do let it grow on the side of your house I am sure that in time you will regret it.

Ivyquest I would not advise letting ivy grow on your house walls in uses little suckers to attach itself to the stone,brickwork what-have-you and can do serious damage. We foolishly let an ivy which was growing on this house when we bought it keep growing and really regretted doing so took a lot of effort to get the damned thing off and kill the root stump.