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dena

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I have a wood sided house that needs new siding.

The currently installed wood siding is close to 60 years old, and starting to rot.

Painting it again is out of the question, too far gone.

So, do I want to get vinyl, aluminum, or what?

SqFt of the house is ~1500, and I need new windows too.

Anything I need to look out for?

Is one brand head and shoulders above the rest?

I am new to this siding and windows thing, and do not want to look like too much of an idiot talking to contractors.

 

The house belonged to my grandfather, and was passed to my parents, and now me. It has been rented until a couple of months ago, and before anyone else moves in, the house needs some work...who knows, maybe I will move there, it is a nice piece of land

Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.
-Thomas Jefferson
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
-Soren Kierkegaard

 

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All up for debate. If I was moving in and the house was going to be for me then I’d do top notch stuff. Windows for instance, if it was me I’d get the windows that have the applied casing on the outside so the new siding tucks in behind it. It gives it a nice clean look. Certainteed is good siding. 

Edited by gray gables
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1 hour ago, Jim McFeeley said:

Your going to want to see what the sheathing looks like behind the siding first.  Some wood siding is just nailed on the studs without sheathing.

Yes, the house is 60 years old, and I am not sure how well insulated it is. I am almost certain it is not up to modern standards, foam siding, sealed, etc.

Should the old wood siding be removed, or the new sheathing just installed over top of the old siding, then the new siding installed?

The house is in cold climate Ohio, up near the lake, and sits on a nice 13 acre property.

I want the house to do the property justice, so am not looking to cheap out, but do not want to pay more than I should, either.

Thanks for the advice.

Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.
-Thomas Jefferson
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
-Soren Kierkegaard

 

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Strip the siding and at least a couple spots of the interior rock or whatever. If it needs insulation then do it. With the siding stripped ya may can get blown in insulation.  

Doing the basics like this and good windows are essential. Putting in new windows and sealing all of the openings are a given I would think on a home of that age. But just adding fold-foam gives you ****e worth of R value. Sealing the openings keeps the breeze out, but if yer walls are empty it doesn't give ya anything. 

 

 Electric? Plumbing? Better to know now. Treat the place like the investment in your future that it is. Don't cheap out, because you may well end up living there. 

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I have no actual experience with this kind of exterior work, but I'm thinking that if you do have to remove the sheathing it give you access inside most of the walls of a place that small and it's an excellent time to upgrade electric service if it needs it, like running grounded cables presuming 1950 ones aren't, and coax or Cat5 cable if you get cable TV or broadband there. You don't want to be doing that AFTER you insulate.  And if there's any plumbing on the exterior walls (hopefully there's not) you can insulate it or move it inside so there's no freezing issues.

 

I'm hoping someone comments on what actual siding products to use. I'm going to be doing this in the next few years and am completely baffled by the variety from vinyl to cement boards.  There's some vinyl now that really looks like clapboards, unlike the old stuff.

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12 hours ago, gellfex said:

I have no actual experience with this kind of exterior work, but I'm thinking that if you do have to remove the sheathing it give you access inside most of the walls of a place that small and it's an excellent time to upgrade electric service if it needs it, like running grounded cables presuming 1950 ones aren't, and coax or Cat5 cable if you get cable TV or broadband there. You don't want to be doing that AFTER you insulate.  And if there's any plumbing on the exterior walls (hopefully there's not) you can insulate it or move it inside so there's no freezing issues.

 

I'm hoping someone comments on what actual siding products to use. I'm going to be doing this in the next few years and am completely baffled by the variety from vinyl to cement boards.  There's some vinyl now that really looks like clapboards, unlike the old stuff.

I am a rookie at this too, and was hoping a siding contractor or tradesman chimed in.

I wouldn't mind living there, but it has its drawbacks. First, it is 7+ hour drive to salt water.

It is 6 hours from family, and friends, and in a colder climate. What retired couple moves to a colder climate?

But, damn, it is a nice property, and my granddad was born on this land, and is the last piece of the section still in the family since the early to mid 1800s.

Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.
-Thomas Jefferson
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
-Soren Kierkegaard

 

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38 mins ago, dena said:

What retired couple moves to a colder climate?

We did and wouldn't have it any other way.  NFW I'd go down to "God's Waiting Room", FL...

 

And in answer to "what to use", may I chime in that you should consider cemented Kevlar mesh "Hardy Board" and the like, and don't forget to replace all exterior trim w/Azek or other plastic.  Loving my Hardy board and slowly migrating all wood trim to Azek. 

 

All the the comments about insulation, wiring, plumbing, windows, etc. great to consider.  Hell, you'll be "lifting up her skirt" so you might as well check everything out...

Shall I go to heaven or a-fishing? - H. D. Thoreau

 

Veni.  Vidi.  Cepi. - with apologies to Gaius Julius Caesar

 

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All depends on the look you're going after.  Wood siding can last even longer than 60 years if it's maintained. If yours doesn't look bad and just a few areas of rot can be fixed, you would be doing your home and neighborhood a disservice by replacing it, especially with plastic. Sanding off all the paint, making some repairs, and a fresh coat of paint can keep it looking great and original.  If its totally gone from many years of neglect...got to remove it all and start over.  1500 sq feet isn't too big so you can probably side it with cedar again without spending a million dollars. Other option is Hardi cement clapboard siding.  Vinyl is horrible stuff especially on an older home. 

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Currently doing Hardie cement shingle siding on my 1949 cape. 4' panels but gives the look of individual singles. Pretty sure it has a 30 year warranty on the paint? Not the quickest to install, but I think it's worth it in the long run. If you're going to do composite trim, do yourself a favor and get the premade corners. Definitely more money, but worth it 100x over. 

 

Old painted cedar on the second floor in the picture for reference. 

House summer 2019.JPG

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15 mins ago, Fly By Nite said:

All depends on the look you're going after.  Wood siding can last even longer than 60 years if it's maintained. If yours doesn't look bad and just a few areas of rot can be fixed, you would be doing your home and neighborhood a disservice by replacing it, especially with plastic. Sanding off all the paint, making some repairs, and a fresh coat of paint can keep it looking great and original.  If its totally gone from many years of neglect...got to remove it all and start over.  1500 sq feet isn't too big so you can probably side it with cedar again without spending a million dollars. Other option is Hardi cement clapboard siding.  Vinyl is horrible stuff especially on an older home. 

Several sections of the house were shaded, or on the North side, and rotted out. Probably 75 -80% OK, with 5% gone, and 15-20% so so.

Last time it was painted my dad hired some guy pre 2000, and he diddled around, and watered down paint until the old man ran him off. Since then it was rented out at barely enough rent to pay the taxes, and allowed to go to rot. It was not mine, so I kept hands off. Now, it could be mine, or it might just be sold as is...decisions...decisions.

 

Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.
-Thomas Jefferson
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
-Soren Kierkegaard

 

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21 hours ago, Ben Lippen said:

I did.

Thanks.

Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.
-Thomas Jefferson
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
-Soren Kierkegaard

 

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