Home siding?

[inthewall]

I bought an old building. It was built in the 30's and has clap board siding. Im updating windows , roofing and doors. The siding is in decent shape but I was thinking of going vinyl or steel, just for the low maintenance. Any suggestions on brand, pros cons?

 

[PAToyota]

What shape is the siding in? I've got the original wood clapboard siding on my house - built in the 20's. I've painted it twice in the 20 years I've owned it - once after moving in and once a couple years ago. My neighbor put vinyl on his about the same time I was painting mine the first time. He gave me grief for painting - said I should forget about the wood. But then he put on new vinyl siding again about six years ago and this stuff is already fading. Heck, it's easier to paint if the vinyl doesn't last any longer than the paint...

 

[hydro joe]

Yeah, vinyl and metal siding leaks but if your putting it over existing siding you have a chance. In my opinion, that s*** sucks and should be outlawed in wet climate and it does fade. just my 2 cents

 

[Michael Hanson]

Keep it or go Hardi Concrete siding. Mike

 

[Spook50]

Supposedly now you can get it installed with foam insulation between the vinyl/steel siding and your original siding, but I know ours doesn't have that, and now I think there's a big yellow jacket nest right underneath so I just want to get the s*** removed and go back to the original siding (if I could afford it, I'd have the original siding redone too just for the piece of mind of knowing it's all good to go).

Just something else to consider.

 

[alia176]

Keep it or go Hardi Concrete siding. Mike

I went with Hardi concrete siding over the existing wood siding. My main reason for doing this was due to their higher flame resistance attribute and a 50yr warranty or some such thing. They sure are heavy sumbitches though The cost of a Hardi sheet at Hell Depot was something like $27 vs $24 for the typical wood siding sheets.

 

[PAToyota]

Yeah, vinyl and metal siding leaks but if your putting it over existing siding you have a chance.

I have seen a lot of cases of vinyl or aluminum siding and trim being used only to have leaks behind it that then caused major damage (see image below). The owners didn't know they had a problem until things got so rotten that the vinyl or aluminum started falling off because the wood behind it wouldn't support it any more.

I went with Hardi concrete siding over the existing wood siding. My main reason for doing this was due to their higher flame resistance attribute and a 50yr warranty or some such thing. They sure are heavy sumbitches though The cost of a Hardi sheet at Hell Depot was something like $27 vs $24 for the typical wood siding sheets.

I take it you are saying the 4x8 sheets of HardiBoard. You can also get HardiPlank lap siding and HardiShingle shingle-style siding. I used the HardiPlank on my workshop to give the look of clapboard while adding the fire resistance (welding, plasma cutting, and such in the driveway). It is a bit more effort than the vinyl or aluminum siding, but I like how it turned out and I can paint it to match the house.

I would be careful about putting it over other existing siding as that can get you back to the unseen damage issues again if water gets in behind the Hardi.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Your ins. Should go down with the Hardi. Siding. great product. Mike

 

[nspctr1]

X3 on the hardi product. Vinyl and metal siding creates moisture , think of a plastic bag on the ground, it traps the moisture between it and the framing and causes rot. The installer will tell you the vented siding will prevent that but it only reduces the amount of moisture created, not prevent it.
I went with hardi plank and love it. 2 things to note, make sure you use the correct nail and pressure on the compressor. If the nail head is too small and your foundation moves, which it sounds like it will/does/ being as old as it is , then it's prone to the siding sliding over the head of the nail.
Next, dont skimp on the caulk if you use the planks. IIRC, hardi recommends dow chemicals product for caulking the joints. I did not do this and after 3 years I have to recaulk the joints as they almost all have opened due to the Tx heat and the active soils moving the foundation.

GL

 

[Michael Hanson]

We used 80,000 dollars worth on one job. No problems. Mike

 

[inthewall]

Thanks for the replies, one reason I was thinking of changing siding was because of all the windows being replaced. Im going to go to a larger window and different door locations. Essentially 50 percent of the clapboard is coming off any way. I love the old look of it, but still not sure which way to go. I will take a few photos of the building and post them up in the next few days. It was an old forest service, carpentry shop/ radio building. Built in 1934 by the civilian conservation corps .I wish I had bought it before the last owners tried a half assed remodel.

 

[PAToyota]

Depending on shape of the existing siding, it can be removed and run through a planer to take off any paint then cut to length to accommodate new doors, windows, and such. Use a good primer and quality paint and you'll easily get 15 to 20 years out of it before having to repaint.

 

[45Kevin]

When ever you put wood on an exterior application be sure to seal front, back and ends of each piece.

Makes a huge difference in longevity.

 

[ojaij40]

X3 on the hardi product. Vinyl and metal siding creates moisture , think of a plastic bag on the ground, it traps the moisture between it and the framing and causes rot. The installer will tell you the vented siding will prevent that but it only reduces the amount of moisture created, not prevent it.
I went with hardi plank and love it. 2 things to note, make sure you use the correct nail and pressure on the compressor. If the nail head is too small and your foundation moves, which it sounds like it will/does/ being as old as it is , then it's prone to the siding sliding over the head of the nail.
Next, dont skimp on the caulk if you use the planks. IIRC, hardi recommends dow chemicals product for caulking the joints. I did not do this and after 3 years I have to recaulk the joints as they almost all have opened due to the Tx heat and the active soils moving the foundation.

GL

Don't they usually wrap a moisture barrier over the old siding first?

 

[Titan]

I do this for a living, go with the Hardi, vinyl is crap, strip off the wood,peel & stick openings install new windows/doors, wrap house with moisture barrier, peel & stick all door and window perimeters, trim out all door & window with AZEK PVC trim, install 12" flashing around base of house, preSTAIN all hardi, I say stain,because it lasts longer than paint,2 coats. Install Hardi,as you cut it, knock off all "fuzz" on butt joints, when done use NP-1 caulk on joints and door/window seams.Touch up where needed..you'll never have to revisit your exterior again. oh, and use correct nails, don't skimp,siding install is only as good as how its fastened.

 

[Jetboy]

There are good quality vinyl sidings that will last 50+ years. The cheap stuff won't last long at all. You get what you pay for.

If you go with one of the fiber cement sidings like hardieplank or maxiplank, you can get them factory pre-finished and they will be coated in your choice of color both sides in a pre-finishing machine. It's often cost effective compared to painting yourself, is much faster because it will arrive ready to install and you don't have to paint once it's installed other than trim boards and caulking, and IIRC both companies will extend the warranty.

That said, I live in an older house - 1950, and I wouldn't put either on the house. It wouldn't look right. It wouldn't fit with the neighborhood. Much like replacing with vinyl windows. They look out of place in a historical neighborhood. There are some better new ones, but I still go for wood/aluminum clad replacements because they keep with the character of what I'm looking for. And they wont hurt the value when I sell. In my last house in a new neighborhood I had vinyl windows and they were fine. A lot of the exterior choice kinda depends on your budget and your goals with the project.

 

[inthewall]

Jetboy, I feel the same. I really like the character of this building. I am still leaning towards wood. Windows though, I might go more modern,efficient, with an old look. Lots of things about the building I am undecided.

 

[Jetboy]

After reading this I looked at some vinyl window websites. There are some decent looking vinyl windows in dark colors with relatively narrow frames that might look OK in older buildings. Trim the inside in wood and it could make for a pretty cost effective and still good looking window.

I'd love to have new efficient steel framed windows in my house that look like the originals, but they simply aren't available at any reasonable cost.

 

[PAToyota]

If the windows are in good shape, you can get pretty good performance out of updating them rather than replacing. Most of the time, more heat is lost around the window due to drafts than any advances in glazing will ever give you back. I've seen too many brand new windows installed where the contractor did not properly seal and insulate - causing more heat loss than with the original windows. Even if everything else is done properly, the amount that you'll save with the improved glazing still will not likely warrant the cost of new windows.

The exception is if the existing windows are so badly deteriorated that you have no choice to replace them. When I moved into my house, previous owners had put aluminum storm windows on the windows and then never did any further maintenance to the outsides of the windows. The sashes were just rotten and falling apart from all of the moisture trapped between the outside of the window and the storm window.

A lot of window information as it relates to older buildings can be found here: http://ptnresource.org/WPSC/

 

[Jetboy]

My old house had single pane steel frame windows. Not very efficient. Then again it also has no insulation in any of the exterior walls which are all masonry so there's no way to add any insulation either, so I'm not sure great windows would make a whole lot of difference...