1905clapboard:options? exp?

[deborah luper]

Bought this turn of the century dream that needs replacement of exterior. Keep hearing new options like "vinyl is improved!" Yadda Yadda Don't really wnat to go there. House has charm and historical integrity. Help or your exp. appreciated. Is replacement clapboard expensive? Who to go to. Thnx

cheerseddy@mindspring.com

[Rose]

Deborah - you said your home "needs replacement of exterior" - is *all* the original wood siding shot? Clapboard can be replaced. If you need to have a few pieces replaced, that may be the far better option rather than simply shrink-wrapping your house in plastic. (ie: vinyl siding)

We just pulled 35 year old aluminum siding off our 1904 home and WOW what a mess. Has made me a FIRM believer that old clapboard (and old houses) were never intended to be covered up.

Rose

rosethorn@piasanet.com

[Anthony Thomas]

Old houses were never made to be covered up by vinyl siding. Not only will it bring down the value of your home, it gives the moisture in your home nowhere to go! Trapped moisture will create havoc in your old home. Moisture will seep into your walls and become trapped in between interior and exterior walls. What a mess. Replace all or some of the clapboards, what ever is necessary, and give it a wonderful paint job. It might be more expensive at the start, but clapboards are much less expensive in the long run. Plus you have the added benefit of maintaining the historical integrity of your old house. After all, you bought an old home probably because you liked the old, original look.

athomas@stlnet.com

[fred]

I fully agree with the above posts, having opted to devote five years of my life, and my wife's, to removing all traces of old paint from our big, old Victorian instead of covering it with plastic. Be prepared for long hours and hard work if you want do do it right (in my opinion, that means getting rid of all the old paint and sanding down the wood until its bright and smooth before priming and painting). It was a kick when someone, having seen the painted front of the house, said the new siding looked nice! That ironic response would never have come if we'd taken the easy route: scraping only the loose paint flakes before painting, Best of luck.

aun@blast.net

[Peggy]

We are in an area where the only houses in our price are older (probably pre 40s) sided homes. Considering what we have heard and read we didn't want siding but it turns out that that is all that is available. So now the dilemma. Go for a house with "new siding?" Choose a house with older siding and do what these others have done and remove the siding? Is aluminum better than vinyl? If we buy a home with siding, is it going to rot away if we don't do something?



Peggy@vanhemert.com