Residing the house -- need info on options please

[nadia105]

Our house was built in 1964 and has hardboard siding that is warping and rotting. I guess the people we bought it from had painted, but it must have been majorly cheap stuff, because it started to show wear a couple years after we bought it (we've been here 8 years now). We started repainting ourselves 2 years ago, but I got pregnant and couldn't finish, Dh did some the next year, but it's still undone.

We were considering paying someone to finish until I took a look at the side of the house in the 'best' shape (north facing) and noticed the boards are kind of waving and the seams are popping. On top of that, we have several spots rotting. FIL looked at it with me and said it needs to be replaced and his guess was $20K for vinyl siding.

Anyone have any info on other options or experience with this cost? We have a 1 1/2 story Cape Cod house with a 1 car attached garage, 1800 sq ft so it isn't really big, but I know the materials and labor add up big time.

TIA!

[Cheshire]

First, determine if the siding is asbestos or not. If it is I think your best bet is to cover it with something else. Removing it is very expensive.

Have a number of contractors come give you estimates. You'd be surprised at the different ranges you'll get. Also, consider joining Angie's List to look for good contractors.

Instead of vinyl siding consider covering it with hardiplank (siding made from concrete). It will last forever and comes in a variety of looks/styles and you can paint it whatever color you like.

[annekevdbroek]

I have no idea of the cost - I had my cape cod house sided probably 10+ years ago (no garage, brick front, 1200 sq feet) and it was far far less than 20K. I think I had all the windows replaced, siding done, and upgraded the insulation for about 10K. I would suggest getting at least 4 estimates before proceeding with a major project such as that. Angie's List is also well worth the annual fee to get reputable contractors. (We subscribe here and it has been well worth it.)

I will say that the house we had done - It was wood facia boards and they were a mess. Cracked, the paint was constantly peeling. I mean, I scraped and sanded and painted the entire hosue one summer and two years later it looked as bad as ever. And painting was nearly half the cost of siding, without the longevity. So, the siding as more than paid for itself with the improved insulation and with the fact that 10+ years later it still looks great.

Also, you may want to wait until fall, if possible. Most people do these projects in the spring and you are likely to get lower bids in the fall when work starts to slow down.

[angie7]

We just had our house done, it's a 2 story, 1400 sq ft home and it cost us $7k.

[avendesora]

I was given a vague quote of $12k to wrap our stucco house with insulation and then put vinyl siding on top.

Aven

[daytripper75]

Siding is actually a fairly easy job to do yourself. (Not that I've ever done it! I've just heard...)

Maybe consider buying the materials and renting the equipment to save on labor? If you guys have handy friends you might even be able to persuade a couple of them to come over and help.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2installvinylsiding
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art..._and_save.html

[HeatherAtHome]

Last summer when we had our house inspected before purchasing, the inspector gave us a rough quote of $9000 to have house insulated and new siding put on, double that if we hire someone to do it for us. He was from the BIG city though, prices might be cheaper around here. Our house is small; 20x24' with 12x14 addition and it's a 1.5 story.

My Dad put siding on our house growing up and he's trying to convince us that we can do it ourselves with help... The summer he did it I was about 10 and I remember hearing a lot of swearing so I'm not completely convinced. Plus the house is quite high when you're at the peak.