By James Allen
Darren of Pineville MO:
I have a small home in rural Missouri, and it's a solid house but it has
old wood siding with the paint flaking off. I want to replace it with
something lower maintenance, but I'm not sure I want to go with vinyl
siding. I like the look of stone, but I haven't been able to find any
comprehensive comparison of different siding materials to help me determine
how different materials (wood, vinyl, natural stone, faux stone) compare as
far as cost, energy efficiency, etc. Would it be do-able to retrofit a wood
house with stone, or would it be cost-prohibitive or otherwise ill-advised?
Could be a problem. You need to go down to your footers, and they have to
be wide enough. Im sure its the expensive option of all the finishes.
Your primary energy efficiency comes from the wall insulation (unless you
dont have any!).
You might also want to look at some of the Hardi products.
Angelo of Lawrenceville NJ:
I am having a modular home built and I have a question about the vinyl siding
they put up. There is no wood or anything underneath the first row of the
siding. I can stick my hand underneath the back of the first row of siding.
Is this OK? Is it fine how it is or should there be something to give it
support underneath?
Call your local municipal building department and ask about that. It may be legal,
but it sure is an invitation for critter or insect infiltation. First, call the
builder and ask. They must have a technical department that can answer your
question. Now, whether their reasoning is valid or not may depend on the local
codes. Confirm with the locals. You can also call a local siding contractor and run it by
them.
Exterior sheathing over the wall framing is done to keep the walls from racking.
It's handy, if plywood or OSB, for nailing siding to. The vinyl siding needs only
to be lightly nailed every so often. I don't know the exact distance allowed
between fasteners, but if it is only every 16" then the sheathing isn't needed as a
backing for the vinyl, as far as fastening is concerned.
Used to be a time when you could say you get what you pay for. Seems like
now-a-days you pay more and more for less and less. Not to say the modular builder
is providing anything but good value, but I'm just too cynical, anymore.
Karen of Defiance, OH:
Jim, I have often wondered, can I have siding put on a block house. My house is nice, but I'm tired of painting every 2 or 3 years.
In general, sure! Talk to a few siding contractors. Typically, nailing strips would be fastened to the block, and the siding attached to that. If a contractor suggests another system, like glue, run it by me.
