Hello:
Have a house with T1-11 Siding on it.
A fair amount of it has to be replaced, and the Contractor wants to just put up new horiz. clapboards directly over the T1-11, without removing it first.
Is this a good idea ? Why ?
Normally done this way ?
I just thought of one potential problem in that the thickness buildup by the windows "might" be a problem. Haven't discussed this with him, though.
Any thoughts on this would be most appreciated.
Thanks, B.
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I'd first want to know why it has to be replaced and where. If there's a moisture problem that isn't solved, for example, the new siding won't last or may even make it worse. Also, depends on how bad it is and whether the surface is uniform enough to provide a level surface so the new siding won't be visually "wavy"--clapboard is good at "telegraphing" such defects owing to the linear pattern. As an example, a house had previously had T1-11 on ground floor w/ a block basement wall stone-veneered. The stone exterior was laid up over the bottom of the T1-11 to the height of the interior floor without a flashing so after a few years that seam became a water trap. Eventually it actually rotted out the sill plate and the bottom of the studs on the exposed wall--this damage was hidden and didn't become apparent until the exterior siding finally actually showed the failure. (Of course, we tried to put off the expense, so it was worse than could have been, but still was quite surprised to see how extensive was the hidden damage.) The upshot is, I'd really want to know the condition _behind_ the siding before simply covering it over. If it's had moisture, not only is there the possibility of simple water-caused damage like outlined above, it is also the breeding ground for termite infestation, etc., that really should be ensured against before going on.
How it will fit around existing window trim would depend on how the current windows are finished out, at least in part. It's possible it might work ok, but quite possibly would need to rework them to be a really good job.
There's certainly a lot done that way, and it's not necessarily wrong/bad, just need to be certain any structural and/or other issues are addressed as well as the cosmetics. Poke around pretty good in the affected areas--if you find any sign of softness (like try to drive a siding nail into a stud around and existing one and there doesn't seem to be anything there) behind the siding, it's cause for concern and needs investigating.
HTH...
I'd just go with seamless steel siding. Why put up more wood to rot?
There are houses hundred years old or over w/ wood siding. Rot is often an indication of either poor maintenance or a structural/installation problem that metal or other siding won't _necessarily_ solve.
I believe that aluminum and steel siding degrade radio and tv reception. People may have cable for their tv, and may intend to keep it that way, but few have cable for their radios. And there are cordless phones used outside, cellphones used inside, wireless intercoms used outside, and they'll probably invent new things.
The siding companies say there is no problem, I think, but I called a company that made radio antennas. Temna or some other company, and they said metal siding causes reception problems.
I hadn't considered the RF problem. We have cable tv. The only radio we use in the house didn't change, and neither did our cell phone performance. Something to consider though.
no mater what I would add at least a inch of foam insulation board to help energy efficency.....
Personally if your siding I would go with vinyl, it lasts a lifetime needs no maintence and doesnt rust scratch or dent........
vinly isnt expensive either............
just think never paint again:)
mm wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Yea but it keeps aliens from spying on you. Much easier than encasing the house in a magnetic nebula.
I like vinyl too, but for the record, it can. My ex-girlfriend's office has vinyl walls outside, and there are 3 or 4 holes in it where the wall has been hit. The cinder-block wall is more than inch down, so there is plenty of movement possible before the vinyl is stopped by something solid. Her office is iirc about 20 years old, or 25, but I don't know if the holes resulted from age, or would have happened at any age. In one case I think a truck drove into the wall (and stopped in time so that it broke the vinyl without hurting the cinderblock), but the other holes I don't think had so much force behind them.
And they built some townhouses nearby that are quite pretty, but built more cheaply than ours (which are brick on the first floor and alas, T1-11 on the second.) And they are only 15 years old I've seen holes in the walls on a couple of them. These have yards between the street and the house, so it must have been a ball or I don't know what. Plus a couple more have the vinyl falling off where it wasn't attached well, either the wind or I don't know what.
the number of reasons NOT to use vinyl is increasing daily. Steel is the only way to fly.
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How many lifetimes have you witnessed, anyway to test this??? :)
It doesn't rust, that I'll grant. The rest is debatable. Unless in a fairly benign-weather region, I wouldn't recommend vinyl at all, even then would have to think about it awfully hard to do another. Did the one I mentioned earlier w/ vinyl simply because it _was_ the cheapest option and the house really wasn't worth more and was in keeping w/ the neighborhood. Still, even with as little weather as that area got, replaced whole front and west end after what, for here, would be considered a really minor hail storm. It also has the disadvantage that it looks like, well, vinyl... :(
I'd not disagree about the extra insulation board but that adds to the window trim dilemma and almost certainly necessitates redoing them all.
As for the metal-siding, Dad put steel on the farmhouse here some 30 yrs ago--can't tell it affects radio reception much, but there are lots of windows in this old house and a wood roof. TV is exterior antenna, so no difference there, of course. I'd think it necessary to have a pretty tight enclosure for it to make a great difference other than perhaps a few pockets--it takes a pretty tight enclosure to make an effective cage when trying to do it...For longevity, in what is a pretty severe environment of high UV, wind/dirt, hail, etc., the baked-paint lasted about 20-25 years before it got quite thin in spots, particularly on the south and west, direction of sun and predominant wind. Vinyl here would have been shredded to ribbons multiple times since we returned in '99 even, couldn't begin to estimate the additional times since it was redone in mid-70s. Shows a few dings, but not to the point of having to be replaced.
Over decades, I never heard anyone mention it, but I started thinking about reception when I ride through bridges with metal structures above me. These frames let plenty of light through, but they still interfere with AM reception, which includes the sound part of TV.
Of course because of automatic volume control and automatic gain control, it might not be noticeable on strong stations, but on less strong stations I think so.
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