John Leeke's Historic HomeWorks™
207 773-2306 26 Higgins St. Portland, ME 04103
|
John Leeke's Historic HomeWorks™ |
|
207 773-2306 26 Higgins St. Portland, ME 04103 |
|
| [Home][Library][Restoration Reports][Seminars][Forum][Internships][Office][Workshop][Front Porch][Search] info.© 1994-2007 JohnC.Leeke |
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John Leeke's Historic HomeWorks(tm)
Vinyl Siding
I purchased an 1840's house in northwestern N.J. in 1991 which has been a great deal of fun to restore. However, I have been ignoring its largest problem: the house is covered in a disgusting, light-green vinyl siding. There was evidence of termites in the basement when I bought the house. I exterminated the termites and have seen no evidence of them since '91. Should I consider painting the vinyl siding? What is the advisability of ripping vinyl siding off, considering I don't know what's underneath. Is there any way to tell whether or not the clapboard underneath is damaged, or is continuing to be damaged.
You face the two common problems with vinyl siding: it is not
"maintenance free" and it hides conditions beneath. I
am now seeing many vinyl siding projects that have 12 to 18
year's age on them being painted due to poor appearance. To
improve deteriorating appearance vinyl siding is sometimes washed
with high pressure water. This must be done carefully with a
downward blast to prevent loading the wall with moisture through
the ventilation slots. When cleaning does not help the vinyl
siding contractors' response to deteriorating appearance is to
replace the siding. So the time proven actual maintenance method
for vinyl is little or no maintenance until it fails and then the
very high maintenance treatment of replacement. If you have a
term of interest in the building that is less than the life of
the vinyl product, this approach may make economic sense to you.
Even if you plan to sell before the vinyl needs to be replaced
vinyl's short-term economic advantage may be limited. Vinyl
siding is now becoming recognized as a liability by some astute
real estate buyers, because its long-term life is not as cost
effective some other siding materials and because it can hide
serious problems.
Vinyl siding hides changing conditions of the wood and paint
underneath. You need to investigate conditions underneath the
vinyl siding. Begin by looking at the exterior surfaces of the
siding for visible signs of buckling, trails of light tan insect
wood dust sifting out of the vent slots of the siding, etc..
Suspect underlying damage in the walls at inside corners where
two roofs drain into one location, and north and east walls in
particular which are susceptible to moisture decay problems. Look
for major cracks in the foundation which might have telegraphed
up the walls underneath the siding.
As an historic building investigator, I use moisture meters to
sense high moisture content in the wood underneath the vinyl.
This is quickly done and does not damage the vinyl. You can also
spot moisture problems by looking for black streaks of dirt left
by water from cornice leaks at the top of the wall. Locations of
high moisture usually indicate trouble spots.
Selectively remove sections of siding where you find these signs
of trouble and where you saw the termites. There are special
tools for removing vinyl siding so you might want to hire a vinyl
siding contractor. It can usually be done carefully enough to put
the vinyl siding back up without damage. Look for dampness,
peeling paint and decayed wood. Paint peeling to bare wood
indicates there has been high moisture, which could also have
lead to decay. Look for dampness that indicates the moisture
problem is current and not historic. You might need to remove the
old siding in areas of concern. This should be done by a finish
carpenter or cabinetmaker. Again, it can sometimes be done
carefully enough to reapply it without much damage. Look for deep
decay in sheathing boards and the structural members beneath such
as sills, studs and plates.
Wood Fencing
I'm getting 70' of fence installed in my yard, and the fence salesman told me that cedar would cost $250 more than spruce. He said it would last about three years longer, and would be more resistant to insects. Is this true? Or is this just a quick way for him to raise the price by $250?
In general most species of cedar are more decay resistant than
most species of spruce, but there is great variation in
resistance from one tree to another within a species, and from
one fence post to another in the pile. I have even seen some
better pieces of spruce outlast poorer pieces of cedar. So what
makes one piece better than another? Heartwood (deep within the
log) is far more decay resistant than sapwood (usually lighter
colored around the outer part of the log). More growth rings per
inch (look at the end of the log) means there are more of the
mineral extratives that provide the decay and insect resistance.
So you have to look at the posts. If the spruce posts are split
so they are mostly heartwood and the growth rings are 20 or 30
per inch,that would look better to me than cedar posts that are
half sapwood and have 5 or 6 growth rings per inch. While this is
the extreme worst case, I have actually seen this in two stacks
side-by-side at the lumber yard. The fence salesman is probably
giving you a higher price on cedar only because his supplier is
charging him a higher price. This has far more to do with market
economics that it does with the life of the wood. The salesman
says cedar will last 3 years longer than spruce. Ask him where
the "3 years" comes from. It might be personal
experience--he has see cedar last 3 years longer. That cedar was
at least somewhat different than the cedar you are about to buy,
it might have been better or worse by more than 3 years of life.
Of far more importance is the question: How long will the cedar
last, and how long will the spruce last. If you can get him to be
as specific on this question we could do a quick life-cycle
costing for both that would answer your question of whether cedar
is worth $250. more. You could be better off putting that $250.
into soaking the ends of the posts in a preservative treatment.
Ask him if he can offer a borate preservative treatment. This
might be a liquid soaking before setting the posts, or the
installation of little rods of solid borate inserted into holes
bored into the post at the ground line. If you soil is is heavy
clay or loam, ask if they will be installing the posts packed
with gravel and stones for good drainage, or just they will just
refill the hole with soil that will trap moisture against the
posts promoting deterioration. Installation details like
preservative treatments and good drainage make far more
difference than which species of wood you choose.
For more on details on assessing conditions of exterior woodwork,
making repairs and understanding how to make exterior wood last
longer refer to the Practical
Restoration Report, Exterior Woodwork Details. This 10 page
report is available for $9.95. directly from John Leeke.
John Leeke is a preservation consultant who helps homeowners,
contractors and architects understand and maintain their historic
buildings. You can contact him at 26 Higgins St., Portland,
Maine, 04103; or by E-mail: johnleeke@HistoricHomeWorks.com; or
log onto his website at:
www.HistoricHomeWorks.com
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|
John Leeke's Historic HomeWorks™ |
|
207 773-2306 26 Higgins St. Portland, ME 04103 |
|
| [Home][Library][Restoration Reports][Seminars][Forum][Internships][Office][Workshop][Front Porch][Search] info.© 1994-2007 JohnC.Leeke |