I would like to have insulation blown into the walls of my 1920’s colonial house.
Problem: My house is covered with 1960’s/1970’s aluminum siding over the orginal cedar shingles. The insulation would require removing some of the aluminum siding to drill the insulation holes and then put the siding back up. The quote seems to add an additional $2-$3k to put back chalky 30year old siding. If I’m going to pay for the labor of putting up siding, I’d like to put up something new.
What low maintainence siding choices do I have? Vinyl right over the old wood shingles is the obvious choice, but are there others? I don’t love vinyl, but love its low maintenance. I plan to live in this house another 25years at least.
How about the factory painted fiber cement boards? The paint is supposed to last 15 years. Is that realistic? After 15 years does it need to be painted as often as a wood siding? Is there any painting needed after the initial insulation such as the butt joints. Also, the old wood shingles would need to be removed before the fiber cement is installed, right?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Replies
Vinyl and steel are the best "low maintenance" options in your situation. They can generally be placed over your existing shingles, while other options would require either stripping the shingles or furring the walls somehow. Strpping shingles does result in better appearance, but will generally open a can of worms with regard to other repairs you would probably rather put off.
Fiber cement should hold paint for about 15 years in most climates. (We get that much life out of a coat of paint on our tempered hardborard which has similar characteristics.) Each coat of good-quality paint should last about 15 years, at least until it gets thick enough to start peeling off in chunks (which realistically wouldn't be for about 75 years).
Fiber cement generally does require priming/painting cut edges (if one does a good job of installation). This can/should be done before installation where possible.
Some FC siding comes "pre-painted" (supposedly requiring no install-time painting other than cut edges), some is only "pre-primed". I suspect you'd get better durability from the latter, applying one coat of paint before install and another immediately after.
As with wood siding, though, paint life is somewhat dependent on having a halfway decent vapor barrier (though probably not to the extent that it's true for wood).
Note there are also fiber-cement shingles/shakes.
I would remove the old siding for sure! Butt joints need to be painted while installed to protect cut ends just as wood siding requires. They also need to be caulked wherever they meet trim. Here is a link for install process. I don't buy in to the 15 year paint job myself. After doing many vinyl and hardi jobs I don't think one has that much of edge on the other in the looks dept. Nothing beats the real look of wood. But maintenance is greater of course.
http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/installation/hardiplank_installation.php
Most people do not like vinyl siding because of the seams. But vinyl now comes in 40' pieces thereby creating a great install when combined with the right trims and corners. Not for the master craftsmen mind you but great for low maintenance and durability.
Here is a link for 40' siding product.
http://www.alliedbuilding.com/products/prdSubCat.asp?GroupID=45&CategoryID=5085
Is there any insulation now in the walls? I would also think about adding insulation board under the new siding in tandem or instead of blown in. You can get a great job done since your doing all this at the same time. With 2" of insulation board ( if your window trim allows for depth) you can achieve an R- value of R-20 . I would think that would be enough depending on your area. Even if it took a little extra trim work it would be cost effective I believe. The insulation board would not only give you the mentioned r-value but it would better at stopping radiant heat loss due to the framing members. It would also provide a better air barrier.
Ron
Edited 3/5/2007 5:36 pm ET by AllTrade