Question for Lenny

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sjshaner

New member
My son is buying his first house. It is a fixer upper but luckily all cosmetic no structural. I have a question on siding. The house currently has a masonite type siding and it has some of the boards are rotting. I was planning on replacing the boards but was wondering if I could put vinyl siding over them or if they would still need to be replaced. He has a limited budget so I know just replacing the bad boards is the least expensive but was looking at other options as well.
I tried uploading a pic but no matter how small I resize it I cannot get the picture to upload. If I figure it out I will try to upload
an image.
Thanks for your time.
 
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ezra

Well-known member
I am not lenny but. most of the Masonite has rot on the first 2 courses. james hardi actually used the wood grain print from the old Masonite for its cement siding . and smooth is smooth.
I use to get a few jobs a yr just replacing the rotted stuff. always the first 2 then above windows with homes with short overhangs.
way cheaper to replace rotted wood with cement siding than slapping up plastic. really not hard at all .
as far as going over U prob could but way less diking around and prob much faster to strip off and reside.
if u should slap up plastic at all is a completely diff topic .
not knocking it I have it on 3 sides of my house but deff not my fave and not that much cheaper than some of the pre finished wood and cement options out now days
 
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highhertel

Member
Hardie board all the way for me. I cringe when I see an older home being wrapped in plastic or vinyl crap.

And for new homes? If you cannot afford to build a quality home, buy existing. You will regret skimping on the important stuff in a few years.

HH
 
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lenny

Guest
James Hardie siding is a nice product but it is labor-intensive and requires maintenance but a similar alternative and cheaper is the LP smart siding which is very similar in installation but less money. A lot of the older homes were three or 4 inch pine lap boards and the best match often is vinyl (as far as appearance wise). I don't like the look of a hardy plank or LP smart siding and at the same time the cost of smart siding or cement board will never offer a return. Just my opinion and experience in my region.
 
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ezra

Well-known member
neighborhood has a ton to do with it .u could not sell a plastic house in some.
most of the new decent homes now are pre finished hardi or pre finshised LP smart side .
most now have that 3 or 4 styles of siding on the same house shakes with lap and board and batten toss in some rock then some band board . kinda a strange time in siding.
the LP look great but time will tell if osb will hold up to the elements .
hardi is a lot less labor if u have the tools for it . pretty fast really they have big cutters like the old paper cutters with a big sharp blade u pull down and cut.
some of the plastic stuff is pretty costly to. the shakes on my dormers and gables were like 20 bucks a piece. like 3.5x14 they would have been less$ in hardi
 
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sjshaner

New member
Thanks for all the responses. I guess I will need to do more homework. I have considered tearing off the old siding but I want to keep costs down for now. I just need to get him thru this winter then maybe do the whole house. Lenny I sent you the picture. That is the worst side. The rest of the house is mostly OK only one or two boards each. Maybe tear off and redo the bad side.
 
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ezra

Well-known member
the lp style lap prefinished with a 15yr paint warranty is very ez to work with more or less just osb.
cost wise menards is like 13 bucks for a 8in x 16 ft piece and 9 ish for unfinished . imho not worth the 4 bucks a board to get raw

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only pita is on some tract homes the guys cheated and sided then stapled f channel over top course of siding then installed fascia.that one sucks when u run in to it. not to often but it is out there and makes for a lot more work for a reside .
 
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chunk06

Active member
not all vinyl is junk, we do some nice looking jobs with some of the better vinyl's, Monogram and Heartland come to mind. You can also order longer pieces than 12' 6". A bad install job with cedar or hardi looks horrible.
 
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lenny

Guest
Bottom line is this guy has a particular application. If vinyl is an viable option than I see no problem using it. You can install vinyl over existing but you gotta be to hide all the potential wave you could creat if you over nail to deep. It's doable but gotta be very careful and keep looking down the side of the house so you see if your creating waves. Even if you tear off you may have uneven ship lap that would require attention like nailing vinyl of wood siding. If your trying to budget and have time restraint I would go for it, that is if it fits the house and neighborhood like EZ said.

I didn't get any pics on that email account, try an send them again please.
 
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highhertel

Member
FYI. Many home insurance companies offer a discount for Hardie board sided houses due to the fact that it is mold/mildew resistant as well as fire retarded (Frnash, I know I know...)

HH
 
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lenny

Guest
Good info HH, something for people to consider for sure. Before you know it, this guy is gonna be like Stanley Ipkis but backwards who drove a Porsche to the night club and drove out with a jalopy. If anybody knows what I'm talking about they get a free cup of Lake Superior water.
 
mezz

mezz

Well-known member
Stanley Ipkis! That's a good one! I do know what your talking about, it's the movie The Mask. BTW, I can get my own Lake Superior water, thanks anyways.....-Mezz
 
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lenny

Guest
Regardless of what you use be sure and use a drip cap under the vertical siding on the gable wall on top of the horizontal siding, very important . After looking at the pick I think going over the top is gonna look real bad with all the jay channel extended out over the window trims and where the horizontal and vertical siding meets. I'd spend the time and money to fix where it won't detract from the appearance any further. Seeing the house, you may be able to tear off the old and than use vinyl but personally I wouldn't go over it. It won't cost much money to tear off if you guys do it yourself plus you can be sure the paper is good underneath, probably tar paper from that era, house built in 70's?
 

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sjshaner

New member
Thanks for posting the picture. Yes built in the 70's. Thanks for the advice. Still have to close and waiting on inspections but want to be ready with a plan when he does get it. Should have it by Aug. 5th. Probably tear off that side just have to decide on the siding. Also three windows need replacing. We have a lot to think about and decide upon. Thanks to everyone for all the advice and ideas.
 
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lenny

Guest
Glad we all could help. I guess if I were you I would look at the neighborhood and how you guys personally view the value of the place. Vinyl will not be much of an improvement but LP smart and cement board with add value and curb appeal, of course the budge is most important. Let us is what you come up with!
 
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ezra

Well-known member
yeah just a few yrs past its prime. yeah windows not looking supper shape also.
if it were my house and I was on a budget. I would prob just do 1 side RIGHT at a time. new windows and lp smart side with 1x4 or 6 on corners so I would not have to try to match corners from yr to yr
 
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