Heights Bungalow Is Needing Asbeastos Siding Replaced. Any Ideas On What Siding To Use?

[LESHOMME]

Are there any alternatives to wooden plank siding for bungalows? I live in a Heights bungalow that has asbeastos siding. I dont like to look of the siding and prefer the wooden siding in most other homes. Is replacing the siding with wood plank a good idea?

[TheNiche]

Are there any alternatives to wooden plank siding for bungalows? I live in a Heights bungalow that has asbeastos siding. I dont like to look of the siding and prefer the wooden siding in most other homes. Is replacing the siding with wood plank a good idea?

Wood rots. Use Hardiplank.

[RedScare]

My wood is its 88th year without rotting. Hardie has its own issues. I wouldn't be so quick to discount wood.

[gnu]

Are there any alternatives to wooden plank siding for bungalows? I live in a Heights bungalow that has asbeastos siding. I dont like to look of the siding and prefer the wooden siding in most other homes. Is replacing the siding with wood plank a good idea?

have you looked under your asbestos siding?

you might get lucky and have your original wood underneath.

Sometimes they put other siding right over the top.

you might be able to pull off the asbestos and save your original wood.

[TheNiche]

My wood is its 88th year without rotting. Hardie has its own issues. I wouldn't be so quick to discount wood.

I vaguely recall from long long ago in a thread far far away that you'd said that you were lucky that the termites in the garage hadn't migrated to your house. What if you hadn't been so lucky?

Hardiplank's problems are most frequently a result of poor installation.

[RedScare]

I vaguely recall from long long ago in a thread far far away that you'd said that you were lucky that the termites in the garage hadn't migrated to your house. What if you hadn't been so lucky?

Hardiplank's problems are most frequently a result of poor installation.

And, last time I checked, ALL Hardiplank had to be installed.

My point is simply that Hardiplank is not a cureall. It can be a beast to install, especially if the wrong fasteners are used. It is also very brittle, and can crack if impacted. Since it is thinner than traditional wood siding, it produces a different, thinner shadow line than wood siding.

That being said, it IS one option. Cedar siding is another. Look closely at houses clad in Hardie (most of those new McVictorians have it). If the look is satisfactory to you, certainly consider it. And, as gnu said, it is very likely that you already have wood siding underneath the asbestos. It was commonly added over wood siding back in the 50s.

[musicman]

I vaguely recall from long long ago in a thread far far away that you'd said that you were lucky that the termites in the garage hadn't migrated to your house. What if you hadn't been so lucky?

Hardiplank's problems are most frequently a result of poor installation.

Hardiplank won't stop termites from migrating to his house. Just makes their discovery more difficult. they can still enjoy some nicely aged wood for dinner.

[RedScare]

Hardiplank won't stop termites from migrating to his house. they can still enjoy some nicely aged wood for dinner.

Besides, I already had termites in the floor. They never touched the siding.

[cwrm4]

My wood is its 88th year without rotting. Hardie has its own issues. I wouldn't be so quick to discount wood.

That's because it is probably old-growth cypress, which was pulled out of the swamps. New wood siding is either some sort of pine derivative, or new-growth cypress, and it will rot. Cedar is more rot-resistant but correspondingly more expensive.

You can buy reclaimed old-growth cypress, but it will be a freaking fortune. It definitely looks the best, however - to me Hardi-plank is too thin (aesthetically speaking).

The bigger issue to me with wood siding is that it requires painting more frequently than Hardi-plank. That said, I never plan to remove the cypress siding on my bungalow, which is even mitered on every corner. You can't do that with Hardi.

[TheNiche]

And, last time I checked, ALL Hardiplank had to be installed.

My point is simply that Hardiplank is not a cureall. It can be a beast to install, especially if the wrong fasteners are used. It is also very brittle, and can crack if impacted. Since it is thinner than traditional wood siding, it produces a different, thinner shadow line than wood siding.

What you're saying is that a property owner should hire competent contractors to install Hardiplank. I'd agree 100%.

Hardie comes in a fair number of different specifications, thin or thick, so its worth looking into.

Hardiplank won't stop termites from migrating to his house. Just makes their discovery more difficult. they can still enjoy some nicely aged wood for dinner.

Correct, but they won't be eating hardie siding, and that's the topic of discussion.

That's because it is probably old-growth cypress, which was pulled out of the swamps. New wood siding is either some sort of pine derivative, or new-growth cypress, and it will rot. Cedar is more rot-resistant but correspondingly more expensive.

Very good point. My rental had an addition that was built of vintage 1950's pine, while the main house was a hard wood. The house was never touched, but the addition had just gotten eaten away to the point that it was a danger.

[musicman]

Correct, but they won't be eating hardie siding, and that's the topic of discussion.

i thought the topic was siding replacement. both are still options.

[TheNiche]

i thought the topic was siding replacement. both are still options.

That's right, we're talking about siding replacement, not joist replacement. I'm not pretending that hardie siding will protect the bones of a house, but neither will wood siding. If there is a termite damage, my point is that hardiplank won't be harmed. Wood siding will be. Advantage, hardie.

[musicman]

f there is a termite damage, my point is that hardiplank won't be harmed. Wood siding will be. Advantage, hardie.

what is the hardie attached to? wood. termites can still infiltrate the house and now with hardi you won't see the damage until it is worse most likely. Disadvantage.

[TheNiche]

what is the hardie attached to? wood. termites can still infiltrate the house and now with hardi you won't see the damage until it is worse most likely. Disadvantage.

Not sure about that, but I can say that not being able to detect damage can play out very well when trying to sell the house.

[musicman]

Not sure about that, but I can say that not being able to detect damage can play out very well when trying to sell the house.

That was a true story from my terminix friend. but i do see your point on the sale of the house...wait won't the sellers disclosure protect the buyer? LOL sorry wrong thread.

[flipper]

But who's daddy can up the other person's daddy?

flipper

[musicman]

But who's daddy can up the other person's daddy?

flipper

perfect timing flipper.

[TheNiche]

but i do see your point on the sale of the house...wait won't the sellers disclosure protect the buyer? LOL sorry wrong thread.

It won't. What the seller doesn't know won't hurt him.

[rapturematt]

I have been working with hardie siding for years and have never had an installation problem and it is very durable at least compared to the existing asbestos siding. Now you can get all kind of specialty designs for hardie siding. I would say go with it.

[Dan the Man]

Hardi-plank is a good product for new construction. One should also consider the fact that hardi-plank weighs considerably more than wood. Installing it over existing siding can cause problems if the structure wasn't designed to accomodate such a heavy load. Many Heights bungalows were built very cheaply, almost entirely framed out of 2X4s.

You probably have vintage 105 or 114 siding under your asbestos, and it's probably in ok shape, having been protected for the last 50 years. Replace the rotten stuff with like material (both patterns are still available) and give it a good paint job. It will look 100% better than the asbestos, and it will be cheaper than buying Hardi-Plank.

[LESHOMME]

Actually, I was leaning toward wood siding to get the "Heights" feel back into the house. Its a forclosure and I dont close until next month, so Im not sure yet if if has wood siding underneath. And if it does, it may need replacing anyways. I'm just curious how much re-siding a 1000sq bungalow in wood would cost. Thanks for all the help!

[WorkerBee]

Hardi-plank is a good product for new construction. One should also consider the fact that hardi-plank weighs considerably more than wood. Installing it over existing siding can cause problems if the structure wasn't designed to accomodate such a heavy load. Many Heights bungalows were built very cheaply, almost entirely framed out of 2X4s.

You probably have vintage 105 or 114 siding under your asbestos, and it's probably in ok shape, having been protected for the last 50 years. Replace the rotten stuff with like material (both patterns are still available) and give it a good paint job. It will look 100% better than the asbestos, and it will be cheaper than buying Hardi-Plank.

Those old growth 2x4s are a lot stronger than the new stuff. They should be able to handle the load of the Hardi-plank. It is the sills that can sag after a few years and may need extra piers. Regardless I'd stay away from the stuff. It looks cheap and it is not that impervious to the elements. Also, old houses move and flex (specially around here with the expansive clays). The heavy duty fasteners used to hold the Hardy up can cause all sorts of problems when old pier and beam houses do their seasonal dance.

Dan is probably right. The asbestos (take precautions taking this stuff down) is probably over the old wood siding, which could be in pretty good shape. If you need replacement boards the Historic Houston salvage warehouse is worth a visit.

Good luck.

[GREASER]

I can almost promise it has wood underneath...mine did, and about 98% just needed a good scraping and repaint. If the original siding was removed, they would still have to put a substrate down (plywood), so removing it kinda defeats the purpose.