Steel Siding??

[FinanceDude]

I'm down to the final two bids for the siding, roofing, and gutters on the house.

The guy tonight says he does a lot of STEEL siding.....anyone ever heard of that?

Also, I got talked out of Hardiplank, it's VERY expensive, and I have heard termites and certain ants like to eat it..............

I am leaning toward foam-backed vinyl, but wondering the thought on steel??

 

[Nords]

The guy tonight says he does a lot of STEEL siding.....anyone ever heard of that?

Nope. Reminds me of Richard Dreyefus & Danny DeVito in "Tin Men".

Has he given you the addresses of his ten oldest steel-sided houses?

 

[REWahoo]

Also, I got talked out of Hardiplank, it's VERY expensive, and I have heard termites and certain ants like to eat it..............

Just curious...by any chance did the guy who told you some termites and ants eat Hardiplank offer to sell you a variable annuity?

 

[two4theroad]

FD,
I researched hardiplank when it first came out and put it on our remodeled house about 5-6 years ago. It still looks like new and from all I have heard it will for many years. We do not have any trouble with termites or ants even though we live down in South Texas with all the assorted evil pests per REWahoo's posts. A great side benefit is that paint lasts on it for many years more than wood because there is no shrinkage in dry weather or swelling when damp. We also put a metal roof on our house and have been very happy with it also. Research the pricing yourself before you believe the metal siding installers price estimates. Also they have a website, google it up......
Good luck with your remodel.
2fer

 

[RAE]

We have steel siding on our house, and the stuff is fantastic. We've owned the house for only 6 years now, but the siding has been on for 20+ years, and it looks almost like new. No rust, no maintenance whatsoever as far as I can see. I don't know what the cost of steel siding would be these days (compared to your other options), but I can certainly say it is durable.

 

[Brat]

Vinyl will depreciate the value of your home, IMHO.

I would take a long look at the steel siding installed and try to find the product that has been in place on a house at least 10 years. It can look funky, or industrial. You want the details of the coating.

My concern is the quality of the siding guy's advice if he told you that termites/carpenter ants eat HardiPlank, you may be being sold the construction version of a variable annuity in an IRA. They will eat the paper on underlayment, but I have never heard of them acquiring a taste for gypsum.

 

[FinanceDude]

Just curious...by any chance did the guy who told you some termites and ants eat Hardiplank offer to sell you a variable annuity?

No..............if he was offering to sell me a VA he would HAVE PUSHED the Hardiplank............it was 45% more than vinyl, steel, or aluminum..........

 

[FinanceDude]

Vinyl will depreciate the value of your home, IMHO.

I would take a long look at the steel siding installed and try to find the product that has been in place on a house at least 10 years. It can look funky, or industrial. You want the details of the coating.

My concern is the quality of the siding guy's advice if he told you that termites/carpenter ants eat HardiPlank, you may be being sold the construction version of a variable annuity in an IRA. They will eat the paper on underlayment, but I have never heard of them acquiring a taste for gypsum.

Maybe Vanguard sells siding??

 

[haha]

My concern is the quality of the siding guy's advice if he told you that termites/carpenter ants eat HardiPlank, you may be being sold the construction version of a variable annuity in an IRA. They will eat the paper on underlayment, but I have never heard of them acquiring a taste for gypsum.

Carpenter ants don't eat Hardi-Plank, it's those damn mason-ants.

 

[Mwsinron]

Maybe Vanguard sells siding??

That was pretty funny coming from a finance guy..

 

[dex]

Also, I got talked out of Hardiplank, it's VERY expensive, and I have heard termites and certain ants like to eat it..............

I think you need to get your hearing checked.
Hardiplank is a cement based product.
If termintes eat that - watch out Empire State Building!

 

[Martha]

Here is the warranty for HardiPlank: http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/prodhome/hardiplank_warranty.php

Mighty fine termite coverage.

There is a world of a difference between how a house looks with HardiPlank versus one with vinyl or steel siding.

 

[Brat]

FinanceGuy, please forgive my tease.. HardiPlank is going on our daughter's home in the South Bay area - termite country. Honest, termites do not eat HardiPlank.

The reason why HardiPlank may be more expensive is that it is a lap or board-style, not sheet, install. You can cover a lot of surface with a sheet of vinyl or steel.

I think the vinyl will be more costly from a life-cycle point of view (remember the poster who had hail damage to vinyl siding.. it was almost impossible to match it and the whole house needed re-siding to look right). Whether or not a specific steel install would be the way to go is more complicated. You need to consider the design of your home and how it will look. Ask Sheryl what she thinks.

 

[tomc5179]

I had steel siding put on my house 8+ years ago and am very satisfied. I can't remember the name of the manufacturer right now, though. It is a 2 tone cedar colored siding and looks as good now as when it was installed. I've had some pretty good sized hail hit it with no obvious damage. I just hit it with a garden hose every now and then to wash it off.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Get another contractor. Hardiplank costs no more than wood, although both are a little more expensive than aluminum or vinyl, neither of which I'd put on a house unless it was a run down row house I was going to rent out to six families for the next 40 years and then knock down.

45% premium for hardiplank is a ripoff. I've never heard of steel siding being installed around here but something tells me you'd be running around with a can of rustoleum on a regular basis. Go have a look at anyones 15 year old galvanized steel gutters for a good example.

And run away from the guy talking about ants and termites. Neither can or has any interest in eating concrete.

 

[FinanceDude]

Get another contractor. Hardiplank costs no more than wood, although both are a little more expensive than aluminum or vinyl, neither of which I'd put on a house unless it was a run down row house I was going to rent out to six families for the next 40 years and then knock down.

45% premium for hardiplank is a ripoff. I've never heard of steel siding being installed around here but something tells me you'd be running around with a can of rustoleum on a regular basis. Go have a look at anyones 15 year old galvanized steel gutters for a good example.

And run away from the guy talking about ants and termites. Neither can or has any interest in eating concrete.

Thanks...............

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Talked to my BIL. He said you should be expecting to pay about $3.25 a square foot for vinyl or aluminum and about 4.75 a foot for wood or hardiplank. He said theres really no big premium to putting on the hardi vs wood anymore, the price per foot is close to the same and the labor is actually less for him with hardi as its more consistent than wood siding.

The prices could vary by market, depending on availability of contractor labor and local costs, and also can vary if the home is complex, lots of windows/angles/etc.

What is the current siding and whats the condition of that siding? Doing the windows at the same time?