Here is a second view of the lower half of the chimney that we are replacing. Top half we did on Thursday and Friday. Removed red cedar and replacing with James Hardie Siding.
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Top half of our chimney project has been completed. Removed all rotten red cedar and plywood, replaced it with new OSB and James Hardie Fiber Cement siding. Completing the bottom half now.
#dcandr #jameshardie #dependabilityfirst #cementsiding #siding #jameshardiesiding
Clean siding will stay in good repair, which will extend its life much longer. Here’s how to do it!
A lot of homeowners skip this step and prefer to work on a more exciting home improvement, but it is important to clean your home’s siding. Clean siding will stay in good repair, which will extend its life much longer. Fortunately, you don’t need any special skills to keep your siding in great shape. You won’t even need to do it yourself.
Power washing a home may look simple enough but it can be tricky. In fact, if done incorrectly it can strip paint, gouge wood or cause other unforeseen damage. There are plenty of skilled power-washing contractors out there who will happy do it for you. With a bit of preventative maintenance, your home’s siding could remain trouble from for 50 years or more.
First – Inspect your siding for damage
All siding: Whichever siding material you have on your home, it will be vulnerable to water infiltration, particularly where the siding butts up against windows, door frames and corner moldings. Inspect the outside of your home for cracked caulk that is pulling away from adjacent surfaces and reapply a color-matched exterior caulk during a dry day when the temperature exceeds 65 degrees.
Wood siding: Check for chipped or peeling paint, and cracked boards and trim.
Stucco: Be on the lookout for cracks and chips.
Brick: Look for crumbling mortar joints.
You’ll want to repair any defects before cleaning. The sooner you make repairs, the better you protect your house from moisture infiltration that can lead to dry rot and mold forming inside your walls.
See below section, Repairing Wood, Vinyl, and Fiber-Cement Siding, for instructions on repair.
What is involved in cleaning your siding?
Cleaning your home’s siding removes the dirt and mildew that accumulates in the grooves and spaces between shingles. Not only will it protect your investment, a clean house has incredible curb appeal. Some real estate appraisers believe that curb appeal adds between 5 and 10 percent to the value of a home.
How to clean all types of siding
No matter what type of siding you have on your home, it will benefit from annual cleaning to remove grime, grid and mildew. The best time to do this is usually early spring, just after the weather turns warmer. If you choose to do it yourself, cleaning an average-sized home could take two people the better part of a weekend.
Here is the best way to do it:
If you don’t have the time — or the inclination — you can have your house professionally cleaned for $500-$800. A professional team like Dependable Construction will use a power washer and take less than a day.
You can also rent a power washer to do the job yourself for about $75/day, but beware if you don’t have experience with the tool. Power washers can strip paint, gouge softwoods, loosen caulk, and eat through mortar. Also, the tool can force water under horizontal lap joints, resulting in moisture accumulating behind the siding.
A siding professional has the expertise to prevent water penetration at joints, seams around windows and doors, and electrical fixtures.
Repairing Wood, Vinyl, and Fiber-Cement Siding
Repairs to wood, vinyl, and fiber-cement siding require the expertise to remove the damaged siding while leaving surrounding siding intact. Unless you have the skills, hire a professional carpenter or siding contractor, consider Dependable Construction.
Repairing Brick and Mortar
Crumbling and loose mortar should be removed with a cold chisel and repaired with fresh mortar — a process called re-pointing. An experienced do-it-yourself-er can re-point mortar joints between bricks, but the process is time-consuming. Depending on the size of the mortar joints (thinner joints are more difficult), a masonry professional will re-point brick siding for $5-$20/sq. ft. Efflorescence — the powdery white residue that sometimes appears on brick and stone surfaces — is the result of soluble salts in the masonry or grout being leached out by moisture, probably indicating the masonry and grout was never sealed correctly.
Remove efflorescence by scrubbing it with water and white vinegar mixed in a 50/50 solution and a stiff bristle brush. As soon as the surface is clear and dry, seal it with a quality masonry sealer to prevent further leaching.
Persistent efflorescence may indicate a moisture problem behind the masonry. Consult a professional building or masonry contractor like Dependable Construction.
Repairing Stucco
Seal cracks and small holes with color-matched exterior acrylic caulk. Try pressing sand into the surface of wet caulk to match the texture of the surrounding stucco. Paint the repair to match.
To repair larger holes and cracks, you may want to call in a pro that’s familiar with stucco work. A professional charges $200-$1,000 for a repair job, depending on the size of the damage. Repainting the patch to match your siding will be up to you.
Removing Mildew
Stubborn, black spotty stains are probably mildew. Dab the area with a little diluted bleach — if the black disappears, it is mildew. Clean the area with a solution of one part bleach to four parts water. Wear eye protection and protect plants from splashes. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
For more helpful advice be sure to subscribe to our site. If you have questions about your next project call us at 937.318.9572 if you are considering new roof on your property today. With our team of insurance adjusters we may be able to help get your roof covered through the insurance company, you only cover the deductible. Please check us out on Facebook to see current jobs going on or visit our site DependabilityFirst.com
Why would someone really install siding without first putting on some house wrap? Tyvek does a lot believe it or not.
#dcandr #housewrap #dependabilityfirst #tyvek #siding
Your old house was originally designed for and built with wood shingles, wood clapboard, or both. Today, you’re lucky, your house still has its original wood siding and has not been covered up with products such as Vinyl or Aluminum. For those of us that do have their original wood siding, if it doesn’t need to be painted now, it’s just a matter of time before it will need to be repainted again. Today, everywhere you look you see bright shiny vinyl – it looks so clean and makes a tired house look brand new, what to do?
Remember, the goal of Dependable Construction is to provide information to make the appearance of your house the best it can possibly be. Your house will stand out from the others in a class unsurpassed. Whether you live in a small bungalow or Gothic mansion – you will be in the same group, a class far above those homeowners with plastic exteriors.
Today, we are all exposed to a flood of mailings and advertisements from contractors telling you how great your home will look with their Premium Vinyl Siding. Their sales pitch stresses the beauty, low maintenance and wise investment of siding. Imagine how many people succumb to this marketing ploy. Even in historic neighborhoods, homeowners often consider modern siding for a variety of reasons. It’s important to the rest of us to convince them of their error.
Why shouldn’t people use vinyl siding on an old home? First of all, there is no doubt that a “siding job”, will totally wipe out the original character of an old house, not to mention the damaging effect it has on the appearance of the whole neighborhood. A neighborhood with vinyl sided homes is no more than a HIGH PRICED TRAILER PARK. Just because a house may be large and cost over a million dollars, does not mean that the owners have any class or taste. Your home is an extension of you.
Wood has time-tested, timeless quality that does not go out of style. Remember that your house was originally designed based on architectural rules and principles. Each piece of wood was designed to work together and play off each other creating shadows and depth which creates an aesthetically pleasing building. Any alteration will result in a feeling of disharmony. Today, the pace of life is so fast, few take the time to really notice the harmony or disharmony of an old house.
Once a house is covered with vinyl, it’s character is lost and is becomes a shiny bland box! If your looking to get new siding whether its, vinyl, metal, wood or cement be sure to give Dependable Construction a call at 937.318.9572
Since its debut on the siding scene in the 50s, vinyl siding has come a long way! Unfortunately, in the early years, the general perception of vinyl siding was that it was a good, inexpensive option when the budget wouldn’t allow for real siding, like wood. Well that’s is not the case now. Here are some reasons that you should consider when making a decision to side your home or business, and see why there is so much to love about vinyl siding!
First is the low maintenance factor. Many of us don’t have the time or desire to scrape, prime, and paint our wood siding to keep it maintained. And this is after we have repaired and sealed up all the cracks and crevices. Nor do we have the dollars in our budget to pay someone else to do this labor intensive job. Thus, many wood sided properties become more vulnerable to leaks, insects and mold. Wood siding is a classic beauty, but it sure is a lot of work. Most of the time the only maintenance required for your vinyl siding is washing it off a time or two a year, per your manufacturer’s recommendations.
Vinyl siding is available in countless colors. With all the advancements in the production of vinyl siding, the rich and vibrant colors are fading less and less. There are even some that are made to look and feel like wood grain siding. Vinyl siding is also easy to install. It is easily installed over existing siding or the center of the exterior of a new home.
All of the exterior accessories and decorative accents that you need for your home or business are available in vinyl also. With things such as:
Utilizing these accents will enable you to match your vinyl siding perfectly, creating a picture perfect exterior siding system that not only looks great, but keeps your home or business all but impervious to everything that Mother Nature throws at it!
Fall in love with all that vinyl siding has to offer your wallet, your time and your property. Creating a siding system that is low maintenance, affordable, energy efficient and has great curb appeal is effortless with vinyl siding and vinyl accessories. For help call Dependable Construction, 937.318.9572 or visit their office today.
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