Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

[californiagrown]

Honestly that kind of number/timeline is something I would give on a job I didn't really want. .

Yep.

Vibes to oldgoat. Shitty neighbors are horrible and there is very rarely a good solution available.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Yeah, range wars suck. We waited until the slumlord renovated his crack house rental next door and then sold out.

[The AD]

Your suggestion of stain indicates that it is currently unpainted wood, which will definitely require an ungodly amount of sanding if it's been neglected at all.

No, it's not unpainted wood. It's not cedar shake, but both estimators we had out said it's "cedar." In any event it looks "painted" now. It's not wood toned. The second guy suggested that solid stain is another option (and very possibly what was originally used). I just took a few photos. I'll post them here when I get a chance.

[The AD]

Okay, here's what the front of the house looks like. This is the complex portion. The rest of the house is much more basic.


The siding on the front of the house is shingled:


The sides and back are lap:

[XXX-er]

not day drinking yet but IMO those shingles look too good to be real cedar

which i probably a good thing

[The AD]

It seems like Hardie to me, but I really have zero experience with this. Although my wife says she asked one of the guys and he said it was cedar.

[adrenalated]

FWIW the going rate for exterior paint in Denver seems to be around $3.00/sqft, more if it's a pain in the ass, hard to access, needs extra prep, etc. From that photo it seems like that side of the house would fall into both the "pain in the ass" and "needs extra prep" categories.

[::: :::]

It seems like Hardie to me, but I really have zero experience with this. Although my wife says she asked one of the guys and he said it was cedar.

it's not hardie
can't tell if it's cedar, but it's wood w/ semi-solid stain

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Pay the money.

[fatnslow]

FWIW the going rate for exterior paint in Denver seems to be around $3.00/sqft, more if it's a pain in the ass, hard to access, needs extra prep, etc. From that photo it seems like that side of the house would fall into both the "pain in the ass" and "needs extra prep" categories.

This and many hispanic guys on ladders hand scraping like a MOFO cause a white guy would quit after 2 hours in the sun on a ladder prepping that house

[XXX-er]

I googled Hardie and it comes from James Hardie the name of the guy who invented the stuff and I believe its now made with Fibre cement whatver that is

the house i painted that had the cardboard siding truly sucked where the paint had come off

[::: :::]

I googled Hardie and it comes from James Hardie the name of the guy who invented the stuff and I believe its now made with Fibre cement whatver that is

the house i painted that had the cardboard siding truly sucked where the paint had come off

yeah, hardie = fiber cement siding (lap, shingle, panel, trim etc)
i don't think you can get that pressboard shit anymore
complete waste of time that stuff - it's like using brown cardboard for your siding
ive founda version of it in bath interiors too where the homeowner couldn't afford tile back in the day

[The AD]

it's not hardie
can't tell if it's cedar, but it's wood w/ semi-solid stain

OK thanks.

[plugboots]

This and many hispanic guys on ladders hand scraping like a MOFO cause a white guy would quit after 2 hours in the sun on a ladder prepping that house

Yeah, this.

[fatnslow]

[QUOTE=plugboots;6639275]Yeah, this.

My neighbors on each side of me had roofs replaced at the same time about 20 years ago. One of them chose 2 younger native english speakers and the other had an all hispanic crew. The 2 young hipsters showed up at 10, girlfriends stop by around 11 for a walk to the coffee shop and knock out around 4:30. The hispanic crew was on the roof at 7 AM until the foreman shows up yelling at them to call it a day around 7:30. I think it took those douchers about 2 weeks to finish and the other crew was done in 2 1/2 days. If I remember right the well spoken and well laid crew was more expensive. My neighbor(very good friend) kicked himself and muttered every day those guys were on his roof sifting in my back yard while I offered him cold beers to calm him down so he wouldn't beat those youngster's asses after about day 5.

[Buster Highmen]

I've gotten two quotes. The first one was something like $23k and the second was $25k, so I'd be a bit suspect of anything that came in a whole lot lower than that. No windows that need to be painted (aside from the trim around the windows). We want to use Benjamin Moore, but I can't imagine the paints makes a huge difference in the grand scheme of things.

Late to the parley.

We've done both our house and the in laws massive 2 story saltbox.
I don't remember the costs, but we've taken our time doing the jobs, like several years.

On the old saltbox we used a variety of white oil based paint after a rigorous scrubbing and brushing. It's old cedar siding that had peeled and cracked from shitty paint and exposure.
On our house, cedar siding circa 1983, we used a chocolate dark brown Cabot. Didn't need to brush and scrape.

Did both with brushes, no spray.

Don't underestimate the scrubbing and brushing if there's bubbling or cracking, that takes for.ev.er.

I think the quality stuff is worth it. The only reason we used some cheaper stuff on the in laws was because of the old man being cheap.

[tuco]

This and many hispanic guys on ladders hand scraping like a MOFO cause a white guy would quit after 2 hours in the sun on a ladder prepping that house

You mean like the Hispanic dude that disappeared after one day cuz he couldn't stomach the sight of a 40 footer, even though he didn't set 1 foot on it the day he was there?

[Core Shot]

Okay, here's what the front of the house looks like. This is the complex portion. The rest of the house is much more basic.


The siding on the front of the house is shingled:


The sides and back are lap:

That’s got a few more years on it.

Let this stupid market settle down.
Maybe next spring. Don’t pay stupid money.
It’s not even painted. Shingles look stained to me.
The lap might be painted. Or not.

[fatnslow]

That’s got a few more years on it.

Let this stupid market settle down.
Maybe next spring. Don’t pay stupid money.
It’s not even painted. Shingles look stained to me.
The lap might be painted. Or not.

Some peeling in the sun exposure side and if the op or Mrs. Op wants to keep up with the Joneses in Seattle it has to get done by the highest bidder that's recommended by tennis club ladies. "OMG have you seen Mrs AD's house ? They can't even get a proper $40k paint job in their house !" eye roll.....
Oh wait, I'm thinking about my sister in law in Seattle......

[Core Shot]

Heh. Sounds like me and my bride.

Idgaf

She is keeping up appearances
Uggh

For the AD.
Dude. It’s fine. Do a low pressure house wash. Jomax and bleach. Or “wet and forget” product.

That stain is doing great.
Looking at the pics again. I think it’s all solid color stain. And the more layers you put on. The sooner it will peel.

Had the same fight with my bride. Changed the house from old vinyl siding to red cedar. She wanted to seal and or stain it. I said no. The point of cedar is doing nothing.
Every few years you can wash it to kill the mold. But wayyyyyy cheaper than paint or stain.

[XXX-er]

yeah, hardie = fiber cement siding (lap, shingle, panel, trim etc)
i don't think you can get that pressboard shit anymore
complete waste of time that stuff - it's like using brown cardboard for your siding
ive founda version of it in bath interiors too where the homeowner couldn't afford tile back in the day

Fuck I hope not, ya the pressboard stuff was terrible shit (probably from around the 70's) if you waited till the paint was peeling off therwise it was ok cuz it was really well painted, the paint would come off in huge strips a sign of good paint i was told or read

a house with that pressboard shit should probably be a residing job if it was let go, beside gettin laid i think I was paid a plane trip to France to bike tour but was such i shit job i asked for more $ so when she got a new BBQ I also got a new BBQ, which sounds like a score but i had to put both of them togetehr

after I split with her I quit being the hired help/fixing her stuff/ keeping in touch so she had to pay " a ski bum from Colorado " to fix things which is not easy to find in narthern Canada eh

I used to ski with buddy and he said the paint job held up cuz good prep & best quality paint

[The AD]

For the AD.
Dude. It’s fine. Do a low pressure house wash. Jomax and bleach. Or “wet and forget” product.

That stain is doing great.
Looking at the pics again. I think it’s all solid color stain. And the more layers you put on. The sooner it will peel.

The only peeling is on the white trim near the front door. The colored part is just quite faded in areas. You can sort of see on the gable areas. Does stain peel? I would assume it just fades and becomes less effective in weather sealing over time.

[Core Shot]

The only peeling is on the white trim near the front door. The colored part is just quite faded in areas. You can sort of see on the gable areas. Does stain peel? I would assume it just fades and becomes less effective in weather sealing over time.

Thin stain is fine. But solid body stain builds up like paint.

Look into a local low pressure house washing service if you don’t like ladders.
Then just paint trim as needed. Imho.

[Djongo Unchained]

That looks like all cedar to me and in pretty good shape to boot.

The big view pic appears to have a little deterioration on some spots, but not much. And cedar is bomber before you put anything on it, so it'll be weatherproof for a while, before the cupping begins.

The stain looks really good so a refresh would only need one coat and prep looks minimal. And the busy side of the house is a cakewalk.

$25k seems like a lot now.

Not all tradesmen are gougers. Shop around, get references and use your intuition with contractors.
I'm not a fan of rapist contractors but it is indeed a big part of this game.

Funny to me how the quantity and how hard this work is, seems to some here.
Experiences, I suppose.
If you offered me $20k and whatever equipment I'd need, I could be done in 2 weeks, working alone and not racing thru it. (cuz I don't live close...)
Jus' sayin'.

[The AD]

I suspect the company that came in at $25k is just expensive and does good work and knows there are plenty of people in Seattle who will pay for that good work. They do most of their work in Queen Anne if you know Seattle. Lots of houses from the early 1900s that are well preserved. I think we'll get on more estimate and see where that one falls.