Beside myself, besiding myself

Non-stitching post, something that has bugged me for a few years.

Crunch time.  Fall is here and contractors take months to show up.  What should I do? 

Replacing the siding with cedar would cost a fortune and after checking sources, found that it comes in 6 foot length bundles with 3 and 4 foot pieces.  No.  Unacceptable.  What are our choices?   Trying to replace the bad with good ones from elsewhere on the house, would be very time consuming.  Sanding each lap smooth, caulking cracks, priming and painting would be also, but the cedar would be saved.  Would anyone do it?  No.  Not one contractor or painter is interested. 

I love the look of our weathered house, but I don't think we have a choice but to replace with cement board laps, and paint.  The entire back (facing north) is fine and it only needs stained or painted.  The east and south facing sides have some good boards, but most are alligatored, dry and brittle, and paint would be sucked in creating a mottled blotchy house.  Not to mention that the warped and brittle laps would still be there.  I can remove that crackled wood between the grain lines with my nail so how long would paint last anyway.

 

I need expert advice, not the contractor's easiest solution.  Wish me luck.  It's something I've put off for a long time.  The Andersen windows need replaced too.  They were Terratone which faded in the sun to pink, were painted, and now are warped with delaminated vinyl. 

 

This was taken two years ago and from the street, it looks like a weathered house. 

 

But seeing it closer, it's terrible.  I considered using the good boards from that middle section (replacing them with stone) but again, no one will attempt it.  If they don't want to do it, I wouldn't trust them to be careful enough to not break the laps during the process. 

 

By the end of this week, I will have a decision made (come hell or hot flash) and will stick to it until I find a restoration company or a conscientious contractor.  Vinyl is the only material these workers have installed.  Many Amish around here but which one?  They install wood siding on their homes but without phones or ads, how do we know who to trust?  How do we contact them for estimates?  And how do we keep in touch for work status?  We stopped at a flooring shop in Volant and placed our order for the wood, never heard from them, drove out to talk to them and no one was ever in the shop, can't leave a note for them to call because there are no phones!  After several months we got the wood through a lumber mill.

 

You know I'm not good at all with decision making, and not only is this a big one, my preferred solution to replace with cedar laps is not an option.

 

Sampler is almost finished except for the #*%* border.  I hate stitching borders.

 

Have a good week.

Thanks for visiting.

 

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