New Siding - Any Advice?

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rockncountry101
Posts: 81
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 3:56 pm

I have a newer (2010) mobile home. The home has the metal siding. It is noisy. Really noisy to me. I've tried tightening the screws and that didn't work. I've had the home re-leveled and that didn't work. I'm considering new siding. I'm looking at either vinyl or smart panel. I really like the fiber cement (hardi) but it looks very difficult to install. I have the option of trading it in or selling it outright but I don't want to spend tens of thousands on a new one. The home is perfect other than noisy siding. Is new siding feasible? What should I consider or look for? Thanks for any advice.
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Greg
Moderator
Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

With enough time, planning and money anything is feasible. You will probably find there is no sheathing behind the metal siding so you would need to add sheathing befor installing vinyl. I am not a fan of panel style siding, many times they seem to have problems with leakage and rotting of the panels.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
yakima4$
Posts: 83
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:02 pm

If house currently has vinyl and your are or will be going to install Hardi you will need perimeter supports under the house if you do not already have them .
Hardi panel and plank is not hard to install provided you have correct tools and a helper do to weight.
Use batten strips at joints on panel and metal flashing at joints on lap and metal flashing above windows and doors.
You would want to pull the windows and re install so they are surface mounted (HARDI panel) and have a bead of caulk behind the window flanges. Plus install a house wrap behind either.
Least expensive route would be to re move metal and install vinyl.
If pulling metal and installing vinyl it is important to look up flashing required at windows.
Also it would be worth your while to install 3/8 Thermax foam board behind vinyl for added insulation (tape joints), this would stop thermal shorts for heating and or cooling.
Weather getting warm so now is the time to start!
You are farther ahead to re side than to purchase a new home.
You can re side half the home this year and other half next year.
Always purchase all exterior siding at one time for if you purchase half this year and half next year colors may vary.

Have fun

Ron
rockncountry101
Posts: 81
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 3:56 pm

Believe me I would love to not have to buy a new house considering I paid $30,000 for this one brand new only 5 years ago. Since then I've had to replace the roof and ductwork underneath. That set me back another $4,000. I've got a lot in it. The contractor said that he could replace the siding with smart side. The total cost for material and labor would be $6,700. He told me that vinyl would be more because he would have to buy osb backing as well. Besides, I always see people on the internet complaining about noisy vinyl siding and the noise factor is what I'm trying to get rid of. I can't help but wonder if there is some kind of paint that I could put on the metal to keep it from expanding and contracting so badly. My only fear is that I get a bad contractor and he completely botches the job and then I no longer have a home.
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Jim from Canada
Posts: 551
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:39 am

I redid all my siding. It was vinyl and I replaced it with vinyl. The original was pretty cheap and ugly. I did part in Gentec which, despite being a premium siding, was weak and split in the cold. The regular stuff from the lumber store is fairing better. I would suggest the following as this is what I did and it improved the home a lot.

Strip the siding and the cheap fan fold insulation that is pretty much useless

I checked all the insulation in the walls at that point as it was now exposed.

I added 7/16" exterior OSB to the studs. The house is very rigid and stable now (the washing machine on the spin cycle can no longer be felt in other rooms).

On top of the OSB I added 3/4" foil faced rigid foam insulation (polyisocyanurate). The home has 2 x 6 framing, so it is insulated fairly well, the extra 3/4" adds another R5 but the foil helps even more and it also acts as a house wrap, eliminating drafts and water exposure to the structure. All the seams are taped with "Tuck tape" which is made for house wrap.

Then I did the siding. The OSB means I can drive a nail anywhere to hang the siding and makes the job much easier.
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JD
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Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:57 pm
Location: Fresno, CA
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Having been in the mobile home repair business for 31 years, I have probably installed every common type of siding available. In the old days, I even installed the aluminum flat panel mesa ribbed siding that was standard back in the day. My personal opinion is, HardiePanel or Smartside is the best way to go, especially if you have limited experience. You will find it to be easier to install correctly and will be the quiet compared to vinyl lap siding. HardiePanel will last longer, but will be much heavier to deal with and will cost more. It is still worth the additional labor and effort. SmartSide was L.P.'s answer to the failures of the hardboard siding used during the 80's and 90's. It is a much better product, but not as good as SmartSide. Also, keep in mind that the vast majority of failures of the crappy hardboard siding happened because of roof leaks and lack of paint and/or caulking.
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!

All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
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