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My older MH has vinyl over the original aluminum siding, I'm going to have to remove the siding to fix the rim joist Should I remove the aluminum siding or just leave it and put the vinyl back over it ?

My vote remove it--We just removed last summer the aluminum siding from my dd MH --very easy to do and we replaced with smart siding--similar to T1-11but painted---if I had the extra $ i would have put plywood and then siding---replacing the aluminum was shocking the bee nest and ants nest,it had wholes lg and small BUT as we replaced it the temp differance in the MH was 100% differance--it was summer we had new windows and all new insulation but still hard to keep cool--then as the alum was replaced it dropped the temp as each side was done,when done it was 95 outside and we turned the AC on low vs high w alum and hot--it was amazing--the alum is like putting something outside w alum foil --it cooks even with the vinyl siding it still heats up and gets cold and sweats--I HIGHLY recommend replacing with ply or OSB, then the siding plus the siding will have more to stick too. You will be shocked with your electric/heat/AC bill --my dd summer bill is 50 or less, winter is 75-85 and totally electric
Melissa in WV

i agree replace and you have the chance to look for any problems under the sideing. rotted frames or sheathing,and repair it ,plus aluminum is high for recycleing here in pa. if you recycle it you can recoup some of the cost of the vinle sideing, make sure you use a weather wrap over the sheathing to help insulate and cut out drafts. number of name brands out there,get one that lets the house breath.JD will be chimeing soon i hope and can recomend some products, also caulk the gaps you may see around windows and doors.

I got no chimes. You guys are doing a wonderful job. Only thing I will add is a link the the Vinyl Siding Institutes instruction book. This is a comprehensive albeit generic instruction pdf.

http://www.vinylsiding.org/installation ... /index.asp

Thanks Guys for the suggestions, but I think maybe I didn't word my question properly, My home has been vinyl sided over the aluminum already, but I need to do some work around the windows etc, So do Just remove the Aluminum siding, and nail the vinyl and Styrofoam up to the studs or do I need to put something in between ?

Install 1/2 inch or larger plywood or OSB or T1_11 which ever is in your budget,cover with a house wrap then reinstall the vinyl siding to the MH---it is a great time to replace windows due to you would not need the exact size--see my other posts on doing this you can change the size at this time---if you just take off the aluminum siding and replace the vinyl siding you will have very high utility bills,wet insulation,wet walls,rodents,plus more in a short amount of time,see photo of what is behind the alum siding

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sha ... s-_-Sharee