Remember when everyone in Edmonton just slapped new siding over the old stuff?

I was at a demo day for a 1970s bungalow in Bonnie Doon about 8 years ago. We pulled off the vinyl and found three layers of rotten wood and a mouse nest the size of a basketball. The owner had to add $4,000 to the budget just for new sheathing. Now I always budget for a full strip and inspection on any house built before 1990. Anyone else get burned by the 'just cover it up' approach back in the day?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason.paige1mo ago

Hot take: Learned that lesson the hard way. Longer response: Saw the same thing in a lot of Riverdale renos. People would just slap new aluminum over the old cedar shakes. You'd pull it off and the whole wall was basically sawdust held together by paint. It turns a simple siding job into a full structural repair real fast. My rule now is to poke a few test holes behind the old siding before giving any quote.

henry_kelly541mo ago

That "sawdust held together by paint" line is way too real. It's crazy how a cheap cover-up can hide such a big problem. Your test hole rule is the only smart way to go.