Renovate exterior in ~3 years, but need to redo siding ASAP
steven_gubkin
| Posted in General Questions on
We are saving to do an energy retrofit on our home. We are probably about 3 years away from having the money to retrofit the exterior (exterior foam, new doors, new windows).
Currently we have fiberglass batts in between the studs, 1″ polyiso, and then 4’x8′ wood panel siding.
The siding is deteriorating significantly. Some areas are rotted through. We think we cannot really wait 3 years to do something about it.
What should we do now to minimize redoing work and wasting materials?
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Replies
Steven,
Can you post pictures? Just to clarify, your siding is also your sheathing, correct?
Phasing a project because of financial and/or time restraints can be necessary, but it is painful to tear apart the work you have already paid for and completed.
Can you spot repair the wort areas and leave the majority for when you are ready to tackle the entire project?
I am also tearing apart previous work on my house right now as we prepare to put an addition on the house. Just the way it goes sometimes, but only you can decide if it's worth it or not.
Are your exterior walls 2x4 or 2x6 studwalls? If they're 2x4s, then you're already in reasonable shape for exterior continuous insulation unless you're north of CZ5, although you're not in what I'd call "high performance" levels of insulation here.
I would strongly consider getting a loan to allow you to do the reside AND additional exterior insulation at the same time. There really is no good way to add exterior insulation without also replacing the siding. You CAN save the windows for later though, by being careful with your trim details.
It's usually also possible to do one side of house at a time, since you only have to be careful at corners that way. Things might look a bit odd for a while, but you can spread out costs this way.
Bill