Fresh Facing

Our house was built in the mid-1980s. Except for a partial brick veneer on the front it's covered in Masonite siding. About eight years ago I noticed some of the siding boards were swelling on the edges. I did some research and figured out we weren't the only ones who had a problem. There had been a class action lawsuit against the siding manufacturing company, and in 1996 the courts had approved a $150 million settlement fund. However, when we looked into getting reimbursed for our house repair we found out the settlement money was pretty much gone.

We found a company to replace the damaged boards. They did a great job and when the new siding was painted you could barely tell the repair had been made. Every couple of years when we see more damaged boards we have the company come out and take care of it for us. 2018 is one of those years.

Several weeks ago a company representative came out, walked around the house, and gave us an estimate. We accepted the bid, made a deposit, and waited. Eventually I received a call that the crew would arrive early on a Wednesday morning, and be done three days later.

The 'crew' ended up being one hardworking man named Alex. Alex didn't say much, but when he did he spoke with a heavy Slavic accent. After introducing himself Alex got to work. At the end of the day all of the damaged siding boards were removed. Rain was forecast for the next day, so the work continued almost til sunset.

Back of garage and second story above kitchen

Overnight the rain came as predicted. And not just light showers. It came down hard all day Thursday and Friday. I checked with the company about the exposed walls. They told me it wasn't an issue, and they would be back when the ground had dried out enough to set up the ladders. That was on the next Tuesday. Once again Alex worked by himself, and at the end of the day had most of the new siding put up.

Almost done, and looking good

The next day was all about painting. Alex taped plastic sheeting over the doors and windows, then used a sprayer to apply a coat of paint. He cleaned up his things and left.

Job completed

Five years ago today: C. O. L.