askjake

Stucco siding vs. vinyl siding

Question:  I AMcurrently in the process of ordering vinyl siding for my house.When the contractor starting stripping the existing vinyl there was beautiful popcorn textured stucco underneath. Since vinly is cheaper and is already being ordered-can I have stucco for the front of the house and leave the sides and back vinyl? Also which is more energy efficient and maintenance free-vinly or siding? Lastly, will the combination of the two materials compromise the other or the house in general???

Jake's Answer:  In our city, Kansas City, it is common that the front of the house has a more upscale siding, like stone, brick or in some cases stucco.  So to keep the front of the house stucco is, in my opinion, appropriate.  In regards to which siding is more energy efficient, they would probably rate the same.  I don't think that combining the two sidings will compromise the house in any way. 

Matching brick

I am remodelling a home in Texas and my contractor says he is unable to find brick to match my house and wants to use siding of some kind. How can I find the brick to match my home? My house was bricked in about 1980.

Randy,

I have been down this road many times.  In fact, I flew to Dallas one time with bricks in my suitcase and made several visits to brick yards without any success.  If a brick has been discontinued, there isn't much you can do.  The chances of finding a new brick to match could be pretty slim.  You could try taking some of your existing brick to used brick yards, which I have done on several occasions.  Something else you could try would be to use another type of material, like stone or stucco. 

A pregnant house

We are considering a home built in 1840.  On one of the outside walls, it is bowed out about 6 inches, from just ABOVE the foundation to one to two feet higher.  What could cause this?  Is it a red flag?

Mary C

Mary,

This bow could be from a couple of different causes.  It could be the siding, be it brick, stone or wood that has come lose from from the structure.  In my opinion, this is not real serious because you could repair the bulge by removing the part of the siding that is bowed and reset it as it should be.   The other cause could be a structural situation where the foundation has moved and  cause the siding to bulge.  If this the case, then the foundation may be in need of some realigning.  This could get expensive.  I would have an engineer or foundation specialist take a look to determine the reason for the bulge.  Good luck. 

Carport

JAKE,

I LIVE IN WAVERLY,TENNESSEE WE ARE GOING TO INCLOSE A CARPORT ON OUR RANCH STYLE HOME ITS A DOUBLE

CARPORT AND THE BRICK IS RED AND SOME OF THE BRICK IS DARK CHARCOAL

THE BRICK IS DISCONTINUED.I WOULD

LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU WOULD HAVE A SUGGESTION ON WHAT KIND OF SIDING

WE SHOULD USE TO MAKE IT LOOK GOOD.WE HAVE WHITE VINYL SIDING ON FRONT PORCH AND TRIM.BUT WE REALLY DONT WANT THE ADDITION TO HAVE WHITE FROM WHAT WE HAVE SEEN HOUSES LOOK CHEAP LIKE THAT.EVEN THOUGH I GUESS WE ARE CHEAP WE ARE HAVING TO DO MOST OF THE WORK OURSELVES.ANY ADVICE YOU HAVE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

                 THANK-YOU

             RANDY & DEBBIE

Many years ago I lived in Memphis and we too had a carport.  Now that I live in Kansas City, due to our winters, few people if any have carports.  I would suggest you consider using a stucco siding along with the existing brick that you have on the existing house. 

If not the stucco, my next choice would be a stone.  This could be real stone, or you could use a composite stone material.  The composite stone is light weight and can be "glued" on the wall like a tile.   Check it out  at www.culturedstone.com.

Or do a combination of stone and stucco.

Good luck and good remodeling.