I bought my 1925 bungalow 2 years ago. It was a rental property for several years, and the previous owners had some misguided rehab work done. I can easily replace the plain interior hollow-core slab doors ( the original panel doors were burned!)and remove the sheet rock that covers the original pine tongue & groove paneling, but what about the vinyl siding? It was installed about 5 years ago, and is nailed directly to the original pine siding, with no insulation sheathing in between. What I can see of the original siding looks to be in good shape, it doesn't even look like it had needed painting.I want to remove the vinyl, blow insulation into the walls, & repair or replace any damaged sidng, then paint. I know vinyl siding can damage the wood underneath, but I don't have the money right now to take it off & deal with any hidden problems. How long can I safely wait to deal with this? Here's a link to a pic:http://a528.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/34/l_3bef33fe9eea340089abfdb6196b3b7f.jpg

Well, if you think the wood underneath is in fairly good condition....and may even look ok.....then it won't cost you much to pull down the vinyl other than some energy & time.

Remove the vinyl...fill nail holes.....repair or replace damaged clapboards (you may be able to use 2 part epoxy or a dutchman patch and not even need to replace).

Then determine what repairs you need to make long term (i.e. paint). I pulled down my aluminum trim this summer and am glad I did it

Here are a few links that may help:

Clapboard Replacement Video

Removing Vinyl

Thanks for the reply. I'm afraid of getting in over my head (which I tend to do alot!)and ending up with all of my neighbors mad at me! I'm having a hard enough time explaing to friends & family why I want to remove the vinyl ::). I want to make sure that I have the time & money needed to do it right or have it done right before I start.
I went to your blog, btw, & it inspired me! Your house is beautiful!

It's a bit of a catch 22. You won't know what's under there until you take it down, but once it's down - it's down.

Is there a smaller section you could start on? I took down the trim from my front door overhang first. I chose that area because I couldn't imagine anything could look worse than the aluminum. Lol...I was wrong as it was pretty rotted out. But, it was pretty easy to fix....took a lot of time, but not much knowledge.

Then I took down the trim from a bump out section. The wood underneath there was in great condition. It just needs paint.

That got my confidence up and the rest of it came down this summer. I definitely understand the "what if I'm getting myself into something too big" feeling. I'm doing my restoration by myself. But, I decided that the worst thing that could happen was that I'd take down the aluminum and there would be a bunch of rot.....but I decided at least then I would know what I was facing.

My house is less than beautiful right now. All of the wood needs to be stripped & repainted. Some needs repair. I've spent weeks caulking the gaps & reattaching trim. But it hasn't been expensive. And while it's really slow going, I think I'll be able to do it all pretty easily. I'm aiming to finish painting the front before winter. Then next summer will continue on with one of the sides, etc.

My neighbors watched this all pretty closely. I let them know what I was doing at our block party. By then I had painted my storm door with a bunch of paint samples, so I asked for everyone's feedback. I'm sure a bunch of them think I'm nuts, but a lot of them "get" what it is I'm working towards. The other day, and older man out walking his dog stopped me to tell me he had been following my progress....and then let me know he did the same thing about 10 yrs ago.....and that it was worth all the work and his new paint job was still going strong. So, don't underestimate the friends & family coming around.....

I also planted a whole bunch of flowers this year, to balance out the paint ugliness

Whatever you decide, good luck!

We removed our wide white aluminum siding that had been on our 1928 house since 1957. We only had to fill nail holes & replace a few claps (not many). Plus, we sold the scrap metal & it covered the cost of the paint. There were only 2 colors of paint underneath, so we painted it a color similar to the original. It looks fantastic & we get lots of compliments on it now (though when we were "in progress" we got quite a few "what color new siding are you putting on"?). Anyway, best thing we've done so far to this house.

Thanks. We're in the middle of a heat wave right now (100+ everyday), but when it cools down I plan on taking the vinyl off at the back, where it's less visible. If it looks ok, I'll probably do one side at a time.

Keep us posted....cuz, misery loves company