Porches
Teardown
The final phase of a porch project we started in 2016... and apparently weren't in any particular hurry to finish.
This is a fun one to report on... a little embarrassing, maybe, but fun nonetheless. You see, we really should have finished this back in 2016. But the stopgap solution we came up with worked well enough that we got comfortable. Then comfortable became complacent. And apparently complacent can last eight years.
Well, it finally occurred to us that maybe it was time.
This little rehab will probably span three or four posts, and this is Part 1. So, let's get into it.
Where We Started
Before we start, let's just take a look at where we were way back in 1997. When we first bought the house, 173 was monochromatic white. All white is a clean and crisp esthetic until that white becomes dated, old, starts staining and just gets looking kind of run down, but that's where we were back in '97.
Of course, some 27 years later, things look a bit different!
How the Back Porch Got Here
iteration /noun/ - the process of doing something again and again, usually to improve it, or one of the times you do it.
As you saw, the back porch exterior was white (like the rest of the house) when we bought 173 in 1997.
Then in 2011, after putting new windows in the back porch in 2010, I was getting real down on the look of 173's exterior and I just wanted the back porch to look better. The front porch was shingled, so I thought - why not?
Besides, shingles were pretty inexpensive. At that time we intended for 173 to have a white and brown exterior inspired by so many of the houses in the the Adirondacks.
Then, sometime in 2016 we decided to go in an entirely different direction. After considering any number of colors, we settled on CertainTeed's Flagstone vinyl siding.
Flagstone is an interesting color. In the shade it's a very dark gray, but in direct sunlight it takes on a medium blue appearance. It gave 173 an entirely different personality.
We had the front porch and the front gable sided first, but we'd purchased enough material to eventually do the back porch as well.
Eventually being the operative word.
The Eight-Year Temporary Solution
So the interesting thing is, after we had the front porch and the triangle at the top of the house sided in Flagstone we had enough of the vinyl siding to finish the back porch, which was always the intent.
But at the end of that summer we still hadn't gotten to it so we ended up storing the rest of the materials under the back porch.
And there it sat.
Under the back porch.
The siding intended for the back porch was literally being stored underneath the back porch for the next eight years.
Every once in a while I'd see it under there and think, Yeah, I really need to get to that.
Then I'd apparently go find something else to do.
In our defense, the temporary solution worked a little too well. We bought a gallon of Elephant Gray paint that was almost a perfect match for the Flagstone siding and painted the cedar shingles. From any reasonable distance, everything coordinated and the urgency disappeared.
Temporary repairs can be dangerous that way. Make one look decent enough and suddenly you've bought yourself eight years.
In the meantime, the siding is Certainteed Vinyl in Flagstone, we bought a gallon of Elephant Gray paint, which is a perfect match to the Flagstone, and painted over the cedar shingles, fully intending to come back to that when spring came around.
However, as you know by now we are finally getting to it in 2024. I don't even know what else to say. So here's what the back porch looked like up until just a couple days ago...
Taking Off the Old Cedar Shingles
This will be the easiest part of the entire project, removing the old cedar shingles from the porch. It takes nothing more than a pry bar, the occasional hammer and a drill driver. That's right when I put the shingles in the first time, on a number of them, for whatever reason (I've long since forgotten why) I chose to do this but, on a number of them I used screws. Nonetheless, it took probably 20 minutes to remove all the shingles from the east wall - screws and all.
One nice surprise was that there wasn't any real surprise underneath. With an old house, removing anything that's been covering a wall for more than a decade always comes with that little moment of apprehension. Rot? Water damage? Insects? Thankfully, what we uncovered was exactly what I originally put up...tar paper, and we could move on.
And even though the south wall is less than half the size of the east, I think it took us a good half hour to remove the shingles. The reason is mostly because it was a little bit cramped in that corner from the Weigela and Cyd sitting right there. I really would like to not move him because he's been in that spot for quite a few years now and I just feel like if we move him, we'll never get Cyd back in the right spot where he's been stable all this time.
Saving the Shingles for Someday
After the shingles were off, we just pulled all the nails and cleaned up all the little scraps. We put the shingles into a couple of (clean mind you), garbage cans, and at some point we'll stack them, twine them up and store them for some future project. Part of me wants to put shingles on the lower half of the shed, I'm just not sure how that will work out. But if we decide to, we'll have shingles all stored away and ready to go!
So, after eight years of storing the siding under the very porch it was supposed to go on, we've officially started finishing the project.
The next step will be the window sills. Those have to be dealt with before we can really move on to the siding, and, as usual... I'm sure something that sounds relatively simple will find a way to become considerably more complicated than expected.
But the cedar shingles are off.
After eight years, I'll take the win.
Hey, thanks for stopping by - see ya' next time!
Eight years?
Amateur.
I currently have a box of bathroom tile in my garage that has moved with us twice.
What I enjoyed about this one is that there's no attempt to manufacture drama. The siding was bought. The siding was supposed to go on the porch. Instead, he painted the existing shingles a matching gray and stored the new siding underneath the porch it was intended to cover.
For eight years.
That's not procrastination. That's a system.
And naturally he saved the old cedar shingles after taking them off because apparently nothing at House 173 is ever allowed to simply complete its useful life and retire with dignity. They're already being considered for the shed.
I respect this because I also own a pile of lumber that I describe as “perfectly good wood,” even though I haven't found a use for any of it since the Obama administration.
Anyway, the shingles are finally off.
I'm looking forward to Part 2, sometime around 2032. - Ted, Waverly
FAQs
Can you install vinyl siding over old cedar shingles?
Sometimes, but the existing surface needs to provide a sound, reasonably flat substrate and the installation must allow the new siding to be properly fastened. Removing deteriorated or uneven shingles first can also expose hidden damage and provide an opportunity to correct problems underneath.
Can cedar shingles be reused after removal?
Yes, if they're still structurally sound. Carefully removed cedar shingles can be reused for small siding repairs, sheds, garden structures, decorative projects and other applications where their weathered character is useful.
Does dark gray vinyl siding sometimes look blue?
Absolutely. Exterior colors can change considerably depending on sunlight, shade, surrounding colors and time of day. CertainTeed Flagstone is a dark gray that can take on noticeable blue tones under brighter outdoor light.
Should old siding be removed before installing new siding?
It depends on the condition and type of the existing material. Removal makes it easier to inspect the wall beneath, repair deterioration and establish a flat installation surface. In other situations, new siding may be installed over properly prepared existing material.
Why do temporary home repairs sometimes last for years?
Because a successful temporary fix removes the urgency that prompted the project in the first place. If the repair looks acceptable and keeps working, more pressing house projects have a remarkable ability to move ahead of it on the list.
Keywords
back porch rehab, back porch renovation, cedar shingle removal, vinyl siding installation, CertainTeed Flagstone siding, old house porch renovation, porch siding replacement, cedar shingle siding, exterior house renovation, DIY porch renovation, House 173, old house projects, porch remodel