Aaron and Jeny Lindsey had inherited a 980-square-foot farmhouse that was built in 1960. While quaint, they really wanted more room. More important, their little cottage was built with dangerous, old asbestos siding. Asbestos has been linked to mesothelioma and lung cancer.
After deciding to renovate, the couple conferred with Dependable Siding, O’Fallon, MO, who removed all the asbestos materials and then installed new vinyl siding on their remodeled house. The house now looks brand new–hardly recognizable-and the couple increased their living space to 3,000 square feet. The Lindseys are safer and happier.
Dependable Siding is locally owned and operated by Jim Martin who wears three hats as the company’s superintendent, designer and estimator. Siding has been his only business for more than 20 years, and he is known as a “siding contractor’s siding contractor.” It’s not unusual for companies which offer siding but don’t specialize in it to subcontract their siding jobs to him.
“Because we concentrate on siding and run our crews personally, we provide higher quality installation faster and sell materials at an affordable price,” Martin says. “We cut out the middleman and we are available to answer questions and complete repairs.”
Martin likes to recommend homeowners look into two kinds of vinyl siding:
- Insulated vinyl siding provides up to 20% in energy savings. It’s particularly suited to the Missouri/Illinois climate because of the extreme temperature variations between hot summers and cold winters.
- Hardie Siding is a sturdier concrete product. It is excellent for commercial projects, and rental properties because it is more durable than vinyl siding. It also qualifies for a GreenBuilt label for environmentally sustainable projects.
The Lindsey home remodel had a positive outcome because they made the right contractor hiring decisions. But Martin says homeowners often make these 7 mistakes when hiring a vinyl siding contractor:
- They get fewer than 3 estimates
- They forget to ask for references and to inspect the siding contractor’s prior projects
- They don’t check to be sure the vinyl siding contractor is insured and licensed locally
- They hire cheap fly-by-night profiteers, especially after a major flood or storm. These are the kinds of vinyl siding contractors who “take the money and run”, and won’t be around to guarantee their work
- They pay for materials to begin a project before the materials are delivered to the jobsite.
- They forget to get a lien waiver upon final payment to the company
- They don’t realize insurance companies are required to use materials that match the existing material when funding repairs filed through homeowner’s or property damage insurance. If the existing siding cannot be matched due to fading from Mother Nature or it’s no longer manufactured, all the siding must be replaced.
Because of the economy, the number of construction projects is way down. Homeowners staying put in their homes and looking to remodel may be tempted to cut corners to save a few dollars. But Martin says hire a specialist anyway. That decision reduces your risk factor and, ultimately, saves you money.
Originally posted 2009-12-29 09:13:42. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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