Is this Maintenance Worth it? You Decide.

Everyone seems to strive for low maintenance in a home nowadays. Well, it isn’t always the best option. We had a sunroom project to work on at a cottage where we are replacing 9 storm windows that were caulked shut to keep out the water. A sunroom that doesn’t have an operable window might as well be called a greenhouse. It got hot in there and there was very little air flow. Since were were tearing the vinyl siding off of this room to install larger (operable) windows, we decided to get rid of the vinyl siding (not very cottage’y). When we decided to remove the vinyl, I considered the options for replacing. The surface area on the room is not too large and we wanted some options in terms of color. A cedar shingle seemed perfect. A cedar shake on a cottage is a classic look. Sure there is maintenance, but it is really minimal (and worth it).

Old:
  

New:
   

Take a look at the before and during photo below. The siding still has 1 more 5″ course to go before the look is complete, but it is a massive improvement.

For this shingle project, we were able to located a grade of shingle that wasn’t just the “utility” grade from Home Depot or Lowe’s. We found a nice grade from LenCo Lumber in Buffalo that is only about $25 per bundle. Each bundle covers 25 square feet. When comparing that to a vinyl siding that has the shake look, the price is less than half. I must say that I am thrilled with the look.

We decided to go with a shingle pattern that was not just a repeated reveal. The original cottage did have cedar shake and the reveal alternates every other row. There is a 5″ reveal followed by a 7″ reveal. When installing, we simply made a 5″ x 7″ block and this helped us to be sure we were keeping our fasteners hidden and our rows true.

Take a look at the images below for the Before/During (not quite after). When looking into installation methods, we decided to follow the “how-to” in the following “Installing Cedar Shakes” video. We are using a weaved corner rather than a corner that has a trim piece to but up to. This is another part that creates more work, but the look is worth it. The method involves using a pin nail to fasten the 2 corner shingles. I was skeptical, but it seems to work out well.