Siding suggestions

Farmerwilly2 · #21 01/30/07, 08:32 PM

Ever seen asbestos siding? Anyone? Buehler? Buehler? It is EMBEDDED in CEMENT. It is not some poofy powder stuck to the side of the building. Wear a mask. Wear some throw away coveralls. Wear a hood and saftety glasses. You'll be better protected than people that spent a lifetime working with loose asbestos.
Now, back to the original question of the thread. What look to you want for your house? Vinyl is fast and cheap, and pretty much looks that way. Other options: textured ply, shingles either asphalt or wood, lapped wood, or even stucco.

widfam · #22 01/30/07, 08:59 PM

Hey JC05 I'm sure you didn't want to start an asbestos debate so I hope my siding suggestions above were helpful and an end to the asbestos debate here I hope.

My first call as a homeowner would be to the local landfill and ask how they handle asbestos SIDING disposal. As a homeowner doing it yourself you do not need any special permits to remove it. The reason I say call the landfill is because as a contractor in Pennsylvania (yes this "hillbilly" is from Pa. my "kinfolk" still live there :baby04: ) I had to fill out paperwork stating where it came from and I had to take it to the landfill no later then 2pm because they had to have time to "cover" it the same day (yes they "bury" it). The differnce is 2 fold: it is buried on their property so they are responsible for it and secondly you pay them to do what you could do yourself although they didn't used to charge any extra to take it. Now this is going back probably 10 years so things might have changed a little but just call them and ask.

I hope this helps and by the way you probably should wear a mask although removing one siding job outside in freash air probably wouldn't hurt you but I'm no expert just experienced.

Boleyz · #23 01/30/07, 09:13 PM

I like my vinyl siding. It's VERY cheap ad VERY easy to install yourself. Just don't nail it tight...that stuff has to expand and contract. That's why the nail holes are slotted.

I like mine, and no problems after 2 years.

tiogacounty · #24 01/31/07, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatsPaw

i was waiting for a chicken little to show up.

certainly be careful how you handle it. in a hard shingle, there should be minimal exposure. might even go with a disposable bunny suit. don't try to bust it up.

i'm still running into all the crap the previous hon-yock that owned my property. if you bury it, bury it in the proper legal places. no point in burying it on your own place.

oh yea....watch out for peanuts while you're at it. they can be a real killers.

Having a family member die of something they were never KNOWINGLY exposed to, makes me cautious and respectful of avoidable hazards. If that is defined in your little mind as "chicken little" it speaks volumes. As for the claim that asbestos fiber siding is safe to remove, or that I was refering to insulation, WRONG. Asbestos shingle siding is not free from hazards in the least. Remember that advice you get here is free, and worth the cost. There is no reason to endanger yourself, or your family needlessly because you decided to follow something written here. At the very least, suit up, wear an approved resperator(NOT A DUST MASK), and keep everything wet. Be aware that if you are in an area where you may be exposing neighbors to this, and you get a visit from DEP, you will deeply regret playing hilllbilly asbestos abatement contractor. Any siding contractor with half a brain would cover it with housewrap or foam then reside. I deal with several siding guys that all give the same answer. They will cover it with foam sheathing, then vinyl siding, but never remove it.

crafty2002 · #25 01/31/07, 12:46 PM

Jc05, I am going to let you in on a little secret, if you promiss to give me half of the profit, LOL.
No, seriously, you have had all kinds of answers on this question so here comes my Jackson's worth. He's the one on a twenty dollar bill isn't he?

I have taken them off several houses.
I have replaced some on several houses.
The last contract I signed to replace a few of them and paint the house cost me dearly. I thought I had enough saved in the barn to do the job but one of the dang helpers had threw bricks and blocks on them and broken almost every one I had saved.

It took me I forget how long, about a month or so to find some and and I had to buy 88 of them @ @19.00 a piece. $1,672.00

I remember the number because I like Dale Jarrett in racing and that's his number.
That was well over half the profit on the job I was doing. It was the only place I could find them and the home owner was on my butt.

There is a lot of contractors still replacing a few here and there when painting houses. That is when they can find them.
You can take them off being very carefull, and I mean carefull, and not break them.

There is no dust to speak of until they break and not much then. The dust comes in when you have to cut them when replaceing.

Just look at each one them as a 20 dollar bill. Start at the top and there is more than likely a cut row at the top and surely will be on the gable ends.

You may even be able to sale the cut ones but they would probably be harder to get rid of. I would get rid of the cuts and broken and only kep the whole one to sell.
If you get a small 6" or 8" flat prybar you can sugar them off if carefull.
Chances are you will break one for one to start with but as you go, the ratio of good ones will increase and every one you save is better than a Jackson. It won't decrease in value as our money is now. It will only gain value.
There is a lot of cities that are "preserveing the history" and they can't take thier siding off and put up vinyl, etc.
The historic section in our city kills me. People buy houses not knowing they are under these rules and the city won't budge.
I don't know where you live, But I would almost come there and take them off for you, just for the shingles themselves.

Now as for the legallity of taking them off.
It is a federal felony to remove asbestos, if you are a contractor, with a maximun of $10,000 fine and one year in prison, if you do not have a licence to do so.
I am not sure as to what the regs are for a homeowner, but even disposeing of them incorrectly could be a head ache you don't want.
I don't know how everyone else is, but with all the gadgets they have today, if I am going to call the building inspector to find out the rules and regs for someting like this, and was thinking about ignoreing them if they didn't suit me, I would call from a public phone somewhere.

Hey, they can trace any number thay care to. I wouldn't want to be the one to get caught because I called and ask and paid no attention to what they said.
At least if you get caught you can play dumb.

But as far as just removeing them, I would as I have did, stay out of the side the wind is blowing too and try my best to save them.
If you conceder a stack a foot tall may be worth $500 to $1,000,

, I think I would hit e-bay before taking them off.
Go to historical sites or whatever and find people that need them and
" I think you can probably pay for the top of the line siding of your choise by selling them to who truely needs them."

I know they are like Gold around here when you can find them.
I may buy some of from you myself, after I call a few people to see if they ever had there jobs done... I can't find them up here. Danville Lumber company had a small supply for a long time but it's been depleted for several years now, and I had several jobs I could have done if I could have found some more. I would call and find out what the regs are for a homeowner doing it himself in your area, what the disposal cost will be and go from there. But don't throw those twenty dollar bills away, lol.
It is still legal to replace broken ones. I know that and it doesn't take the high dollar construction company to do so.
God Bless
Dennis

MaryNY · #26 01/31/07, 03:26 PM

There are "replacement" shingles meant to subsitute for the asbestos ones if you need to replace broken ones or add on to the house etc. I think they are called "mineral" something, but can't remember exactly. My home inspector told me about them when I bought my house in case I needed to buy some. They are supposed to be a non-asbestos cement shingle that looks exactly like the asbestos ones. Here is a description I found:

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:...s&ct=clnk&cd=3

MaryNY

Jim S. · #27 01/31/07, 03:47 PM

I'd be very careful about deciding to just dig a hole and bury asbestoes siding. It is illegal to do that in the majority of states, and you can't take it to the regular landfill, it has to go to a special hazardous waste landfill. So if you care about the environment and would rather not make a problem with hazardous waste onsite for someone else someday, there ya go. If you don't care, that is another story. Up to you.

I have had homes sided with it before. The best way to handle it is to side over it and leave it there. The old siding adds another layer of insulation under your new stuff, anyway. And you have encapsuled the asbestoes. It no longer will be an issue.

Good luck!

Farmerwilly2 · #28 01/31/07, 05:43 PM

Wouldn't that be an issue if say you sold the house, or your surviving heirs sold the house to someone that didn't know it was there, brought in a piece of heavy equipment with the intent to demolish said house, thus sending up a toxic asbestos cloud, maybe even creating an 'abestos winter' from the resulting cloud, thereby destroying all life in 6 surrounding states? Is the only option to bury it in specail sanctified dirt with the accompanying spells cast over it, thus entombing it for all time?

Stephen in SOKY · #29 01/31/07, 06:59 PM

The friability of asbestos shingles and floor tile aren't in the same category as pipe insulation. Avoid breaking the shingles (Impossible to avoid ALL breakage in my experience) and there will be very little exposure. If you don tyvek suits and respirators with purple cartridges, you can be pretty well assured someone will report you to the EPA.

FrankTheTank · #30 01/31/07, 08:00 PM

How exactly would asbestos get into your food if it was buried...plants take it up somehow? Didn't the stuff come from the ground? I would soak it with water before removing and wear a good quality mask... I'd send it off to the dump if they'll take it...might as well let it join its brothers. The same can be said about green treated lumber...

I'm not joining the asbestos debate because my grandma was a chain smoking alcoholic who worked in a bar and ate greasy food all her life...she died on the operating table @ the age of 85 (she had a stroke before any cuts were made!)...oh...and she was a mean grandma!

mtman · #31 01/31/07, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen in SOKY

The friability of asbestos shingles and floor tile aren't in the same category as pipe insulation. Avoid breaking the shingles (Impossible to avoid ALL breakage in my experience) and there will be very little exposure. If you don tyvek suits and respirators with purple cartridges, you can be pretty well assured someone will report you to the EPA.

thats true then you realy have trouble

Jolly · #32 02/01/07, 10:54 AM

If I'm doing the job myself, it's a 3S job.

Another siding alternative I'd forgotten about is lap siding. A lot of bandsaw operators have the jig that allows them to cut lap siding and shingles. Done right, it looks very good, and wears as well as any other wood product.

oz in SC · #33 02/01/07, 11:20 AM

Quote:

First, asbestos is a natural product that has been blowing around in the air and floating along in the world's water supply for millions of years every adult has breathed in thousands of asbestos particles and swallowed many thousands more in drinking water. These particles of asbestos made it into the air by wind erosion of asbestos rock out croppings, and into virtually all the world's water by erosion of asbestos rocks in the rivers and under ground aquifers.

For example, tests a few years ago showed that the municipal water supply in Baltimore contained about 50,000 microscopic particulars of asbestos per quart, while a natural spring, which had been used near Baltimore since George Washington drank from it, contained over 200,000 particles of asbestos per quart.

True, these particles of asbestos are all microscopic in size, and if a hundred thousand of them were pulled together they would make a pile about the size of a fine pin point, but there they are and there they always will be offering mute testimony to the fact that the human race was designed to handle safely, minute amounts of asbestos.

The enormous exposures to asbestos dust that used to be encountered in mines and in factories making asbestos products- such as brake linings for cars and trucks - are an altogether different matter. These exposures were a billion or a trillion times as great as those found in Baltimore's water supply or in the most poorly maintained schools, they simply overwhelmed the human body's mechanism for disposing of asbestos.

Asbestos is one of the most stable substances known to science. It cannot be burned, does not evaporate and cannot be absorbed or excreted by the body. Once it is in the lungs in gross amounts it simply stays there and can react synergistically with other materials, such as carcinogenic substances in tobacco smoke to cause cancer.

Studies have shown that asbestos workers who have been exposed to a trillion or so times as much asbestos as has ever been found in any school and who smoke are four or five times as likely to develop lung cancer as those who have similar exposures to asbestos but who do not smoke.

These facts about the presence of asbestos in all air and water are not meant to throw a new scare into the public. On the contrary, they should be reassuring. Asbestos is a part of the dust of the ages, which has been covering up ancient cities for countless centuries. And when asbestos is covered with other materials it is as harmless to the human race as if it had never been taken from the original rock in which it was formed.

http://www.ecoasbestos.org/html_pg/news/phil.htm