I’m getting ready to see about braving the contractors, despite every instinct in me screaming not to, and am trying to find a general price range for some improvements.
My house currently has massive side-shingles (shudder) all around it. It has the rooflone and front projection of a faux Tudor, but with the ugly side shingles it looks sort of…well, odd.
Say I want to convert the entire house to have a “Tudorbethan”-type look, with stucco and half-timbering, and I want a really good job. Is there any indication of what I could expect to pay per square foot?
If instead I did brick - to the roofline - properly done, is there a typical price per square foot for that? Assume that I would need possible foundation work to support the brick (I guess? I don’t know how the real stone facings are put on houses not designed for them in the first place).
Finally, how much could I expect a fully-finished half-flight of stairs (the house is a side-side split) to go into a loft area to cost?
I’m just trying to get some ballpark numbers. Values I find on the net seem to vary an incredible amount, when I can find any.
There are too many variables in your scenario to give even a ball park figure. I don’t even know where you live. Your best bet is to locate local contractors that specialize in this, and get bids for it. They will come on site, discuss what you need and give you a rough estimate. They should do this at no charge. Get at least 3, and make sure you get background on the company and references. Check to see if there are any judgements or lawsuits against them.
You also want to make sure when installing newer type stucco products that you get someone who knows what they are doing, there have been instances of moisture intrusion problems in the past with stucco, and on a remodel, this can be exacerbated.
Brick will be more expensive than stucco. I don’t think you’d need new footers though. The reason I think that is I used to be involved in counstruction defect claims involving the Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS) which is an synthetic stucco and often the homeowners would want their home reclad in brick.
I haven’t kept up with EIFS but I see it being used in commercial contruction frequently. It may be they’ve solved some of the engineering and installation pit falls. It’s great stuff for creating beautiful facades because it’s comprised of a styrofoam like base that can be cut into any shape and covered with several layers of stucco and reinforcement.
The hazard was/is that water that penetrates at window openings or roof junctures can’t evaporate at a fast enough rate to keep from causing rot and mold problems.
Prices between contractors should vary quite a bit. Whatever you decide do not take the cheapest bid.
How old is the house and what are the shingles made of? If they’re wood, no worries, but if they’re a hard non-wood material and the house is in the 40-80 years old sort of range, there is a possiblility that they might contain asbestos, in which case it will be immensely cheaper to live with them, as opposed to removal and remediation.
You should try the website http://www.contractors.com/h/info/resources.html . Go to the “services” tab and there is a cost estimator that may be helpful to you - I’ve used it to get some basic figures for some of my home improvements and have had some good luck with it.
The house is 45-50 years old in Kansas City, and the shingles appear to be wood. The ones one three sides appear to be cedar. On the front, however, they’re some sort of thicker wood which may or may not be cedar. I can break off a piece of one and it does burn, however.
I know there are tons of variables, but I really don’t even have a good order of magnitude. I don’t know if this is a $10,000 job, a $50,000 job, or much worse.
Here is a link for Kansas City. They had some good articles on getting started, under consumer info. They also listed 9 contractors with the specialty of stucco.
This is no guarantee of the builder’s quality and professionalism, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.
I did a quick check for professional stucco orgs, but didn’t find much. You might want to go to a stucco supplier, and ask them if they’d recommend anyone.
This is a pretty dramatic change you are making to the integrity of your house, take the time to research the process and research the remodelers you might hire.
Good luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.
Una, I would call an architect or at the very least a few contractors to get numbers on that kind of work. It sounds like way more than most DIYs would tackle. Unless of course you’re skilled in these things, in which case you cut me a nice thick slice of Shut The Fuck Up.
No, I’m not good at DIY. I can do plumbing, I don’t do electrical (and yet, I’m going to install a new thermostat in my house tomorrow…) and I have no general building skills. Unless the house was made of mild steel, in which case I reckon I could MIG weld a few things together.
Many queries-some answers. If you like the look of hand split cedar shakes, but don’t want the maintenance, CertainTeed makes a very nice vinyl product called Cedar Impressions. Pricey as all heck, but the customers to whom I’ve sold it are delighted. Your existing siding products will likely have to be handled as hazardous waste if the dwelling was constructed prior to 1978, as they may have a coating of lead paint. http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/training/LBPguide.pdf is full of information.
An honest brick fascia will require a footer-I’d excavate, drill the existing monolithic pour to insert ties and then pour a new brick ledge-no way do you want the two wall assemblies to be in shear because they’re not mechanically bonded at the base.
The original EIFS was a barrier product, and problems arose because water which entered the wall assembly couldn’t escape. EIFS installations now include a drain plane with weep detailing such that the wall assembly can breathe and shed moisture.
