Question:

Aluminum Siding?

How much should I be charged to have aluminum siding installed? I have a two floor single family home which is detached. I also would want new gutters installed and soffets (i think that is what they are called). One company estimated 12k and another said 10K. This would entail just putting the siding over the original siding. Any answers are appreciated.

Answer:

You have no say in the matter. The insurance company is paying the contractor to remove and dispose of the old siding. They don't care if the contractor makes a few hundred bucks selling the siding as scrap and neither should you.
They don't make aluminum siding anymore, thank god, they only make vinyl siding. It really depends on the brand you buy and the company that installs it. I used to be a tin man before becoming a professor and I can tell you that you should do a little research first. You want stuff that will hold up in wind, is easy to clean, has a nice look and colors won't fade. You want to be sure it is made of virgin vinyl, sounds weird but trust me, if it isn't it'll fade in a few years and look like crap. The company needs to know what they are doing too or the seams and lines will be terrible, so make sure your company is really in the siding business and not just some jack-leg contractor that says I can do it. You will end up with a crap job. Now I can't remember for certain and it has been a number of years, but 10 to 12 sounds good. I hope they are going to remove the old stuff, check your wood underneath and possibly put on a moisture barrier. I would ask what they plan on doing in detail. Good luck.

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