We were delighted to see a story in the October 2020 news about a home getting remodeled in New Orleans.
Unlike most renovation jobs, however, this one was being done entirely by volunteers.
Peggy Williams, a longtime New Orleans homeowner, needed work on her Big Easy home. A group called “Rebuilding Together NOLA” was able to come in and help her perform a range of upgrades on her home.
The crew scraped off old paint and repainted her exterior. They also installed new stairs at the home’s rear entrances. The New Orleans Times-Picayune published a series of photographs detailing the work.
One of the biggest improvements these volunteers made, however, was to replace all of the old siding.
When renovation crews work on these older houses, many of which have sustained years of wear and tear due to floods, hurricanes, and other acts of nature, they have decisions to make.
One key decision is: “Which tasks do we take on?”
An answer to this question, which results in the most efficient use of the volunteers’ time, is to replace the siding.
For one thing, new siding indicates a huge aesthetic upgrade. The curb appeal of any house increases dramatically with a fresh set of beautiful, clean, well-installed vinyl siding. As each house face on the block improves, the whole block looks newer.
In addition to the visual improvements, the new siding makes for a structural upgrade. That new face on the house will protect it better from the elements, and will prevent rot and decay in the foundation.