Contractor Wanted - Vinyl Siding

[SeeGeeWhy]

Hey CP,

I am looking to put vinyl siding on my house, over top of the existing asphalt siding.

So far I have had some sour experiences in collecting quotes.

Does anyone know where I can get a good, LEGIT contractor that can:

- show up as scheduled
- come out and not be an arsehole
- is bonded and insured
- take time to write up a clear contract with contingency for change
- give me a breakdown on the cost estimate (labour, materials, etc)
- NOT require cash and over 50% up front
- NOT charge me a premium because I am wearing an engineering ring and work downtown
- NOT ask me details about how much I paid for my house or how old I am
- NOT gloss over details and questions that we feel are important

So far I've got four or five quotes that came with some combination of the above.

Thanks!

[ken0042]

I know this isn't what you are looking for, but siding is pretty easy to do.

The only thing I learned the gard way is there is in fact a reason why they say to use the saw blade backwards in your table saw when cutting.

Other than that, how hard is it to take your engineering ring off when getting a quote. (Wait, I should know better than to ask an engineer that. )

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I know this isn't what you are looking for, but siding is pretty easy to do.

The only thing I learned the gard way is there is in fact a reason why they say to use the saw blade backwards in your table saw when cutting.

Other than that, how hard is it to take your engineering ring off when getting a quote. (Wait, I should know better than to ask an engineer that. )

Are you... volunteering to come and help us for a small fee? (I'm also involved in the siding contractor debacle with SeeGee)

We have a two story house, I think while the siding part itself might be easy, we're not that comfortable doing all the work with the ladders, on the first floor roof, etc.

And yeah, we can take off our engineering rings but that's not really the point. I guess I should also take off my wedding rings, and we can park our fairly new car somewhere other than in front of our own house, and get our parents to come over and pretend to be the ones interested in the siding since they're a bit older and "wiser"... all just to get a FAIR quote?

[ken0042]

Well, my fear of heights would put me out for the higher parts of the house as well.

As for the taking off the rings part, getting parents there- do what it takes. Last year doing the garage the only part I contracted out was the concrete pad. After getting the quote from the guy doing the concrete work next door, I told him "I would have to check with the finance depatment and see what she says." ( I am not married.)

I did go and have a chat with my pet rabbit about it though, and she told me to go ahead.

Bottom line is 2 days later when they were working, he came down a little bit and offered to throw in a little extra work. (Sidewalk.) So do what it takes to get yourself a better deal; short of trying to scam the guy yourself. I know it shouldn't matter, but it does. So rather than worry about it; work the situation.

[Coelah]

I used to do contract work. I can tell you that there are reasons for some of the things you're complaining about.

Requiring 1/2 the money up front is because so many home owners refuse to pay once the job is done. If the contractor gets screwed over in the end at least he has partial payment and is taking less of a hit. Requiring cash is a red flag though. A reputable contractor would prefer a cheque so there is some record of payment.

Showing up as planned is hit and miss. There is just too much work to be done and too many things that can interfere with a schedule. Nothing ever goes as planned.

[RogerWilco]

Call a reputable company like Mitten who supplies all kinds of Vinyl siding. Or any other good supplier just do a search. They will give you names of people that intall it properly and do work that fits within the warranty. I have no affiliation with Mitten but as a specifier I know they know what they are doing, or any other direct supplier, just do a search.

I don't know what qoutes you got back but if you are looking for he lowest bidder, expect the lowest quality work and a warranty that the supplier will not uphold.

Call a supplier and find out who they will allow the warranty to be recognized. Forget about the time frame, most high end builders have trouble getting good contractors that do the job properly. Let me put it this way, spend a little more on a recognized company, if you do not it is your problem when there is a problem. The siding is a key component of the weather sheild on your home, which is most likely the biggest investment you have. Treat it as such. It will probably cost more than you think. If others people told you how much they spent on a job that is similar, ask if they had a reputable contractor, sometimes looking for the same price as others that didn't do their homework can give you the same problem that they will have at some point.

[Eric Vail]

On the topic of siding, I had one piece of vinyl siding splinter and fall off my garage during one of our -45 degree days this winter. Does anyone know where I can get a new piece of siding where the colour can be matched? I could install it myself.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

On the topic of siding, I had one piece of vinyl siding splinter and fall off my garage during one of our -45 degree days this winter. Does anyone know where I can get a new piece of siding where the colour can be matched? I could install it myself.

If you still have a piece of the broken siding take it to somewhere like Home Deport. If the siding isn't too old they will probably be able to match it for you. I live in High River and replaced 3 pieces of my siding after a violent hailstorm went through here.

[ken0042]

Eric, not sure where you are located as you mention -45 degrees, but when I was trying to get siding for my garage to match what was on my house, Totem had a greater selection than anywhere else; both of regular stock and custom order. If you are in Alberta you might want to see if there's one nearby.

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Eric, not sure where you are located as you mention -45 degrees, but when I was trying to get siding for my garage to match what was on my house, Totem had a greater selection than anywhere else; both of regular stock and custom order. If you are in Alberta you might want to see if there's one nearby.

I am in Calgary. I maybe exagerated the temperature. It was frickin cold when the siding broke off my garage. Thanks for the info. I had no idea that you could get siding at Totem. There is a store only 5 minutes from my house that I'll go to this afternoon. I am getting tired of looking at the damaged siding.