Have you ever seen the movie “The Money Pit”? It’s one of my favorites. A couple buys what they think will be a beautiful house. Things immediately start to fall apart, from rotted wood giving way to plumbing and electrical nightmares. The house in Eastchester, New York, we will be discussing in today’s blog post had elements to it that slightly reminded me of “The Money Pit.”
The family bought this home knowing that it would need a bit of a remodel. Still, they were unaware of how much work (and cost) it would actually need. Soon after purchasing, it was determined that this house needed to be completely gutted. (Geographically, by the way, Eastchester is in southern Westchester County and includes the villages of Bronxville and Tuckahoe.)
The homeowners attempted to get the remodel started, but they kept having issues with contractors. Between the contractors and finding out they would be having a baby soon and expanding their family, the house just became too much for them. They decided to pause everything until they were in a better place in their life when they could focus on it.
After a year went by, they were finally ready to resume the project. They wanted the exterior work done right this time, so they gave Gunner Roofing a call. After hearing their story, we sent one of our project managers over to do an evaluation.
Royal Vinyl Siding Replacement
Eastchester, NY
What we discovered was that when the previous contractors left the house, they did not wrap it up, and all of the plywood was exposed and therefore ruined by the elements. In order to get the exterior of the house where it needed to be, we basically had to completely rebuild everything, from the plywood on up.
A slight complication in this exterior remodel project was that the homeowners were insistent on using vinyl siding, and we usually do not offer vinyl siding. We always want to offer the industry’s top products and styles to our clients, with the benefits of proven longevity, durability, and return on investment. We pick the styles and brands we work with based on their reputation, and we are proud to be partnered with them.
And when it comes to siding replacement, we would always recommend James Hardie fiber cement siding to a homeowner, as it’s the gold standard in the industry. Among the benefits is that James Hardie fiber cement siding is durable against the elements, fire, and pests and a sure bet for longevity. Properly installed, it’s practically indestructible.
Given that we’re an Elite Preferred Contractor for James Hardie fiber cement siding installation, it goes without saying that we know and trust this type of siding inside and out. We’ve done siding replacement on countless homes in Westchester County and elsewhere in the tri-state area with James Hardie fiber cement siding, and the results, client reviews, and neighbor referrals speak for themselves.
However, we understand that for whatever reason (familiarity, cost, etc.), sometimes people need help and flexibility for siding (or roofing). This was one of those situations where if we wanted to help our clients get their house up to par, we would have to use vinyl siding for this remodel. As a family company, we are fortunate to be able to have a say in making calls like this. We decided that we would do the vinyl siding for them. Ultimately, we just want our clients to have a safe and secure place to live.
The client decided to go with a blue color siding manufactured by Royal, along with GAF asphalt shingles for the roof (those were charcoal color shingles). The blue vinyl siding provided a clean, comforting look, set off nicely by the white trim around the rest of the exterior.
For roofing, GAF is a brand we stand behind when it comes to asphalt shingles. GAF asphalt shingles are affordable, cost- and energy-efficient, durable, offer nice color styles, and carry a solid warranty. Like the James Hardie fiber cement siding, we’ve installed them on many, many houses in the area with tremendous results.
As I’ve discussed in previous blogs, oftentimes we have homeowners who are not local to the area, and the Eastchester clients lived in Ireland. They were coming back and forth, but this house project put them in limbo.
Royal Vinyl Siding Replacement
Eastchester, NY
Having clients who are overseas can cause communication challenges for some contractors, but not for us. Before we even started the vinyl siding and GAF asphalt shingles roofing project, we made sure to determine the best ways of communicating, as well as a backup communication plan. You can never be too prepared, and we like to make sure our clients stay informed. There were many times our project manager was up early and late sending out messages to keep our clients in the loop.
Completely redoing the exterior is a much bigger project than just replacing the siding (like the aforementioned plywood replacement). After dealing with such a mess for so long, we wanted to give these homeowners the perfect home they deserved. They were making their final return from Ireland soon, and we wanted to finish this GAF roofing and vinyl siding job in time.
Our project manager developed the perfect strategy for this. He doubled his team size, increased hours, and closely monitored the project. It sounds unbelievable, but all that hard work paid off, and we were able to have the project done in two weeks. We were fortunate that no issues popped up and everything came together perfectly, wood to vinyl siding to GAF asphalt shingles.
Royal Vinyl Siding Replacement
Eastchester, NY
When the owners made their final trip from Ireland, they came back to Eastchester to essentially a brand-new house. They were thrilled with the results. They never thought their house would be livable, let alone a sight to be seen.
We are so proud of our team for making this Westchester County remodel dream a reality. In fact, it came out so well that some neighbors stopped by when we were finishing up to inquire about getting their siding replaced by Gunner Roofing. We start that project in a few weeks, and we couldn’t be more excited.
For all your exterior home needs (from roof to siding to windows), feel free to give us a call here at Gunner Roofing anytime.
City: Eastchester
State: New York
ZIP: 10709
Category: Roofing/Siding
Materials used (manufacturer): GAF/Royal
Materials used (type): Asphalt shingle/Vinyl
Materials used (color): Charcoal/Blue
Project Cost: $40,000
Time to Complete: Two weeks