At the end of 2021, the average price for a Greenwich, Connecticut, single-family home was approximately $3 million. According to a Compass report, this is a sales data record for at least the past 10 years and maybe even for longer. And Old Greenwich, in Fairfield County, is one of America’s wealthiest communities.
With these numbers for increased home value, it is no surprise to anyone that many Fairfield County homeowners are considering putting their houses on the market. And there are home buyers aplenty.
Such is the case for an Old Greenwich homeowner who contacted us recently. She was toying with the idea of putting her house up for sale but had concerns. As a resident of Europe who utilized the Old Greenwich home as a rental property, her home definitely needed some TLC.
James Hardie Siding Replacement
Old Greenwich, CT
Living overseas, it was hard for her to visualize exactly what needed to be done on this current rental property. As luck would have it, her best friend was her neighbor and a realtor.
When they were discussing the possibility of putting her Fairfield County home on the market, her friend (armed with her experience as a realtor) advised that she needed new siding installed. It was in disarray, and if she wanted to list the home in the future, new siding would increase home value and attract additional home buyers. She needed a siding contractor ASAP.
After seeing some work we had done on other homes in the Old Greenwich neighborhood, her realtor friend passed along our contact information. The homeowner reached out, and we came out for a siding assessment and a free siding quote.
This siding assessment is normally something we go over with the homeowner in person, but with the distance (we’re talking continents of distance here!), we did it virtually. We made sure to detail everything thoroughly, from the issues we saw to the lap siding installation itself, so she could be fully informed about what needed to be done.
There was a lot of wear-and-tear on the home exterior that needed attention. One of the biggest things was that she had a shed that was “attached” to her house, and we’ll use the term “attached” loosely. It was barely holding on, really. There were missing studs, as well as wood rot and structural issues.
James Hardie Siding Replacement
Old Greenwich, CT
When we come out to work on a house, we always want to make sure that the house will reach its full potential. We also want to make sure that everything is done safely with proper support, like uncompromised plywood.
Here at Gunner, we don’t take shortcuts, whether it’s siding replacement or a new roof. We know the key to a good roof or siding is having the proper foundation of support, including studs and plywood. A new roof or new lap siding is only as strong as its foundation.
We knew there was no way this shed, with its current wear-and-tear, would be able to hold the fiber cement siding we were going to install. Actually, we didn’t think it would be able to hold any type of replacement siding material in its current state. It was also a safety hazard.
We immediately zoned in on this part of the house. With fresh plywood and studs, we created a new structure support system foundation to prevent the shed from falling. Now it would be able to hold the replacement siding material without any issue.
James Hardie Siding Replacement
Old Greenwich, CT
For this project, we used James Hardie fiber cement siding (Arctic White siding was the color). This Arctic White siding is reminiscent of a fresh snowfall or snowcapped mountains. It gives off a clean, fresh vibe that looks absolutely beautiful by itself or as an accent color. As we’ve said in previous posts, siding can really change and revive your home. The Arctic White siding definitely did in this situation.
The James Hardie siding itself would go a long way from removing any worry of wear-and-tear for many, many years. James Hardie siding was a game-changer in the industry … the fiber cement siding is more rugged and lower maintenance than any other lap siding out there. And James Hardie siding is the one we recommend to our customers.
A challenge we faced during this home exterior project: Since the homeowner was in Europe and thus in a time zone that was six hours ahead of us, we really had to plan out communication because of the time difference.
Whenever we have a project, we always want to make sure the communication lines are open as to keep the homeowner updated on everything that’s happening. This includes making sure that we get any budget changes approved before changing the course of our work. Our project manager set alarms in the middle of the night to wake himself up and update the homeowner on the progress of the project at times that were convenient for her.
Even though the homeowner was not living in the house, she had a tenant that was. Not only was she living in this rental property but also conducting yoga classes. Because of this, we came out with a schedule that would work best for her. We didn’t want to conduct potentially noisy work while her clients were trying to relax.
Even with the unconventional communication and scheduling needs, our project manager and crew made sure this project came together perfectly, and the house looked great. The exterior, with its new James Hardie siding, looked like a completely different home and certainly would increase home value. We were able to finish the project quickly and have it ready for potential home buyers.
If you’re interested in having James Hardie siding installation done on your home, give us a call for a free siding quote.
City: Old Greenwich
State: Connecticut
ZIP: 06870
Category: Siding
Materials used (manufacturer): James Hardie
Materials used (type): Lap Siding
Materials used (color): Arctic White
Project Cost: $45,000
Time to Complete: Three Weeks