The Historic District

Hello all. I think this is my first post here, but I was on Old House Web a while back.

Anyway, choosing siding for the dormer on this old house I'm fixing up. I tore back the layers of vinyl, then asphalt shingles to find bare sheathing. The rest of the house has asbestos on it coming off next year- there is clapboard underneath, most of what I've seen is in decent condition.

Anyway, I'm thinking about vinyl siding *just kidding*

I want to actually put up cedar shingles. The house is small, cottage like. Just wondering where they should stop/where I should put a line- maybe a 1x4 there as a break between the shingles and clapboard? But who knows...there could be clapboard under the asbestos siding by that dormer window....

What do you think?

Hmm I wonder if the dormer was a later addition / added at the time of the asbestos? I think you are on the right lines with the visual break... I'd take my styling cues from the Victorian houses that mixed clapboard and decorative shingles if I were you

Welcome tot he site by the way

Pretty sure the dormer is original though. That's where the stairs end up for the half story. If it was added, it was at least 1940s since those are the dates of the newspaper insulation I took out of there. (Shame the paper all crumbled- there were a lot of reports of WWII)

But....where to put the break? Make a line where the roof line is? Also, what do you think about light placement?
Would love to move that ugly electric box. Unfortunately, nobody cared about this house before me. Nothing I do to it could make it worse.

could it be a good time for a little insulation , then add your siding ? just thinking if you are tearing it open. I dont; mean tear off all the shiplap but maybe a thin layer like 1/4" insulation and some strapping so it's got airflow and then your new siding?
my house has long cedar planks up to about 5' then shingles above that. I don't know if that would fit the theme, but maybe?

My guess is that you might have a trim board at the top of the clapboard below the eaves, that would likely continue across the opening below the dormer if the dormer originally was finished in a different way, if not you can add the continuation piece yourself - just continue across at the same height / width etc.

The half story interior is already completely down to the studs and I plan for spray foam then drywall up there.

I guess I don't know what I'll find until I rip it all off...(crosses fingers). There was a lot of water damage to this house, so hopefully all that siding is in decent shape. there will be some areas with rot, pretty sure since some of the studs inside have white mold that grew on them and are totally rotted.

Always repair your roof, that's all I have to say.

accolay wrote:
I want to actually put up cedar shingles. The house is small, cottage like. Just wondering where they should stop/where I should put a line- maybe a 1x4 there as a break between the shingles and clapboard?

What do you think?

IMG_2574.JPG

What are your plans for the cedar? Are you planning to leave them clear or stain a wood tone? Or are you planning to paint? Also, will the roof be cedar, too? I've got a couple fun suggestions in mind but would like to know more!

I agree with your thinking about the cedar.

I am having a search fail right now trying to find a picture that shows where that vertical trim (belt course) should go beneath the window. I tried to find a rear view example of a bungalow dormer that didn't have a roof wrap around it, as you typically see on front dormers, but couldn't. I have a few dozen bungalow pages bookmarked from the Old House Dreams' site, so maybe tonight I'll find something better and post it.

We have a partial jut out for the baths in our bungalow, so it's not quite the same situation as you. It matches the depth on one side, but not the other. We also have AC over the original wood siding, but we're not at the point where we can lift the AC yet to see what shape it's in. From signs I've already seen on ours, I'm guessing we could have a similar course line to what you're thinking, because of the difference in the color of the AC above the lower roof edge but it's too soon to know for sure. I could be wrong, and they just bought the wrong paint color later, since it does match the cellar exit.

Naturally, now I want to see if I can peek under the AC and ¹/₄" board foam insulation to see if I can see a belt course or not.

Here's a listing pic of the back of our house (1935 build), if it helps at all.

Aaannd right after I posted that and waded through my second link from OHD, I found this 1910 craftsman...note the belt course on that house seems to go all the way around. But you can also see with the half porch roof wrap section what I meant about treating it like a front dormer.

I'm thinking about keeping the shingles (or are they shakes?) cedar. Probably coat them with the UV protectant stuff/stain so they keep their color. I was then thinking about making the house a sage green type color. White trim around the windows.

But if you have suggestions, I'm all ears for ideas.