What is the best way to reside a 1960 ranch?

We are thinking about getting our ranch sided this year. The siding on it right now is that 12" hard board (I think that is what it is called) which is starting to show its age. We are going to reside it with vinyl. I have 1 estimate right now and to get the whole house done it is a little more than I was originally thinking. So now I am concidering doing it my self (with help from friends).

Now the estimate had them putting fan board on then siding right over the existing. I talked to a few guys I work with and they said I should take the old off. Can anyone tell me the advantages and disadvantages of either/both?

Thanks,
Mike

 

The only advantage to leaving your existing siding on is that it would save you the labor it would take to remove it, and the cost of disposing it. If you were paying someone to do it, that might be a large savings, but if you are doing it yourself, I would highly recommend removing it. You will end up with a much flatter surface, you can skip the fanfold, go straight to installing a WRB- housewrap. You will also be able to inspect the sheathing and see whether any areas need to be replaced due to hidden damage. When you remove the old siding, it prevents the new siding from sticking out past your window trim, which not only makes windows appear "sunken in", but it also is better not to have your new siding be so thick that it sticks out past the front of your window sills.

Your existing siding does provide a little bit of r-value but not much. When people suggest leaving the siding on for the r-value that's a pretty poor argument.

Once the old siding is removed, it's a great time to get an electrician out there and add a couple exterior outlets. Most houses never have enough of those.

If you were putting new carpet on your floors you wouldn't just put new carpet down on top of the old. IMO, siding should be the same way. In most cases, there's no good reason why it shouldn't be removed.