Jan 29 2008
Too much vinyl siding
Does anyone else think that these highly saturated, overly colourful commercials that are currently running for Newfoundland tourism are more than just a little bit misleading?
The fact is, in the outport communities that I’ve visited lately (perhaps with just a single exception), the scourge of vinyl siding has totally taken over. It’s even creeping into the city (get your hot beverage first, that’s a long read).
The idea in a previous post of “appreciating the details” is something that I think more people need to do.
We’re loosing something in Newfoundland, and quite rapidly. While the provincial government is actively promoting a certain “look and feel”, the municipal governments are watching, helpless and broke, while it’s all covered in plastic.
Several years ago, I spent a few weeks in the Twilligate area. I was just starting out as a photographer, but I already knew it was a gold mine – there were old houses and history everywhere. When I went back last year to shoot it again, armed with a better camera and knowledge of how to use it, it was mostly gone. If one of those things that I had shot before wasn’t already torn down, it was covered in vinyl siding.
When we bought a house to renovate, it had already been chopped up and put in tupperware. Although it was an old home, it had been renovated so often that there was nothing remaining from the original construction – totally stripped clean of character. We did what we could – rebuilding with as many materials as would originally have been used while making the whole thing energy efficient underneath. Although it’s not within the city’s heritage area, the result is one of the better looking houses on the street, and a property that has tripled in value in five years.
My only hope now is that people have gone the “quick and dirty” route in attaching the vinyl – that they’ve “strapped out” the old to cover it with new. 
If that’s the case, it would be a relatively simple process of pealing back the plastic and scraping off the flakes before appling a new coat of paint. Sorta like the exterior equivalent of taking up the carpet and re-finishing the hardwood.
Hopefully all is not lost.
6 Responses to “Too much vinyl siding”
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Oh I DO hope so. My husband and I are looking at a place in Harbour Main like that, fortunately most of the old interior remains – cared for but in need to being brought back to it’s original shine. But the exterior has been covered in vinyl *sigh* – we’re really hoping that the vinyl will just come off and we can clean up the wood siding and go from there – if not it’s going to be a big job.
Still we’re looking forward to the challenge and the love of bringing a grand old lady back to her former glory. I just hope she isn’t sold before he gets home next month!
Well, there is one piece of advice that I can give – add an extra 50% to your estimate for time and cost for the project. I was saying the first year in… “It’ll be done by Christmas”. HA! I must have been delusional. I have the greatest respect for those who go the same route – it’s a lot of hard work and I wish you the best of luck!
I hear you completely. The only community around that had that rustic feel to it I’ve been to in a while is Brigus, and frankly not even there held up for me so much. The library, at over 200 years old has been “renovated” and looks nothing like it’s been there for 200 years.
My parents bought an old merchants home in Dildo, roughly 120 years old, and tried their hardest to keep the outside in it’s old charm, with the wooden siding, yes it would have been alot cheaper to go with the plastic siding, but it stands out alot more with the wooden, same with the house next to ours. Both even kept the orginal colors of bright orange and deep green. It’s sure a sight for sore eyes! haha.
This summer my mission is to go to a small outport community, that keeps the rustic newfoundland hertitage alive – but that mission seems to be becoming more and more impossible.. :(
vinyl siding is ruining the looks of rose blanche here on the southwest coast. it’s known as the living outport but the look like the vinyl will gradually fade. i wish the government would offer an incentive if some residents would keep the old look.
Wayne, i completely agree. If the Government gave a subsidy or tax break to those who renovated/maintained the appearance of a traditional home many more would take this route. They would be making an investment. Tourism.
[...] afraid that Newfoundland tourism is falling short, perhaps lead by the short sightedness (or total lack) of preservation efforts on the part of the the provincial and…. I guess if Quebec is smarter about preservation and promotion, then they get the crown. And [...]