[MassHistPres] wood vs vinyl siding

[heartwood restoration]

choices made without true factual information will teach the best lesson...by then, unfortunately, the historic material is gone or damaged beyond repair...polyvinyl chloride is toxic during manufacturer, is not maintenance free and is not recyclable...it often contains heavy metals such as lead and cadmium because vinyl has no structural properties on its own...

i know (knew) the windows at greenfield town hall--beautiful large handsome windows--that lacked regular maintenance...yet they survived for 60 years...some were in tough shape but were candidates for restoration...

this site is entertaining and informative...  http://www.bluevinyl.org/  i encourage you to view the video...

historic new england owns about 36 properties most of which have wood siding...there is a maintenance cycle built into the budget...some buildings were donated at a point where the siding was in a failed condition...efforts to match the historic fabric during repair are meticulous...these buildings have endured hundreds of years...

perhaps the greenfield historic commission should seek out members with preservation education in their background and/or research information through the national trust for historic preservation for how best to proceed in repair and maintenance of significant historic buildings...

jade mortimer
heartwood window restoration
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Marcia Starkey 
  To: 'MassHistoric' 
  Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2012 5:54 PM
  Subject: [MassHistPres] wood vs vinyl siding


  Hello all,

   

  The Greenfield Town Hall is receiving a "facelift" to the building, originally the Second Franklin County Courthouse. It has had several extreme exterior changes i.e. a ca. 1870 brick skin with high Gothic details to comply with a state fire prevention requirement for courthouses and a ca. 1950 reworking of the details in the spirit of Isaac Damon's original classic design.  Under a four year plan, last year all the 1950s wood sash and frame windows were replaced with vinyl, and now the wood siding has been replaced with vinyl.  The reason given for this particular choice is that vinyl is "more durable" than wood.   It is true that the quality, preparation and maintenance of wood on building exteriors is critical. I would appreciate any experiences with the use of new wood siding on historic buildings or suggestions  for information sources.  The center of town is a National Register District.  

   

  Marcia Starkey

  Greenfield Historical Commission       

   

         



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