Aluminum Siding Removal
My partner and I are considering purchasing a building which appears to be a brownstone (on a row of brownstones, has same exact roofing and roof detail as others, it appears that the siding was just slapped on top.) I am guessing the Brownstone facade needed some work, and it was cheaper to throw up…
My partner and I are considering purchasing a building which appears to be a brownstone (on a row of brownstones, has same exact roofing and roof detail as others, it appears that the siding was just slapped on top.) I am guessing the Brownstone facade needed some work, and it was cheaper to throw up some siding. How difficult and costly is it to remove aluminum siding? Before we move forward on this place, we’d like to know what people think. Of course, before we put an offer on the place we will consult with a contractor to determine actual cost/hourly rate, etc.
The cost of restoring a brownstone facade, ie: chipping back all the stone and applying three layers of stucco cement, varies depending on the size and complexity of the job. It is anywhere beteen %20,000 to %60,000. or more for a mansion.
Apart from the facade, let me tell you, one roofleak that causes damage to plaster and parquet can set you back the equivalent of a years maintenance charges on a fancy co-op.
A busted pipe? six months. New windows? four years.
And you still have to cover all the other “maintenance” expenses such as taxes, insurance, water and sewer, heating fuel, gas, electric, and of course debt service. In the old days when you could pick up a decrepit house for $380,000 the money required to maintain the property was far more do-able for most of us.
A lot depends on the size of the building when it comes to expenses/renovation.
5 story 25′ wide b-stone could come in at more like $100k to re-facade.
Yearly expenses will depend on the heat, electric, re taxes, water bill, etc. All are dependent on the size of the property (and should be provided to you by the broker well before you make an offer)
I agree with mopar…very odd if this is brownstone underneath and not clapboard….which may be in nice shape.
You would have had to anchor studs in the brownstone to put up the siding…it doesn’t make sense. Is your building totally flush on the facade with what I believe you said were brownstones to your right and left??? If not I’d definitely wager money that its a clapboard.
Isn’t it about $20,000 to restore a brownstone facade?
But with siding, it’s more likely this house is a wood frame underneath, not brownstone, and not brick. Check PropertyShark or DOB web site, it should specify.
Ha ha ha Rob I’m completely down with the pale denim dropped waist prairie dresses making a comeback (recently referenced in the NYT as outre, but actually a fashion in Sweden) but not aluminum siding. Wait! No! Maybe the Future Perfect guy will make it a style. It’s all over Bushwick — quick, save your money, only $3,000 and an FHA loan will get you a whole house in Bushwick right now, all the aluminum siding you could ever want. There are only about four houses in the neighborhood that don’t have it. I’ve checked.
Thanks so much everyone for your thoughts. Sam, what would you say is the average (if there is one) typical maintenance charge per year for upkeep on a brownstone? What are some typical repairs that tend to happen in our neighborhood? If you have any resources or links to share to help us assess this type of cost, it would be very helpful.
Thanks!
that’s a shame you want to get rid of that historical detail 🙁 jk hahah
aluminum siding is going to make a comeback in a few years!!! believe it!
*rob*
Yeah, sam. And when you buy in the ghetto it’s even worse.
There’s no cost in removing the siding. As others have mentioned, that’s the least of it. What condition is the brownstone on the adjacent houses? Have they all been stuccoed over? Or is the stone in good shape? -unusual in Brooklyn as the builders generally used the worst grade of material available, the stuff rejected for railroad embankments. On the other hand, it has been protected for years by the siding so maybe it will reappear in prety good condition -but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Still, what can you do? You gotta fix it sooner or later. If you can’t afford to make the necessary facade repairs you should rethink the idea of buying a building type that requires so much maintenance. A historic brownstone is a high-maintenance date. I chuckle when I read the posts from folks who are appalled at the high maintenance charges of luxury co-ops and think that buying a brownstone will be cheaper. If you annualize the cost that needs to go into the typical rundown Brooklyn brownstone, it would shock many. It shocks me, and I should be used to it by now.
Dave’s totally right. We had stamped asphalt siding on our house, which came off easily. The big question was the condition of the facade underneath, which in our case was better than expected. But it’s impossible to know until it comes down (and no one will give you a real price to fix it until they can see the whole thing).
As a first step, can you get the seller to remove a few pieces of siding to see what lurks underneath? I’m sure you’re not the only potential buyer who would like to know.
Hope you have your cornice. Just replacing that is very costly–$10k or more!