On 11/28/04 11:16 PM, "Met History" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Just a guess, but I bet the pilgrims et al would have thought that aluminum as
> an exterior material was cool. So, how would they have used it? Certainly
> not to imitate clapboard siding. Is one of the major problems with alum
> siding that it painfully tries to imitate something else?
From one of the original colonies where the pilgrims didn't land but a
colony of contemporaries managed to disappear, here's an old Q and A tract I
dredged out of musty files unused for years (it's kind of cute in an 80s
kind of way); the city's guidelines prohibited aluminum siding and
eventually the problem just went away. Folks quit applying for it, and the
sales people avoid the historic districts. So we haven't had to reprint this
in forever.
Aluminum and Synthetic Sidings in Historic Districts and on Historic
Landmarks
Question: Are aluminum siding and other synthetic siding materials
considered by most preservationists to be in character with historic
districts and landmarks?
Answer: No. The majority of architectural historians, preservation
professionals, and devotees of historic preservation across North Carolina
and the country are convinced that aluminum and other synthetic siding
materials are incongruous with the character of historic districts and
landmarks.
Question: Why?
Answer: There are a number of reasons involving technical problems and the
integrity of architectural character. North Carolina state enabling
legislation and the Raleigh city code define historic landmarks and
districts as buildings, structures, sites, areas, or objects found ³to be of
special significance in terms of [their] historical, prehistorical,
architectural, or cultural importance, and to possess integrity of design,
setting, workmanship, materials, feeling and/or association.² These are also
the qualities that distinguish entries on the National Register of Historic
Places. Since aluminum and synthetic sidings are materials that were
developed for widespread use only recently, their application to historic
buildings upsets integrity of design, workmanship, materials, and so on.
Question: But aluminum and other synthetic sidings can be made to look just
like the wooden clapboard on my historic house. Why can't I apply it and
retain the architectural integrity that makes it special?
Answer: Because wooden clapboard siding, just as any other historic
building material, possesses a richness of quality and texture developed
over the years that is impossible to manufacture in modern mass produced
material. This is especially true of wooden siding with special details
such as beading or in special arrangements such as board-and-batten siding
or German siding. Modern, mass produced aluminum or synthetic siding
imparts a hard, shiny surface to a building that is especially evident when
surrounded by the mellow richness of historic building materials.
Question: I'm not convinced that the hassle of maintaining the ³mellow
richness² of the historic wooden siding on my building is worth the effort.
What are some other preservation reasons to avoid aluminum or synthetic
sidings?
Answer: The application of aluminum or synthetic sidings covers the
historic fabric that makes a building special. It also destroys and damages
historic fabric. Architectural details such as battens, window surrounds,
moldings, water tables, and the like often must be ripped off or severely
altered in order to apply the siding. Nails must be driven into the
original siding of the building in order to install the modern material.
Curved, molded, and cut-out details that give a building its historic
character cannot be economically duplicated in modern, mass produced
materials. If you ever want to sell the building, buyers who are interested
in buildings with architectural and historical flavor will avoid it.
Question: I don't care about maintaining the architectural or historical
integrity of my building. All I care about is ease of maintenance. So why
shouldn't I sheathe the building in modern materials?
Answer: A historic wooden building that is sheathed in aluminum or
synthetic siding not only loses its special character, it gains increased
vulnerability to deterioration caused by trapped moisture, undetected attack
by wood boring insects, irreversible cracking in wooden historic fabric, and
spalling of masonry walls. If a potential buyer of the property suspects
that the modern siding material is covering damaged materials underneath,
actual economic loss can occur for the property owner.
Question: Manufacturers claim aluminum and synthetic sidings save thousands
of dollars on the cost of repainting every few years. Isn't that important
in these inflationary times?
Answer: If wooden clapboard and detailing is prepared and painted properly,
it doesnıt need to be painted ³every few years.² According to the United
States Department of Agriculture, a good paint job can last 8 to 10 years.
According to specialists at North Carolina State University, a good paint
job should last a minimum of 5 years and up to 15 years depending on the
paint and the climate. If siding is being applied only for the sake of
appearance, the property owner is really just buying an expensive paint job
since the finish on siding can fail as early as 7 years and certainly within
20 years. If one considers the facts that modern siding materials conceal
damage, that aluminum is prone to dents and scratches and is difficult to
replace in part, and that vinyl melts and buckles in the presence of a fire,
is subject to tears, and can shatter in extreme weather, the real cost of
these sidings far exceeds a sensible paint maintenance program. And
³instant credit² financing incentives offered by some siding companies
feature high interest rates at low monthly payments over a long term, adding
thousands of dollars to the actual cost of the siding.
Question: I can't keep paint on my historic building. What shall I do?
Answer: You need to determine the cause of the paint failure. There could
be any number of reasons ranging from primer failure, the type of wood you
are covering, the compatibility of old paint and new paint, and the surface
preparation techniques that have been used. Especially common are moisture
problems. Even the presence of blown-in wall insulation installed without a
vapor barrier on the interior surface of the wall has caused paint to peel.
When lead was removed from paint in the early 1970s, the quality of
durability dropped; however, new compositions and techniques of paint
manufacturing have solved this problem.
Question: Who can tell me why the paint is failing on my historic building
and help me make technical corrections?
Answer: The State Historic Preservation Officeıs Restoration Branch, within
the North Carolina Division of Archives and History, employs restoration
specialists who are available free of charge to advise owners of historic
buildings. This office is located at 515 N. Blount Street and the phone
number is (919) 733-6547. The Raleigh Historic Districts Commissionıs staff
support [no longer] includes a preservation technician employed by the City
of Raleigh Planning Department [but still has other staff] who can also
help. The Commissionıs office is [no longer] located in the Municipal
Building at 222 W. Hargett Street, Room 307, and the phone number is [still]
(919) 832-7238.
November 1982, revised February 1993.
--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>
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