What to do about my rent house exterior?

Question

So I recently purchased a 2 bed 1 bath sfh that is approximately 720 sf. The siding is decent but there are several areas that need to be replaced and one contractor did say that it at one point had lead paint. It definitely needs repainting. My question is, would I be better off trying to paint and prep this house or would it be better to look into vinyl siding or some other siding material to cover over the existing siding. I have been looking into sheet panels but don’t know what everyone would recommend. My budget is prohibitive to under 2k. I live in Abilene TX in case anyone is wondering. Thanks for the advice.

Riley Holt · Answer

Yeah. It’s my first rental in a c class neighborhood. I’m trying to not be a slum lord. One contractor who came out had a little white cigaret looking thing that he rubbed on a board and it turned pink and he said it had lead and would be like 5k to “properly” prep it with 10 foot 6 mil sheeting, having misters going to keep the dust from flying, etc. I have really been looking into just nailing some LP smart side over my existing 117 pine siding. I think that would actually go faster than scraping the crappy paint off of the existing siding! Decisions decisions.

Jason Cacioppo · Answer

I would replace a few planks and have it repainted. Keep the current siding as long as possible before eventually replacing all of it. As long as nothing is leaking or rotting out the framing I would think you should be ok.

Riley Holt · Answer

Thank you all for your replies. As it stands I think I will focus on repairing what I can and see how far I get with paint prep. I can do most of the work as long as I don’t get burned out.

Riley Holt · Answer

Just in case anyone is curious or ever comes back to this thread I figured I would give an update. I decided to hire a contractor to install LP smartside over my existing siding therefore removing the Lead paint risk, providing a good substrate for paint, and overall improving the exterior look of my rental! Thanks for your advice everyone.

Michael Lee · Answer

@Riley Holt We need to take into consideration of your neighboring environment and the value of your asset. Whether it is valuable to repaint?

Brandon Pierce · Answer

That LP looks really good and at just over $1 a foot, it can really transform some of these older, lower budget homes in Abilene. THANK YOU for not trying to be ANOTHER slum Lord here in town where you just are putting lipstick on a pig! If you take some pride in the property, chances are you are gonna get better renters that want to take care of it too so as long as you get them out as best as you can.

Dennis M. · Answer

Depends on the neighborhood and how nice the asset is . Long term holds id wrap and side it but if it’s a low budget rental in a c class I’d probably just replace rot or damage and pay somebody to slap up some exterior paint . I would not worry about lead or any asbestos unless you live in a city ran by insane liberals that have strict laws on these .

Autumn Rankin · Answer

@Riley Holt HEY!!! I live in Tuscola would love to get together with you! I just purchased a home in Lawn that I will also be redoing siding. Ill PM you my info :)

Colleen F. · Answer

Did your contractor test for lead paint or did he say based on the the age of the house it had lead paint.  Follow EPA guidelines for lead paint and repair and repaint if the house is older. Reside when you have the $$$.

Matt M. · Answer

@Riley Holt

Go with vinyl siding. If there old clapboard siding on it now, just go over it with fan fold insulation and then your siding. Go to a few lumber yards and see if they have anything laying around maybe a little cheaper, that they can’t sell for a bigger job.

What to do about my rent house exterior?

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