Okay, for the second year in a row, I went to the half-ass little home
show here, and asked vendors for free estimates on various things. My
faux-T1-11 7/16 OSB siding has seen better days, so I again requested an
estimate from a company that specializes in siding. 1400 sq foot single
story, 3 gable L-shape, maybe 30 panels or so of material, utterly
vanilla. Last year I got an estimate for Hardi-Plank T1-11 (to deter the
woodpeckers), and it came in at 16k, which is a non-starter on a house
worth 120k if I am lucky. So this year I asked a different guy for real
5/8 plywood T1-11, same stuff I saw go up by the acre back in the day.
The estimate came back at 22k. Is there some plausible reason for such a
sky-high quote? And this wasn't even for a remove and replace, just a
side-over. Not even a line on the bid for prime and paint, just naked
wood. Does the guy just not want the job? They should be hungry- I think
there were maybe a dozen new houses started in all of last year, in the
metro area.

Seems like around here, just like everybody only wants to sell vinyl
windows instead of real ones, they only want to sell vinyl siding (which
I hate the look of).

I grew up in the business, and I have the skills to do the work. What I
don't have is the time, unless I take a week or two off from my day job.
I also don't have anyone available to help hoist panels into position
until they can get pinned in place. (4x8 or 4x9 5/8 is not a safe
one-man lift for that.) So unless I say the hell with it and leave it
for the next owner to deal with, I pretty much have to hire it out. Am I
just dreaming that I can get what USED to be the cheap alternative, at a
decent price? Or am I doomed to hold my nose and have the place skinned
in the same plastic as almost all the other houses in the neighborhood?
Constructive suggestions welcomed.

--
aem sends...