Batten Down the Hatches! - Page 2

Unlike dry rot or roof deterioration, aging paint and exterior siding is a condition painfully obvious to homeowners every time they walk by it. Repainting can be one part of the solution, but you have to be careful not to paint over existing problems, cautions Jeff Nichols of Eichler Siding.

"When the paint job starts to break down—mainly through UV, then moisture, probably rain of course—that allows penetration of moisture, which allows a place for fungus and rot and all that kind of stuff. I mean, just UV alone destroys stuff," Nichols observes. "So good repainting—and good prep work before repainting—are critical, not just painting over pre-existing paint problems."

When siding is worn enough to warrant replacement, there are other issues to consider as well.

"What we find is that, with the older siding, if you replace just a couple pieces, it just doesn't match, because the new siding looks brand new," says the owner and namesake of Tim Lawlor Construction. "So, on a lot of the jobs...we'll do the whole wall, so at least that whole wall looks good."

Equally noticeable are the garage and front doors, which generally cover between 30 and 50 percent of an Eichler's front elevation.

"The garage and front doors are the first things that people encounter about a home," says San Francisco architect Michael Tauber. "Keeping it simple and modern stays within the idiom and style of the home, making the house look and feel complete."

Replacing the front door is generally a job best left to professionals, who are likely to charge between $1,000 and $1,500 counting the new door itself. If you are inclined to upgrade, options include adding a peephole or improving the hardware, such as with the custom door hardware kits manufactured by Southern California Eichler owner Jon Jarrett. (Unfortunately, as of 2019, Jon Jarrett is no longer producing door kits.)

When maintaining an Eichler garage door, the first consideration is how easily it slides open. The tracks and rollers for a sliding garage door often become encumbered with a mixture of dirt and grease. After freeing that up, homeowners will often turn to rehabbing the door with fresh siding.

All of the aforementioned projects are best done in dry conditions—when rain-induced emergencies are nowhere near. So don't wait. A fall season that experts predict will include El Niño rains is right around the corner. Time to batten down the hatches!