In this week’s Retro Design Dilemma, reader Nita tells us that she must add exterior insulation to her 1952 flat-roof ranch house in Alaska — and she wants ideas from us for siding. What to suggest? Continue for Nita’s story and our ideas –>
Nita writes:
First, a little about me. My name is Nita, and I live in Alaska. My house was built in 1952 and is concrete block construction. It has survived temperatures as low as -70 and as high as 100, and even a big flood. While our average temperatures aren’t quite that extreme we do regularly see temps ranging from 45 below to 85 above. For me, this means that when I renovate parts of my house it has to be efficient and functional as well as beautiful and vintage-inspired, which is why I need some help.
Second, some history:
In 2010, I went on a mission to find a house. The recession was finally starting to hit us up here in Alaska and the local housing market was getting peppered with foreclosures and inexpensive properties. Being the frugal person that I am, I went about trying to find the perfect house while getting the most bang for my buck. In August 2010, my search ended when I stumbled across a foreclosed 1952 fixer-upper in the middle of the perfect residential neighborhood.Sure, the front yard was tiny and the last owners appear to have half-bleeped every repair they attempted, but it felt like home. I knew it was right for me as soon as I stepped inside for the first time. Original hardwood floors, brick fireplace with quirky concrete base, plaster walls, arched (swoon) doorway into the hall, cedar lined closets….. I could go on, but I’m sure you get the gist.
Since buying it I have put in countless hours repairing and restoring it. The basement has transformed from the scene of a bad slasher movie to a usable living room with an attached guest bed and bath. I have repainted every single wall in the house. I’ve repiped the entire Hydronic heating system. Currently, I’m working on stripping and refinishing my Homart steel cabinets and planning on renovating the main floor bathroom.
The biggest change I’ve made (aside from the basement) has been the windows. With temperatures in interior Alaska reaching lows of -50 and highs of 90, the original single paned, wood frame windows couldn’t stay. As you’ll see in the pictures I’ve had them replaced with new, high efficiency windows with interior grilles that mimic the look of the originals. I cannot tell you how much these have saved me in heating costs so far this winter.
On to my plea for help…
Anyway, my next big project is going to be the exterior, which is what I’m writing you guys about today. You see, I just can’t seem to decide on a suitable option when it comes to siding. I want something that gives the look and feel of being midcentury while also being functional at extreme temperatures. So I’m asking for advice and suggestions from everyone in the Retro Renovation community.Here are the things I want the siding to accent:
-The flat roof. I have the only flat roof house on the block and I want something that will complement that shape.
-The brick porch. I love my brick porch and have plans to build a second tier of brick planters that will hide the concrete block portion of the porch.
-The brick accents below the windows.
-The red walkway. The original owners stained the concrete walkway to match the red bricks and I love it.I’ve included pictures taken today (at -35 degrees) and a picture from when I first bought it in the fall of 2010. Now, some people may be wondering about the visible insulation around that front window… The concrete block construction, while being extremely sturdy and virtually impenetrable, isn’t a very good insulator. Before I put up siding I will be firring out all of the exterior walls in order to add 2” of rigid insulation.
Finally, thank you so much for even taking the time to go over this. I’m at a loss as to how to proceed and appreciate any help you guys and the readers can suggest.
Sincerely,
Nita
Readers, what do you suggest for new siding for this house, after Nita adds more insulation?
When Nita wrote and asked for our help to choose a siding for her house, Pam and I reminded her that we are not experts in insulation or exterior siding/materials in any climate — especially in one so diverse as Alaska. As always, we suggest that Nita check with properly licensed professionals to determine which siding will work best with the insulation that she is adding in her climate.
[Update: Alas, somehow along the way some of the photos illustrating our ideas for this story disappeared from our database — internet poltergeists ate them!]
When it came to the “exterior decorating” portion of Nita’s questions, Pam and I felt more able to help. To begin the transformation of Nita’s exterior, Pam recommended that Nita continue the brick knee wall from the porch planter all the way along the front of the house. This interesting detail will help make the house feel grounded and continue the horizontal line from the flat roof along the base of the house. It looks as though Nita’s brick may be roman brick, which may be hard to match since it is out of production to my knowledge. In that case, she may want to replace all the brick with a similarly colored standard brick.
Pam suggested that Nita use stucco for the rest of the house’s siding — of course she’ll need to check with a professional to make sure this is a viable option first. I would then paint the stucco a deep olive green (such as Sherwin Williams Houseplant), which will work well with the brick and provide color in the snowy winter months in Alaska. To warm up the white trim, Nita could paint the rooflines, window frames, door frame and carport supports a warm cream (such as Sherwin Williams Morning Sun). Then to add some pizazz to the entry, a new door from Crestview Doors — the Delwood — would reinforce the mid century style. Painting the door a deep red (such as Sherwin Williams Red Tomato) will help the entry door be the showcase of the front of the house.
Depending on what hardiness zone Nita lives in, she may be able to plant several of these Red Twig Dogwood shrubs from Fast Growing Trees — that are leafy and green in the summer and in winter, the stems turn a bright red — which contrasts nicely with the snow, compliments the house color and coordinates with the red door. Having a few shrubs near the corners of Nita’s house will also help anchor the house, provide winter color and hide the utility box that is on the front corner of the house near the carport.
Since Nita lives in a snowy climate, she may want to look into adding a railing to her front steps. Of course she would need to check local building codes to see if railings are recommended and what specifications they would have to meet. If Nita does decide to add a railing, we suggest a black iron railing that would be placed on the right side of the stairs — so as not to obstruct access to the planter under the front window.
We also discussed board and batten siding — as an alternative to stucco — which would add vertical lines to contrast the horizontals of the roofline and brick knee wall. Either the board and batten siding or the stucco would look lovely on Nita’s mid century “mini martini” house.
Hopefully we’ve given you a few good ideas Nita — best of luck with your exterior remodel — please let us know how it turns out.
lynda says
Usually I am not for faux products, but this product looked interesting at Lowes. http://airstone.com I wonder if you could put a sheathing on with an R value and then cover with a faux stone or a stucco? I don’t know how this would work in your climate. Maybe the best choice would be to use the stucco with the r value on the outside and then figure out how to insulate the walls better on the inside. Aslo, seems like the overall look would improve by somehow disguising the electrical box and beefing up the porch supports. I think a new retro type door would look nice and I agree that painting the facia boards along the roof would add interest. Maybe if you added faux stone to the house, the supports could also be done in stone.
Melody DeLury says
Our 1954 MCM is sided using car siding. It looks period appropriate and is paintable.
Jessica says
I’m not sure about the “wearability”, but stucco would look fantastic! 🙂
Kathleen Andrews says
I salute her for seeing the possibilities in this quirky little house. The idea of a flat roof in Alaska seems highly counter-intuitive, but this must be a pretty solid little building. I hope she keeps us posted on her progress.
Nita says
I will most definitely be keeping everyone posted on the progress of the house. In fact, I’m considering starting up a blog just for my house stuff. If I do or don’t, either way I’ll be sending stuff to Pam and Kate and posting pictures to their facebook as the house progresses.
mary Tatum says
There are stucco siding products that have an insulating effect as well. I’d definitely find that to beef up the efficiency of the home. It’s adorable. How does your flat roof do in heavy snow? Do you have to get up there and shovel it off?
Nita says
Normally my roof does fine with the snowfall up here, in fact, the snow actually acts as an insulating layer, helping your house hold in heat. But a few years ago we got struck with a freak snowstorm and for the first time in my life I saw local schools and businesses closing for “Snow Days”. I think the final accumulation in just two days was well over 17″ on top of what we already had and what would continue to fall throughout the year. At that point I did have to go up and shovel everything off, just to be on the safe side. Aside from that, in the spring I go up and squeegee my roof to get the last of the ice and water and that’s about all the regular clearing I have to do. 🙂
ChrisH says
I’d look at wood planks. Planks would nail easily to your furring strips.
You have several options for type of wood – Cedar, Pine, and a cement type product that looks like wood (not sure what it’s called)
Planks will emphasize the horizontal, which will help make the house look bigger, and will help highlight the flat roof.
You also have several paint/stain options, as well as many color options.
Not sure how period correct plank siding is, but it’s easy to install.
I notice your roof has a heavy character line in the front facia. I assume it’s where the upper trim overlaps the lower trim. I’d consider painting the lower portion a different color, again emphasizing the horizontal and drawing attention to the roof.
Robin, NV says
I agree but I’d go with cement fiber siding. It’s more durable and will probably withstand all that Alaska has to throw at it better than real wood. http://www.jameshardie.com/main.shtml My house has the old asbestos “wavy bottom” shingle siding. The previous owner covered the asbestos siding at the front of the house with some kind of high density foam sheeting and then covered that with vinyl siding. I can’t stand the vinyl siding but the foam really insulates the house.
As I see it, you have two interesting options. 1) long cement fiber siding “planks” laid horizontally, which would complement the horizontal flow of the house or 2) an even better option (in my opinion) would be to go with a board and batten look with the planks installed vertically. Board and batten siding would compliment the vertical line of bricks by the front door and would give the house “texture.” The house has strong horizontal lines, why not play with that and try going vertical with the siding to make the front facade “pop” a little?
As far as colors go, that’s really a personal decision and I don’t have a good idea of what is appropriate for the age of the house. Personally, I’d go with a soft white (not bright white) for the siding and a nice medium red for the trim. The white would help show off the brick under the windows and the red would compliment it. I’d imagine that Alaska can be a little dreary in the winter so why not have fun with a nice bright color that makes you smile?
Annie B. says
Nita, yours is one adorable house. Congratulations on finding this little gem.
I wonder what the insulation factor would be if you bricked the entire house? Brick would certainly be a mid century exterior style.
Nita says
If I remember correctly, brick doesn’t have a very high R value by itself. But most forms of siding require insulation to bring up the R value of a home.
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
Ah my flat roofed friend…. I too have the ‘dreaded’ flat roof. I had problems with mine so I got a ‘new’ roof. I had a commercial spray foam coating installed. They spray the roof with a high density foam then coat the foam with a silicone paint. The foam acts as a leak barrier and as insulation (since I have no attic this was the only way I could reinforce my home) the white silicone coating also reflects the sun and helps with energy costs in the summer time. The silicone coating has to be redone every couple of years then it should last a lifetime (as I was told)
My house is 50 years old, about 2500 ft2, and located 45 min from the Gulf of Mexico (aka it gets super duper hot in the summer) and my electricity bill in the summer is about $100. Drops to around $50 in December.
I hope this helps you out. I get so much flack about having a flat roof but I look around and almost all commercial buildings have a flat roof so I figured they must be doing/knowing something I don’t. It’s always a good idea to look at commercial options and applications
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
While I’m taking about foam… Is there a type of siding panel made of styrofoam?! If not I think I’m going to go grab a patent lol. Think of it! Lightweight, great insulator and can be molded into any shape, coated with any color/ texture…. I mean even the bumbers on cars are made of styrofoam…
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
O o o…. I think I read somewhere about some new insulator/thermal paint. Just paint, I know it sounds crazy but technology is crazy… I’d look that up… I don’t think I invented it…
pam kueber says
I don’t believe it.
Kate says
I’ve heard of that once before — though I can’t remember where I heard about it. I think it is $$$ per gallon — not cheap. Wish I could remember what it was called…
I do think the “thermal paint” was only for interiors — like for ceilings and walls with little or no insulation.
I’ll have to look into this….
pam kueber says
I just don’t believe it. Paint has no “mass” — how can it hold any heat? Passive solar requires mass to hold heat… radiant flooring, same… I just don’t believe it.
Christa says
You can also get it as an additive to add to your paint. ( makes it a lot cheaper to ship) it does add a slightly textured finish to your walls. It is made up of some kind of heat reflective ceramic balls ( same material as the exterior of the space shuttle) it is “reflective” rather than insulating ( it won’t stop wind ect.) BUT having used it in my master bedroom, that faces North east, with only one heat vent…it does work…especially when there are two bodies . We start out kind of chilly when we go to bed…but by the middle of the night, it actually gets hot. We don’t change the thermostat, nothing else changes. The brand is “Hy-Tech ThermaCels”
Tom says
I’ve never heard of this, but it sure sounds intriguing. I wonder what kind of difference it might make for Nita – maybe use this instead of, or in addition to, new siding? Although, she did say she’s already repainted her interiors, so it would be double work. hmmm.
pam kueber says
Yes, I think there is.
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
Progressivefoam.com they have the siding!
lynda says
I think the Progressive Foam product looks like a great choice. Good find!
MikeD says
My comment is not really related to the siding, but is related to the desire to compliment the flat roof.
First thing that jumped out to me was the car port competing with the flat roof. Maybe it is the slightly lower elevation of the carport roof, I am not sure, but it visually takes away from the flat roof look.
without a garage, I imagine the carport is a necessity in Alaska, but maybe the carport roof could be incorporated into roof of the house or at least put at the same height? I say this without knowing how big a deal and cost that might be
I have always liked the cinder block houses of this era, in my town we have a small little neighborhood made up of just cinder block houses, one of the coolest areas.
Nita says
The house actually used to have a garage plus the carport. But there was a problem with the original fuel tank, which was buried under the driveway. The last owners bought a new fuel tank and stuck it under the carport, above-ground, rather than digging up and replacing the old one. Unfortunately, this made it impossible to get into the garage with even the smallest car, so they walled up the overhead door and installed an exterior door to use instead. So I no longer have a garage, which is sad, but I do have a large laundry/shop/exercise room.
Chad D says
I see a lot of houses the same style and age as yours that are sided in stucco, probably over concrete block, in the Philadelphia suburbs. (Some are stone and brick, too, so I think any type of masonry would be authentic although I don’t see a lot of wooden houses from that time around here.) Stucco would barely change the outside appearance and be cheaper than anything else, so I think it’s the way to go.
Also, when you’re having it re-sided, it might thicken up the walls enough to come beyond the brick window sills, so think about modifying or recreating them over the new siding. All 1950’s stucco houses around here have brick or flagstone windowsills, and I think it makes them look more substantial than newer ones.
Jay says
Yes, I second that. My house in suburban Phila. is indeed block construction clad in brick and stucco but I have a steep pitched roof with a roomy attic. My understanding is the exterior cladding material provides the insulation which block alone does not provide. Frankly I was startled to see that this flat top was in Alaska and that it was exposed concrete block. The stucco will complement your brick and red stained walk way. Best of luck to you, you have done a lot of work.
Chad D says
I agree that board and batten siding would also look good, but keeping brick window sills in that case won’t look right.