And now let us praise...houses

1. One of the best features on this vinyl-sided house

is the brackets. Here, they are covered in aluminum

and outlined in plastic.

2. The aluminium on this old house is faded as is

the blue-gray paint on the window.

3. The owners of this aluminum-sided house chose

to keep the wood trim around the windows

4. This house still has a wood porch and wood
columns. Notice the odd angle of the siding
on the wood support.



5. This is a flat for rent. The sign
is in the window.

6. This vinyl-sided house is blessed with two arches.

I decided to share a few images from my walk this morning. These help make some of the points I've been trying to get across. One of the sins of siding is that it hides architectural detail, and it destroys the feel of natural materials as it covers them with plastic.

Image #1 is a neat and clean house with brackets. Obviously, the home is Arts and Crafts, but are these Arts and Crafts colors? Does this home show off its best style by being painted the limited colors offered by siding companies? The owners of this house will have to live with these dull colors, in theory, forever. Also note the vent high up top. The actual vent is probably much larger and more distinctive.

Image #2. This octagon window is just screaming to be liberated from the gold aluminum surrounding it. People who opt for siding must reason that they do not want the bother of painting, and part of that reasoning must also be the idea that siding will look fresh forever while paint won't. Yet, we see so many houses like this that have neither been resided nor painted in many, many years. Honestly, the faded paint and the faded siding, as colors, blend pretty well here. I maintain that the quality of the materials are, however, mismatched.

Image #3. In this case, the homeowner tried to keep even more detail. Imagine how beautiful the design of this window would be set against color.

Image #4. Crooked siding seems to be very common with nonprofessional siders. I see this kind of thing fairly often, and it would appear that some people who choose siding don't mind an obtuse angle here and there so long as everything is covered.

Image #5. This is a two-family flat. The other side is a mirror image. I cannot imagine that the face of this building was as plain back in its hey day. The building looks clean in its vinyl coat, and it is this fact that will make it appealing to potential renters. The owner of this building can pretty much count on that.

Image #6. The owners of this house try very hard to bring character to their home, and they are blessed with two arches framing the small porch. I'm dying, however, to know what's under the vinyl. What's the natural material underneath and how is it placed to create the arch? Neither I nor the owners may ever know.