Anyone make their own siding vs buying?

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

So my barns are in need of new siding and one barn needs a new roof. I had a quote for metal roof and siding, WAY out of my price range so I will most likely do shingle to replace the old shingle and thought about holding off on the siding.

It dawned on me one day that my mothers place is full of massive hemlock trees, would be be more cost effective to hire a portable sawmill and drag out some logs for them? Would Canadian hemlock make good siding? Would it be cheaper to do it this way vs buying siding? If buying siding, I’m not sure what I would buy but it won’t be for some time.

Only pics I have of the barns.

 

[Rustyiron]

John around here, sawmill prices are around 50c a sq ft.* where metal is .75 to just under $1. The last time I hired a portable he was iirc about 50c just for the service (no wood). It's a slim saving without considering your painting or preserving in any fashion along with the added cost of "battons" if your using them. To be accurate in a comparison, you'll need to consider the metal accessories (corners, channels, etc) into the price as well.

*their logs, rough cut 1x lumber

 

[fried1765]

Bad idea to use hemlock for siding!

I framed my Nova Scotia Summer home with local hemlock.
Great lumber for strength, and decent rot resistance.
The problem is that it is "shakey"...... as the locals describe it.
Pieces of a board (or framing material) will peel out, almost as if the pieces were bark.
It would be horrible for siding.

Pine would be good.

 

[coobie]

So my barns are in need of new siding and one barn needs a new roof. I had a quote for metal roof and siding, WAY out of my price range so I will most likely do shingle to replace the old shingle and thought about holding off on the siding.

It dawned on me one day that my mothers place is full of massive hemlock trees, would be be more cost effective to hire a portable sawmill and drag out some logs for them? Would Canadian hemlock make good siding? Would it be cheaper to do it this way vs buying siding? If buying siding, I’m not sure what I would buy but it won’t be for some time.

Only pics I have of the barns.

View attachment 613894View attachment 613895

How many quotes on a steel roof have you had? Any amish in your area?

 

[shooterdon]

I had the Amish install steel roofing on my house and it was cheaper than shingles....plus it will last until I die.

 

[Jstpssng]

Bad idea to use hemlock for siding!

I framed my Nova Scotia Summer home with local hemlock.
Great lumber for strength, and decent rot resistance.
The problem is that it is "shakey"...... as the locals describe it.
Pieces of a board (or framing material) will peel out, almost as if the pieces were bark.
It would be horrible for siding.

Pine would be good.

Not all hemlock has shake, although as the trees get older they're more prone. Still, he may find it cheaper to sell the wood and put the money toward something else. I know that I can buy hemlock all sawn for 50 cents/board foot.

 

[BrokenTrack]

So my barns are in need of new siding and one barn needs a new roof. I had a quote for metal roof and siding, WAY out of my price range so I will most likely do shingle to replace the old shingle and thought about holding off on the siding.

It dawned on me one day that my mothers place is full of massive hemlock trees, would be be more cost effective to hire a portable sawmill and drag out some logs for them? Would Canadian hemlock make good siding? Would it be cheaper to do it this way vs buying siding? If buying siding, I知 not sure what I would buy but it won稚 be for some time.

Only pics I have of the barns.

View attachment 613894View attachment 613895

I have my own sawmill, but I used Eastern Hemlock to make clapboards for my old house last fall. All I did was cut the logs into cants (beams) 10" wide, then whatever I could get tall, and still get into clean wood with no bark. Then I would put wooden shingles under my cant to rock the cant by 3/8 of an inch. I would set the blade by 3/8 lower making for a tapered 10 inch wide clapboard. Then on the next cut, I would pull the shingle shims out, and bring the cant back to level and make the next cut 3/8 of an inch lower. Doing that every other cut, on most logs, I was getting 25 clapboards per log, so at 10 feet long, I was getting quite a bit of product for not a lot of work.

I put mine on 6 inches to the weather, so 6 inches showing, and 4 inches of overlap, but only because 6 inches comes out even (2 rows per vertical foot). It was also an incredible amount of coverage with just a few clapboards, and a nail gun made it fast. You could go 4 inches to the weather with 8 inch wide clapboards, or whatever combination you want, say 6 inch wide clapboards, with 4 inches to the weather and 2 inches of overlap...really whatever you want.

I had some shake in my hemlock so some cracked on me, but overall for this house, it works well enough. Besides, where else could I clapboard my house for $10 in gasoline and $30 for a box of nails?

For a barn? I would not think twice about doing it again. Heck I would do it again for a house.

 

[BrokenTrack]

The shingle-shim method I used could be used on any bandsaw mill.

In thinking some more, and while it depends on what you have for a siding quote of course; there is rave reviews for a Harbor Freight Bandsaw Mill. That has a price of $2000, so you MIGHT (again depends on your siding quote) buy your sawmill, side your barn, and have a sawmill at the end of it, cheaper then you could have paid someone to side your barn.

Or you could buy the sawmill, side your barn, the sell the sawmill after you are done, and end up with a sided barn for $800.

I happened to have done this a few months ago, so what I say, I say with confidence.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I am ultra frugal, and while I admit I have not tried this yet, I have wondered what would happen if I used clapboards for roofing material.

I would probably coat them with roofing tar before applying them to the roof, but I cannot see why this would not make for a long lasting roofing material. Overlapped, I cannot see why this would not shed water for a long time. If a person wanted to get really fancy, they could even sprinkle on some sharp sand to get the grit shingles have.

In a wildfire situation it might not be good, but I am not sure it is any worse than real asphalt shingles?

I only mention this because you said you had roofing to do as well. Maybe with this idea you could get a little more out of that hemlock/Harbor Freight Sawmill? But yeah, this is really thinking outside the box I know.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

The shingle-shim method I used could be used on any bandsaw mill.

In thinking some more, and while it depends on what you have for a siding quote of course; there is rave reviews for a Harbor Freight Bandsaw Mill. That has a price of $2000, so you MIGHT (again depends on your siding quote) buy your sawmill, side your barn, and have a sawmill at the end of it, cheaper then you could have paid someone to side your barn.

Or you could buy the sawmill, side your barn, the sell the sawmill after you are done, and end up with a sided barn for $800.

I happened to have done this a few months ago, so what I say, I say with confidence.

Now you might be on to something here, that mill only does 20 in logs though, most the logs down there are 30 in plus, some 5ft in diameter. Seems like it would take a forest to side that building though. If my mom didn’t select cut the property, I could have done it with oak. But hemlock would be much lighter on the buildings. I will have to give this some serious thought.

Saw Mill with 31cc Gas Engine