Yesterday I met with Robert and Trish (names changed) to look at updating the kitchen in their recently purchased Gordon Head South home. It is a 2,600 square foot home built in 1980 in the popular style of the time with the main floor up to capture the ocean views. This home provides a good example of how one home improvement can lead to another and another! For example, they would like to change the aluminum windows. These windows are installed in vertically applied channel lap wood siding - with minimal flashing. To properly replace these windows the siding needs to be cut back, aluminum window removed complete with interior trims. the new window is then installed with proper flashing and new trims inside and out.
When one looks closely at this siding, especially on the south and west, one wonders the wisdom of leaving it in place, reworking it around new windows. A lot of work and cost for something that will soon need replacing. And, now we notice the fascia needs replacing too. To replace the fascia, the eaves-troughs need to be removed. Do we reinstall those old eaves-troughs? It does not stop there. we now see the there are several places where roof overhangs are sagging and need to be repaired especially so the eaves-troughs will drain properly.
Back to that new inside window trim. This provides an opportunity to update the trim style all round. The baseboard and door trim does not match the preferred new window trim. If replacing the baseboard and door casings, it makes sense to replace the floors when this trim is off. And, if we are installing new floor, this would be the time to remove the texture ceilings. It's all interconnected.