When I first broke into the
construction business in
1973, I went to work for a
roofing and siding contractor. My
boss, Leo Fournier, was a conscientious
man who did first-class work
and who would never use vinyl or
aluminum to hide problems. Instead,
he taught me how to rebuild deteriorated
woodwork and to install the
new vinyl and aluminum trim and
siding with the same care I would
give any other material.
The end to routine painting has
always made these materials appealing
to owners of older homes. But it
wasn't until I started planning a
whole house renovation on Martha's
Vineyard, Mass., in 1979 that I
thought to combine white cedar
shingles with vinyl clapboards and a
vinyl/aluminum trim