Hello,we have a a 2000 square foot colonial in Connecticut where we have weather extremes. Because we suspect dry rot in several spots on our house we want to rip the current clapboard off. We are getting conflicting information from the siding companies so I am asking for your help. One company came with insulated backed vinyl and gave us a quote of $43000to rip off clapboard,install wrap, siding and new gutters. This seems extremely high. The second guy came and said the insulation backed vinyl was a
"gimmick" . He also said he did not have to rip the capboards off but will if we wanted it gone. He would use tyvek to wrap the house and use foam insulation. We get his quote on Monday. The vinyl he would use is Certainteed.

He also offered a window casing which was a one piece PVC unit for the windows. Has anyone used this material before? I hesitate with PVC because I purchased a PVC tea cart for our sunroom several years ago and it company claimed it would not stain or mildew. Well, guess what? It looks awful.

Any advice would be appreciated. This is a big expenses and we do not want to make a mistake. Also, all the vinyl looks the same. Is there one company that produces it and sells it to different companies who repackage it with different names?

Thanks for your help.