I'm not thrilled about the idea of attaching anything to the siding either. Part of the problem is that the trellis doesn't seem to be able to lean back. I think there is a cane the grew behind the trellis that keeps it leaning forward a bit and then the weight of the rest of the rose is pushing it too far right now. I'd cut off that cane but I can't actually see which one it is. I do have two other trellises on either side, but moving some of the rose to those doesn't seem like it would solve the problem. I thought about doing cement on the feet, but I'm having trouble pushing the trellis into the right spot and I'm not sure that I'd be able to hold it long enough for the cement to set. That's why I don't have it propped up either - the bottom is fairly sturdy but it's the top that leans and won't go back. My temporary measure is actually an extension cord tied to the top of the trellis and anchored rather poorly on the phone box and a door handle.

Hi Ana, I'm still around! Though yes, I don't hang around this forum anymore. So in the time that I made my original post, I finished that old house renovation and then proceeded onto the next project (built a custom home from scratch!). Based on all my experiences, I can safely say that yes, you should absolutely strip off the old shingles/siding before putting up vinyl. For all the reasons stated by others above. In the case of my 100yr old house reno, I ended up NOT doing vinyl at all, instead I found a great Brazilian crew that stripped the old shingles, removed the old tar-paper on the house sheathing and re-wrapped it with Tyvek, and then installed new red cedar shingles. The economy was down then, and they got a deal on a supply of Grade-A real shingles. They were very skilled and did an amazing job matching the original detailed shingle patterns, particularly around the front porch arches - never would get that level of detail out of vinyl. We also replaced all the exterior window & door trim with PVC trim (and re-flashed everything). We definitely went more the restoration route on that project, both outside the house and inside where I re-did all the original natural woodwork. Was a lot of work but so worth it in the end. Also as the original outside shingles had been removed, I had the opportunity to blow-in insulation all around the house (from the outside). On my new build house, I also did shingles. And there again, I realized the importance of installing a good house wrap (in this case I installed one that allows better drainage behind the shingles/siding). You may have already started your project by now, but if not definitely strip the shingles if you can. I'm also happy to give you the contact info for the crew that re-shingled my old house. They don't do vinyl but if you were interested in sticking with wood siding they're great. We ended up painting the new shingles there with a top-shelf Benjamin Moore Aura paint. I've been by the house several times since selling it and the paint is not peeling yet. Here's some pics our house / siding job: 100yr old house renovation

lazy, yeah, no problem being seen, since my garage is very prominent and I have a street light right across the street. I would have loved putting the numbers somewhere around my entry porch, but it's too far back and partially obscured by a tree. I live on a quiet circle which has slow traffic and these numbers say "here I am!" So many house numbers are the kind that attach from the back with floating options. I experimented with one of those and found it impossible to gauge level since the pins can throw it off. And good luck if you want to remove it later. I like to place the number where it goes and screw it in, right then and there.

Jhug, there has been no cash so far, and we have been through just about everything; dang. Palimsest, I got out voted, so the carpets stay, but the corner of the 2 bedrooms are loose to show the floors. Good point about keeping the carpet for floor cover while painting. The floor that I could see looks pretty nice. Got the outside of the house washed, the little garden space remulched, and the 3 awnings washed down. Termite man has treated the house. DH and his sister are still working on the junk in the basement. The area will need deep cleaning once thats out. Main floor is nearly finished. Floors need cleaned. Stove needs deep cleaned under the burners, and in the oven. A couple of hinge repairs on cabinets. I have been through the cupboards with Pinesol. I don't know if it is going to help. Most of the drawers are almost new looking, so have always been covered. The uppers are painted inside, but someone glued down a thick paper liner! It was troweled in. It is curling at the edges so I thought I'd pull it out, thats when I found the glue or mastic. I'm going to buy some liner for the uppers to cover the mess up. MIL had sheet vinyl covering the paper. I didn't know gluing down paper liner was a thing. Its thick, like a heavy card stock.