I'm in the middle of an expensive re-siding job (replacing 30yo aluminum with JHS), and am increasingly concerned about details that deviate from manufacturer specifications.

I went with the highest bidder because their commitment to "meet or exceed" manufacturer specs and because they are one of the few in the area with accreditation from JHS. I am questioning if I am getting what I am about to pay for.

I raised these concerns with the contractor but was assured that their methods are preferable/acceptable and don't risk the warranty. Am I nitpicking, mistaken or are these issues I should be insisting be corrected?

The Tyvek WRB they installed stops just above the bottom sill and is not tapped/flashed to sill or foundation. Seems like this means moisture could drip down the outside face of the WRB onto/into the sill plate? Not to mention air and bug infiltration.

The clearance between the roof and 2nd story wall siding is less than the required 1-2" in nearly all places. In some places it's nearly in contact with the roof. Contractor says they will change it if I instruct them to, but say it's just a matter of visual preference.



The penetrations for range vent, dryer vent, hose bib, electrical outlet, etc. are missing blocking and flashing. It looks like this is required for hose bibs and holes larger than 1.5". The Tyvek is also hanging loose around the edge of these penetrations and not taped.





How much should I be pushing for tape or liquid flashing at penetrations? For blocking and metal flashing?

There is no flashing where the siding meets the brick across the exposed south and overhung east sides. The exposed section is of greater concern.



I don't want to unnecessarily strain the working relationship on a project that is half complete, but don't want to let what may be non-negotiable items slide.

My point of reference is the December 2019 JHS Best Practices.
https://www.jameshardiepros.com/getattachment/d24d99fd-89c1-4fca-9756-d0aa0c33c4d9/intro-tools-hz10-us-en.pdf

Hardi has so many tech details that if it came to a warranty claim they will find a way to deny it more than likely. One requirement is it has to be at least 6 inches from any soil. What is the distance to bottom of siding to soil where your ac condenser is at ? For the 1-2 inches above the roof/shingles concrete steps, I have never seen it installed that high in the field. Actually I did see it installed this high one time and the water was actually leaking into the attic on north approach rain because the flashing was no longer high enough behind the siding to prevent it. It can not touch the shingles or concrete etc because it will wick moisture up into the siding. A 1/4" to 1/2 "gap above the shingle/ flashing/ metal roof is the most common way I have seen it installed. The cut edges need to be sealed and painted. For the electrical outlet the cover needs to have a foam gasket and I caulk the gap between the siding and the edge of the box. For the freon line situation Or any rounded pipe like that I place a splice there with factory edges that way you can cut half of the circle out on each piece to create a better fit. You don't want the copper touching the hardi because vibration could wear a hole it it over time. I caulk all penetrations through hardi with this before painting it. For your electrical power wire situation There really should be a nut on that where it passes into the attic that keeps it secured


https://www.lowes.com/pd/Big-Stretch-10-5-fl-oz-White-Paintable-Latex-Caulk/4411173

Agree with JP76. I have a home that is 19 years old and just paid to have the entire Hardie chimney box and some Hardie dormer trim replaced due to delaminating of the material. I suspect that the hardie was too close to the shingles on the original installation and that the cut portions of the Hardie were not primed before installation. I believe that recent winters with rain wicking into the unprimed portions of the Hardie and subsequent freezing temps caused a lot of the damage.

After a recent rainstorm, my roof leaked around the chimney box which had deteriorated to the point where water could blow in. I was very disappointed to find out that Hardie is not as weatherproof as I had originally thought!

Not an expert in Hardie but I can talk about practical experience. Hardie will soak up water like a sponge…literally. I like my hardie OFF the shingles by at least half an inch. I can tell you from experience that the way it is installed, it is going to get damaged during a reroof. Your siding will outlast the roof and this will be a concern. When the house swells or shrinks and those shingles are stuck under the siding, it will get cracked or ripped off when the shingles are removed. Sometimes there is no way around it. Depending on your contractor, he may or may not be willing to fix it. Some will if they are reasonable and some will point to the fine print in the contract.

I agree with JP…I think half inch off the shingles is adequate and a better option that 1-2". If you have proper J, L, or step flashing behind the hardie then 1-2" is probably actually best even if it looks funky.

Thanks for the insight.

So you don't feel there is a need blocking/flashing around large penetrations, like 4" dryer and 6" range exhaust? The current gaps are too large to be caulked, even with Big Stretch.

How about taping the WRB around penetrations?

Flashing at brick?

P.H. Dexippus said:

---

Thanks for the insight.

So you don't feel there is a need blocking/flashing around large penetrations, like 4" dryer and 6" range exhaust? The current gaps are too large to be caulked, even with Big Stretch.

How about taping the WRB around penetrations?

Flashing at brick?

---

What is under the hardi now ?

Osb sheathing covered by tyvek ?

For a 4 inch dryer vent we use a circle bit usually 4 1/8 or 4 1/4 to create a perfect circle. Then the vent passes through and we use Lexel sealant to seal the perimeter. On the actual cap if exiting horizontal I will use lexel on all sides except the bottom side is left open so it does not create a moisture dam if it ever finds its way inside from above.

A tight fighting hole saw at least sounds reasonable. But that's not what my guys did.


Under the Hardie is Tyvek over 3/4" foam board insulation. As you can see, there is missing foam board in places, the Tyvek is loose in the holes, and nothing is taped.


I get caulking the exterior of the penetrations where the fixture meets the siding, but isn't the hole point of a WRB undermined if it's left open at every penetration?

I am not a fan of hardi but I dont think I would let these guys do my siding

Before I start I dont know if my way is correct but I do know it takes a litttle longer

When I have a spigot or dryer vent I use a hole saw a 1/4 inch bigger and drill hole in siding then cut siding down the middle of hole and install or if there is play in dryer or pipe I push up to notch the top and then put the top piece right on top of it

As far as the roof goes I always run a 1x4 and then flash top of 1x4 and bring siding to the 1x4

I do this just in case roof flashing ever has to be replaced and you just pull off 1x4

Anyways my two cents and last I would never install hardi over foam board and dont know how hardi warranty's that

Think I would be sharing these photos with Hardie if you are using their website to find qualified contractors. That is a sloppy install.

This is a very poor siding job. I would be shocked if it would be supported by hardy warranty(they nitpick anyway). Call Home Exterior Systems in tomball. Even if your not in the area they can get you in touch with the right questions and or resources.

Bregxit said:

---

maddiedou said:

---

I am not a fan of hardi but I dont think I would let these guys do my siding

Before I start I dont know if my way is correct but I do know it takes a litttle longer

When I have a *****et or dryer vent I use a hole saw a 1/4 inch bigger and drill hole in siding then cut siding down the middle of hole and install or if there is play in dryer or *****et I push up to notch the top and then put the top piece right on top of it

As far as the roof goes I always run a 1x4 and then flash top of 1x4 and bring siding to the 1x4

I do this just in case roof flashing ever has to be replaced and you just pull off 1x4

Anyways my two cents and last I would never install hardi over foam board and dont know how hardi warranty's that


Water pipe sticking out is called a *****et but it is flagging *****et

---

Spigot.

---

Yep. Woke up at 3 am and said what the hell you dummy
and said to myself somebody has already probably posted spigot with a smiley face or worse

Cemplank waves a wand and calls them certified or preferred if they buy enough. They constantly change their warranty and install best practices

Thank goodness I know nothing about construction and nothing has ever gone wrong on my homes. This thread gave me a headache.

If those penatrations arent properly flashed for water, they could leak.

Our minimum policy is to at least apply a silicone sealant to the penetration prior to paper going on....but we usually put either zip flex tape(or something similar) or zip liquid flash.

Once you put the hardie on, there's only a few products that will seal the hole and look decent.

They will either need to "pookie" the heck out of it with a silicone based sealant which will for sure be ugly or use an exterior rated foam sealant that can be cut, sanded and painted. I'll be honest, I forgot the same of the foam product

So far as the bottom of the tyvek goes- you can put a through wall flashing but it's not necessary nor is it necessary to tape the bottom of the paper. It'd been more beneficial to silicone the plate when you had access to it. It's more concerning there's no water table, which would have taken the surface water and dropped it an inch or so outside the wall.

While water could get onto that paper, if the hardie was installed correctly, you shouldn't. If thrbpaper isn't taped well, then the vapor transfer qualities are lessened but I don't think you'll have actual water leakage problems from it

Thanks for the comments. Would there be a way to install water table trim after the fact? I don't see a recommendation/requirement from James Hardie, just a clearance requirement of 6" above dirt and 2" above hard surfaces.

It's not required, but is a really good idea.

There's no easy way I'm aware to retro actively install it