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My husband and I bought a 30 year old unloved, uncared for house in a very nice area south of Houston. We have slowly been working on fixing or replacing all the small things outside that needed attention (new pumps and filters for the pool, new landscaping, regrading for drainage, etc.) We are now discussing our first large project. The house has a combo brick and wood exterior. The wood areas are warping, rotting, molding and generally showing their age. We've been researching different solutions (at different cost points) and are seriously thinking of replacing all the wood siding, trim and soffits with Hardie (fiber/cement board) products. Does anyone have any experience with this on an exterior application? Looking at the weight on this stuff, I'm wondering if additional structure support will be a consideration (weight is approx 2.5 lbs per sqft). Anyone have any other observations or issues we should be aware of?
Oh and no.....this will NOT be a DIY project. We know our limitations! I just always do as much research as possible BEFORE asking these question to the people that are trying to actually sell me the product and service. Any insight would be appreciated!
Here are front and back pics of the house. As you can see, the majority of the work will be in the back.
If your house is adequately framed there should be no issues; keeping in mind that the framing is supporting brick veneer at 42 lbs/sf (understanding that much of the weight of the brick will be supported by a concrete or masonry ledge or steel lintels - the framing still supports lateral loads). The most important part of the installation is proper installation of the weather resistant barrier that is installed over the sheathing, followed by proper installation of the cement fiber board (Hardie plank); since you are in Houston, you should be looking at their HZ10 product for your climate zone. Since you are not planning to DIY, I would suggest that you get a list of installations from contractors you are considering and do a drive by to see how they look - also talk to their references to get a sense of how they performed.
We had our cedar shakes replaced w/ Hardie about 1 1/2 years ago.
We are very pleased w/ the results
Have you looked into some of the other products on the market that are similar to Hardi but at less cost? I will post links later.
I've heard of the less expensive alternatives but I was worried about trading quality for price. Not something I want to do for a major renovation! The reason I posted here was for more info on Hartie and also any other products that are available. Obviously, I would definately be interested in anything that saves money and still provides a quality product. If you have some suggestions, please do share them!
You, and many more people across the US are discovering the inadequeces of T1-11 siding (that is the plywood siding that appears to be on the house right now). It was a great cheap alternative to structural panel/decorative siding in the '70's and '80's. But it's life span was definitely not long. So, suffice it to say that there will probably be nothing behind that siding except for bare studs and insulation, unless it's the cheap thin non-structural stuff. If it is the previous, this will be a great time to add structural sheathing, foam board for additional insulating value, and housewrap for a tighter house.
James Hardie products can easily attest to claims of 90% market share when it comes to fiberous cement siding. I believe that stands as a great testament to the product, the warranty, and the detailed attention to installation procedures (they have recomendations for different parts of the country due to weather conditions).
Their latest products of prefinished lapboard siding seems to be gaining a lot of momentum; especially in the re-siding and remodeling markets. I haven't used it because of the limited color selection.
Though I do use the lap board siding, I'm not a fan of the perf'ed panel used for soffit (in some parts of the country and/or placement of structures, this product is required by code because of it's fire resistance) or the trim pieces. I prefer regular ply and continuous vent- or sq. soffit vents for the soffit and PVC trim for corner boards, freize, and facia.
On another note- by the picture you posted I see you haven't done anything with the downspout problem.
You, and many more people across the US are discovering the inadequeces of T1-11 siding (that is the plywood siding that appears to be on the house right now). It was a great cheap alternative to structural panel/decorative siding in the '70's and '80's. But it's life span was definitely not long. So, suffice it to say that there will probably be nothing behind that siding except for bare studs and insulation, unless it's the cheap thin non-structural stuff. If it is the previous, this will be a great time to add structural sheathing, foam board for additional insulating value, and housewrap for a tighter house.
James Hardie products can easily attest to claims of 90% market share when it comes to fiberous cement siding. I believe that stands as a great testament to the product, the warranty, and the detailed attention to installation procedures (they have recomendations for different parts of the country due to weather conditions).
Their latest products of prefinished lapboard siding seems to be gaining a lot of momentum; especially in the re-siding and remodeling markets. I haven't used it because of the limited color selection.
Though I do use the lap board siding, I'm not a fan of the perf'ed panel used for soffit (in some parts of the country and/or placement of structures, this product is required by code because of it's fire resistance) or the trim pieces. I prefer regular ply and continuous vent- or sq. soffit vents for the soffit and PVC trim for corner boards, freize, and facia.
On another note- by the picture you posted I see you haven't done anything with the downspout problem.
Actually yes we have made "temporary" fixes to the gutters when we cleaned them (We think it was the first cleaning in at least 20 years). The real fix is all new gutters. That will be addressed at the same time as the siding. As far as drainage, what you can't see is that we have also installed french drains around the whole foundation to channel the water away. It was less expensive than regrading around the whole house. We had to dig out around and expose the foundation for termite prevention. The soil/mulch level around the whole house was over 1" above the weep holes in the brick veneer. Other than regrading the front/back/side yards, channel drains were the only option we had.
Which gutter are you speaking of specifically and I can tell you what we did below it. I have lots and lots of pictures of the work we have done. I think I've had a hand on every inch of this house's foundation over the last year doing repairs and landscaping.
The back of house pic is an old one. We now have a gravel channel and french drain that runs the across the front of the bed and drains to the driveway. Heres a current picture of the area. Obviously everything is covered by the mulch. We have a heavy ran a couple of weeks ago and the drains worked perfecty! Not a drop of water in the house!
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Any insight would be appreciated!
). The real fix is all new gutters. That will be addressed at the same time as the siding. As far as drainage, what you can't see is that we have also installed french drains around the whole foundation to channel the water away. It was less expensive than regrading around the whole house. We had to dig out around and expose the foundation for termite prevention. The soil/mulch level around the whole house was over 1" above the weep holes in the brick veneer
