SIDING Prep - DO NOT INSTALL Siding Till You Watch This

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[GillesTanguay]

We’re building a cabin this summer and I spend so many hours on your channel learning the do’s and don’ts of building. Thank you so much for your dedication, I really learned (and still learning) with your videos.

[ivanxyz]

I used this methodology of installing a rain shield/screen without even knowing that this was a thing. I noticed that the air gap also helps insulate the house. The veneer also lasts a lot longer like Matt said. That air gap makes a HUGE difference in everything. Great video!

[Darisiabgal]

I need to make a few corrections. Not everyone is going to have 6” of exterior insulation. The reason that you don’t want hardiplank touching the wall, not even the moisture barrier. The hardy plank is 4 times denser than wood, it’s insulation capability is lower than wood as a result on very cold days where warm moist air comes in the cement boards are going to have condensate build up on the inside, the material itself with water will cause nails to rust (insect excrement, dust, acid rain, and other variables can also contribute) water will run behind the water proofing. Most houses have significant overhang that rain is not going to be much of the problem most of the time, but that moisture condensation, the moisture only evaporated slowly during certain times of the year. This is a particular problem on the north facing side of houses or houses with a lot of nearby trees or shrubs where sunlight is a premium. This is why if you live near the coast or where humidity is higher you can expect some moisture to condense behind the cement board. Thus you need a breather zone even if your overhang is 6 feet. The 4’ x 8’ panels have somewhat of a less problem but need to be caulked and painted frequently. The plank is a particular problem because of the rate moist air can blow between the gap.

The other problem, that 3/4 inch gap ‘moisture shield’ is large enough for mice to crawl into, there supposed to be screen at bottom and top, and it should be metal, because they will gnaw through softer materials. The rodents can just gnaw right through the asphalt paper, so if they can get behind the hardiplank your moisture guard is toast. I know this for fact, the house I’m working on, his pipes in the kitchen froze because the rats chewed right through the asphalt paper and they were using it to build nests with, that 11 degree wind was blowing through the walls like nothing was there. If rats reach your insulation it’s R value goes down quick as they make it look like Swiss cheese. Not only that field mice can gnaw through a small hole in Sheetrock, they are in your house. There the critter screen, not just for bugs should also be able the keep rodents out. General rule is, if the gap is bigger than the minimum diameter of a mouses skull, then a mouse can get in, say goodbye to your moisture shield. If the material is softer than a mouse’s tooth, then they can gnaw right through it.

A forth problem, if you buy the nails for hardiplank and don’t use the shield, then don’t use the 2.5 + inch nails. A stud wall, minimally, is 3.5 inches wide, that hardiplank is less than a half inch thick, if you fire a 3 inch nail into a wall, blind, you can hit a pipe or wire. I have a fault in one house I need to find, and pretty sure the stupid contractor, who did not use a shield and used 3 inch nails shot a wire through. Electricians are not careful about centering wires in studs nor do they use strike plates routinely when they don’t center the wire, and frankly, the velocity that a pneumatic nailer fires, it doesn’t matter if the wire is plated at the stud or not, if he misses the stud it will go right through a non-centered wire near the exterior of the wall. This house is particularly problematic because it’s got an FPE main panel, and breakers of that make will only throw once, then fail to subsequently trip, so that combo is a recipe for a house fire. As Matt has already shown in another video, careless contractors can fire through pipes, with copper the nail will seal the copper and it won’t leak for a few months, long after the contractor has his money and is gone, I see this alot. So it’s a good idea they are using the appropriate fastener for the task, and that extra 3/4 on the 1 x 4 (really Matt 1x2 is good enough) will also protect the wires and pipes in the walls.

Cement board installation contractors are a dime a dozen, do some research and find one that knows what they are doing.

[likmik]

As an architecture student learning about the importance of rain screens (the open cavity between siding and insulation) I really enjoyed the content. I also appreciate the effort that you make to share good building practices and insights!

[jpvillth]

My Uncle's house was built in 1950 in New York state and sided with redwood lap siding (wedge cross-section). He had a constant headache with paint peeling and blistering. He discovered that the back side had never been painted and the siding was placed directly on the ship-lap sheathing. To shorten the story he removed the original siding, painted the back side, and built an equivalent rain screen to this here. It has been 40 years and it still has the paint from 1980 when he completed the redo. That is hard to beat. The siding and wood trim has no rot any where.

[joelfeinberg]

I have been building energy efficient houses over forty years. The rain screen has been around for long time. Most builders including yourself install foam insulation on the outside when it should be installed on the inside. The reason being is that moisture from cooking and bathing with the foam insulation on the inside and taped and plastic sheathing prevents water from getting in the wall and rotting the framing. I was told I was crazy actually I think everyone else was trying to eco friendly but were just saving money on sheathing. 20 years after I built the house the way I stated, I did an addition to the house, which required exposing areas of the original framing. All the area I exposed were dry no signs of dampness or mold. There were other items I did to save energy and prevent heat loss. About a year later a guy called saying the floor in his townhouse was collapsing. I knew of the builder all the units were built on crawlspace with floor trusses and foam sheathing on the exterior, it was the only sheathing. We went into the crawlspace and right away you could see the trusses had wet rot, we then pulled up carpet and removed some drywall, the wall framing also hat wet rot. The crawlspace space had a rat slab and was dry. I told the owner he had serious problems and there was no way I could give him fixed price to repair the problem and certainly without doing more demolition. He hired someone with a pick and that the last I heard from him. 45year after building the house I first mentioned the owner sold it. He told me the inspector had never seen a house framed and insulated like that before and though it was different he could find nothing wrong except the heat pumps were dated and should be upgraded.

[Messerwon]

Best practice is actually to build another house on the outside of that house, like a shield in front of the shield. You can never have too much protection and it ups your R value a little bit. 😅

[mancinidesignbuild]

I created a similar assembly for a 2nd story cantilevered bedroom bay in 2017, for an investment property I renovated. This was a 110 year old rowhome that had no insulation.The difference was I used 2.5" Rockwool comfortbatt with pressure treated battens, finished with square edge 1"x6" cedar siding. I also used Coravent which I had to explain to my carpenter how to install along with a video and pdf instructions, as it was unheard of at that time.
This assembly continued under the bay, sides and roof of bay for complete insulation on all exterior locations of the bay.
Interior was insulated with R-15 Rockwool for a total of R-25.

[ferraridan]

Also called a drainage plain. The way you're supposed to install sliding but it is rarely done. Great job!!; from a fellow contractor.

[wgxuyqi]

Thumbs up to your nerdiness... i watched yours videos a few years ago and got so many excellent ideas from you that i incorporated in own my house...

[kylegordon]

Also a recommendation in Scotland, that siding flashing over lintels and suchlike should channel water from the inside to the outside. Confuses many builders coming up from England who just seal on the outside... and then the water comes in.

[ashleylitebrite]

Our home was built in 1938, which led me to seek your kind of channel. I'm so glad I found you. Thanks for your expertise and all the help you provided. Now we know what to ask for and look for when hiring businesses to update our exteriors. You've gained a new loyal subscriber. Thanks again!

[hilux]

I’ve been doing siding for 20 years in the northeast, Always used a good vapor barrier, never dealt much with a rain screen but I definitely like the idea. The biggest problem I see is the quality of the siding materials themselves. So many different types and problems with everything. Quality installation is always key.

[nickb.]

My house is almost 1 year old now and I could cry thinking about everything I wish I had asked to be done after watching this renovation.

[iheggis]

Subcontractors must be like “what is he asking for now 🙄”

[dylanwilliamson]

Never done a rain screen before but would like to start. Was curious if you could do another video on rain screening around windows? How to flash your trim? Building out the window for the nailing flange?

[ccwnyc]

The battens will provide soundproofing too, the way whisper clips do on interior wallboard. Rain and wind pelt the Hardy and only the battens transfer sound

[Lawiah]

Matt kicks the James Hardie siding and says, "This is Sparta!" 300 flash back.

[williamdecamp]

Very nice Matt but recessing those structural screws for your 1x4 to support your Hardie is not necessary if placed just before the overlap of siding. That’s how I do mine just because of the extra effort of recessing for the screw head. Using a story pole for siding, it’s very easy to determine where to place the screws, then start the screws on a bundle of 1x4’s, snapping a chalk line and pre screw them where they go and then install on the wall. With 2x6 and 2” rigid foam with a rain screen, awesome high energy wall assembly. I prefer the “innie” windows install for that depth look. Your videos have taught me a lot. 👍

[jpvillth]

Maybe it wasn't available when you did this, but Coravent makes a vent that will replace the vertical and horizontal boards with just a horizontal coravent product that can be nailed or screwed through.
When you explain it and what I saw and relearned from Building Science courses, it becomes so obvious that the rainscreen will work better than ever expected. Thank you for the videos, Matt.