A Siding Upgrade That Exposed Two Big Problems

This summer, our team had the privilege of working for some clients who wanted to replace their existing cedar siding with a prefinished James Hardie cement board siding. Their two primary concerns were woodpecker damage to their existing siding, and finding a siding option with more margin against wildfire.

As the old siding was removed, it became apparent that the moisture barrier had been allowing water to migrate onto the sheathing. Missing flashing, improper caulking, and location all combined to allow moisture to collect in a 10-foot area along the deck, rotting structural elements, including the deck ledger, wall sheathing, rim joist, and studs in the basement wall. The team was able to temporarily shore up the deck, remove and replace damaged framing, and then proceed with the siding installation as planned. In conjunction with addressing the issue, our team kept the homeowners updated on the extent of the repairs and estimated impact to the budget.

It was a good reminder that every detail matters, as our homes face the climate all day, every day of the year, not just when we start thinking about the changing season.

I wish that had been the only issue hiding just out of sight that we found on this project, but the bigger surprise was hiding, not at the bottom of a wall assembly, but above our heads.

The metal shingle roof that had been installed only 16 years prior was also hiding something. The roof sheathing was so deteriorated that it could not be safely walked on. Further investigation revealed that the entirety of the second level sheathing needed to be replaced due to widespread rot. The main level roof system also gave evidence of moisture intrusion onto the sheathing along the gable end, but did not appear to need a total tear off. Our team again circled around to formulate a plan, and brought the homeowners up to speed with our findings. We ended up replacing all of the sheathing, lookouts, fascia, and barge boards on the second level roof, with our roofers installing a new standing seam metal roof that should outlast most of us.

Our takeaway from this discovery was the importance of understanding products—their strengths as well as their weaknesses—and proper installation. Products will be marketed with their strengths; in this case it was a 50-year metal shingle. Installers should be well vetted, and if something looks out of place or wrong, ask. While both problems were unfortunate, and bringing the issues up to the homeowners was not enjoyable, they were thankful we discovered and resolved it before their home went through another winter season.