Hardiplank Install Defect?

[randynavarro]

2 year old home. All houses in the development clad with the same product - Hardiplank horizontal lap siding (I'll assume its Hardi as they're the major supplier up here - could be someone else's fiber cement product but I'm almost positive is isn/t).

Siding looked funny. Too much exposure? I measured, which I usually don't do. All the lap siding was installed with exactly the same overlap - 1 1/8". Hardi specifically requires 1 1/4".

I was actually very impressed with how consistent the install was - not even a 1/16" deviation on all four sides of the building from plank to plank. Amazing! Unfortunately whatever jig they used to install was built 1/8" off.

I simply wrote what I saw and stated it was not installed to mfg's. specs (of course they first had to verify it was Hardi product)

I think this could be juicy red meat for hungry attorneys looking to drum up litigation. It is a BIG development.

Anybody have problems with 1/8" deviation from mfg's. specs?

[Chad Fabry]

That 1/8 probably won't amount to much of a problem and the reason it's so consistent is they almost certainly used the tool that's available that allows one person to hang siding. It hangs off the previously installed board and supports the piece to be nailed yielding extremely uniform exposures without much hassle.

Back to the overlap: I think part of the specified overlap is to ensure wind resistance for blind nailed siding, especially in larger exposures. The other part of the spec has to do with making the siding look like real clapboard. Since the fiber cement siding is 5/16 of an inch thick and it's not tapered the angle of the board gives the illusion of depth. Reducing overlap reduces the illusion.

[hausdok]

Hi Randy,

I think you can certainly point out that it doesn't comply with manufacturer's specs, but it would also be prudent to call or e-mail Hardi and talk to their tech support folks, to see how egregious an issue this is.

You and I both know how often we see uneven and crappily installed claps of every sort here and some water blows up behind virtually all clapboard siding, regardless of the amount of overlap. If it's installed professionally and uniformly, there's at least one layer of Class D building paper behind it and the 1/8-inch difference won't void the manufacturer's warranty, it's probably not something I'd go to battle over. Now, if the manufacturer says that it voids the warranty, that's a horse of a different color. You'd be foolish not to report that.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by randynavarro

. . . Anybody have problems with 1/8" deviation from mfg's. specs?

I can't imagine that it will make any practical difference to the performance of the siding.

- Jim Katen, Oregon