RM Siding

We purchased our first home in late April, and as our first major project, opted to redo the existing paper-based siding and gypsum sheathing with new wood-based sheathing and Hardie Board plank. We also chose to add Tyvek Home Wrap where there was no water-resistant barrier previously. We did not replace windows though, and this ended up causing a lot of unforeseen headaches in the siding install. Although it eventually got worked out, and we are happy with the product, we do feel that there were serious waterproofing mistakes that were made around all door/window/duct penetrations that had been covered with finished work. We feel like these errors were only remedied because we are both architects and we were working from home and could see the progress. We used our experience and resources to compare the finish work with the manufacturer’s specs, and we had Tyvek and Hardie representatives out to the site to give their professional opinion. The consensus was that although it looked great, it was not going to satisfactorily keep out water. Long story short, our windows are flangeless, and instead of properly sealing the wrap around the frames, the installers cut generous holes in the Tyvek around the windows/doors, and after the siding went up, one could still see framing and sheathing through the gaps. There were other minor issues with trim flashing as well. We feel that the siding crew could use more training on water-resistant barriers and flashing details. We understand that our windows are not a common type, but a little bit of research into best practices would have been appreciated rather than making guesses as to a work-around. Also, we learned that the promised material warranty on the Tyvek was void because the material was sourced from Home Depot and Lowes, rather than a verified supplier. This turned out not to be a big deal to us, but buyer beware. The work was put on hold while we negotiated a fix, which turned an 8 day project into an 80 day project. The project manager was always very polite, but was generally slow to respond, and we had to follow up several times on some questions. Ultimately, about 60% of the siding had to be taken off to adequately waterproof the penetrations that had been improperly sealed. Luckily we were able to remedy this before painting started. Credit is due to the painting and gutter subcontractors, and we would 100% recommend them. (Especially the painter, James Zuniga, who was professional, responsive, and had superior attention to detail.) Lastly, there were some minor damages to existing dryer vents and the electrical panel (which was not surprising given the amount of work done), and we had negotiated a full credit for having people come out to repair the damages. We were credited about halfway for the repairs, but not as much as we’d negotiated, which was disappointing, but a small cost compared to the overall project. All things said, we are pleased with the end result, but would have expected more siding expertise for a company calling itself Atlanta’s Premier Siding Company.