Gorton Siding And Remodels

Description of Work: Our house was built in 1993 and originally sided with T1-11. I have caulked and repainted the house 4 times in this period. We have had severe water damage to this siding and in particular the fascia over the years. Because we experience such temperature extremes here in Kennewick, WA (-20F to 120F) vinyl siding cannot be used due to the expansion coefficient for this type of siding. I decided, after a lot of research, to go with JamesHardie's siding; it has a concrete base and is highly recommended. The problem is that here in eastern Washington, the only contractor allowed to procure and install JamesHardie siding is Gorton out of Post Falls, Idaho, even though there is a contractor approximately 40 miles away in Hermiston, Oregon. The salesman from Gorton told me that the pre-painted Hardie siding had a 15 year guarantee. What he didn't tell me was that guarantee decreases by 6.7 % every year. So after 14 years the guarantee is only worth 6.7% of the original value. I inspected several spec homes being built in this area using Gorton and applying JamesHardie siding, and was impressed with both the material and the workmanship. Unfortunately, the two "carpenters" sent to my home were from the northern Washington/northern Idaho area, and were intent only on slapping up the siding as quickly as possible and getting out of town. The house has seems that look like a "V" or an inverted "V." They left gaps above one window of over 1/4" uncaulked. Many of the seems were uneven, by as much as 1/8" inch, which is easily noticeable. Even though I pointed out where my sprinkler control electrical lines were, they instead of moving them to the outside of the 1x1 they were attached to, placed siding right over the lines and then nailed through the lines, shorting out three zones. After several discussions with the Gorton salesman, he sent two of the local carpenters (one of which is the local supervisor) to fix some of the more noticeable problems. I was told by them that they had had to fix problems left by the two carpenters sent to my home on more than one occasion. My overall complaint is that the management at Gorton doesn't care about the quality of work at an individual home owner's homesite, only the subcontractors building several spec homes. If you are interested in applying Hardie siding to your home in this area, I would strongly suggest that you contact JamesHardie directly, and demand the Hermiston contractor be used. This area being all of eastern Wahington, were Gorton is the chosen JamesHardie rep. By the way, I had to fix the sprinkler control lines by myself, on my hands and knees since the only access lines available to me are about 6-in off the ground. Probably not a big problem to most people, but since I am recovering from a double fusion to two lower lumbar vertebrae, it was not a pleasant exercise. But this is not about me, this about Gorton, buyer beware.