Before installing exterior siding, ensure that the mounting block is level and secure by driving screws around the flange. Waterproof the edges of the mounting block with sealant. For vinyl siding, cut the siding to fit around the block and attach the trim ring.
To install exterior wood siding, gather materials and make a plan by gathering materials and making a plan. Use a crowbar and hammer to remove a section of existing exterior cladding to see what is behind the old material. Check the no-pest vent on wood or vinyl siding to save money, increase airflow, and decrease drafts.
Ventilate siding to prevent water accumulation and allow paint to last longer. Vertical strapping allows water to drain down and air flow up, allowing the back of the siding to dry as quickly as possible. Establish a level indicator line for the first row of siding or panels and ensure that the first siding row overlaps the top of the foundation block by at least.
Wood siding is easy to install, long-lasting, and weatherproof, making it an excellent choice for many homes. It adds natural beauty to an exterior and is also easy to install. To install the vent, remove the siding, install the vent, and reinstall the siding cutting it to fit around the vent. Lay the rectangle block on the siding in plumb position, ensuring the top of the block is near the bottom of a shingle. Install Fraser Ventilated L-Moulding (or bug screen) across the bottom of all Fraser siding wall sections, ensuring the ventilation strip is level and secured.
📹 Mounting Blocks // The FINAL Step Before Siding
Here are all the details on the methods we are using to deal with mechanical and electrical penetrations in exterior walls to …
What goes under wood siding?
Underlayment, a weather-resistant barrier, is installed between the siding and sheathing to prevent water damage and mold. It can be tar paper or a house wrap like HardieWrap® or Tyvek HomeWrap®. HardieWrap® helps keep water out while allowing water vapor to escape, preventing mold and water damage. Insulation is crucial for exterior walls, keeping the cold out and regulating temperature. It plays a significant role in energy efficiency, lowering utility bills and making homes more comfortable. Investing in insulation can lower utility bills and make the home more comfortable to live in.
Flashing is another water-resistant material that guides water out of the home. It is thin and impervious, allowing water to flow away from the house to the exterior more easily. Investing in insulation is a great idea and worth considering when replacing siding.
Do I need a mounting block for exterior lights?
A mounting block is a crucial component for installing exterior light fixtures, house numbers, or mailboxes on a house with vinyl siding. These blocks are installed on top of the vinyl siding to provide a level, flat surface for any type of fixture. They come in various styles, sizes, and shapes to accommodate the specific light fixture’s base. It is important to replace the existing mounting block if you are moving from a bigger light fixture base to a smaller one. Larger mounting blocks omit gaps, eliminating the chance of water entering the fixture, ensuring safety.
How do you install siding vents?
Proper ventilation is essential for maintaining a healthy and comfortable home environment. Gable vents are a practical solution to improve airflow and create a well-ventilated living space. They are not only functional but also add aesthetic appeal to your home’s exterior. Insufficient ventilation can lead to unhealthy temperatures in the attic, causing shingles to deteriorate, roof sheathing to distort, and mold and mildew growth. This heat can also infiltrate the living spaces, making it difficult to maintain a comfortable indoor environment.
Gable vents are typically located at the ends of the roof’s peak, directly beneath the eaves on the sides of the house. A minimum of two gable vents are typically required, and if your roof has multiple gables or peaks, the number of vents may increase. In summary, proper attic ventilation is crucial for maintaining a healthy and comfortable home environment.
How to hang outdoor lights on siding?
Hanging string lights is a quick and easy process using DécoVinyl hangers. First, install hangers along the seam at the desired height, then place the light strand wire over the hooks and adjust the position to hang close to a hook for extra support. Avoid using nails on vinyl siding when installing or adjusting the hangers. Use wire strands instead of clips for hanging, as they are easier to use. Keep the strand taut but not too tight, as it can move slightly with the wind and pop out the hangers. DécoVinyl hangers are easy to remove and reuse, making it quick and easy to change your décor with the seasons. Overall, hanging string lights is a quick and easy process that can be done with ease.
How to seal an outdoor light fixture on siding?
This guide provides a step-by-step guide on sealing an outdoor light fixture on siding. It includes preparing the work area, cleaning the surrounding area, cutting the nozzle, puncturing the inner foil seal, loading the sealant gun, applying the sealant, tooling the sealant, and leaving it to cure. If you believe you have been blocked, contact the site owner for assistance. If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges, enter your email address and click “Send” to regain access.
How do you fix gaps in wood siding?
To repair wood siding cracks and splits with less than a 1/16-inch gap, use an appropriate wood filler. Avoid using fillers that cure hard for small cracks or splits, such as architectural epoxies, auto body fillers, or interior-grade fillers. Epoxies are suitable for rotted wood or larger holes, but not for cracked or split wood siding.
Flexible caulk is the best product for cracked or split siding, but not all caulks will work. Standard acrylic latex caulk is too shiny for wood grain splits, and most wood siding has some texture. Water-based caulk is the best choice for wet area tile installations, available in a wide variety of colors and applied like any other caulk. Water-based tile caulks are flexible, sticky, and available in sanded or unsanded varieties, but use the unsanded variety as sanded caulks contain sand, giving the caulk too much texture.
How do you anchor something to siding?
In order to affix a decorative element, it is first necessary to slide the hook mounting hardware behind a siding piece. It is then essential to ensure that the area is thoroughly cleaned and rinsed with rubbing alcohol before the use of suction cups. Once the area has been allowed to dry completely, the suction cup should be moistened and then pressed firmly into place.
How do you install a mounting block on siding?
To install a vinyl siding mounting block, turn off the electricity supply and remove the trim ring. Position the block against the vinyl siding in the desired location, trace around it with a pencil, and cut through the markings with a utility knife or oscillating tool. The opening should be 1/8 to 1/4 inch larger than the block around all sides. Loosen the siding section over the work area, lift it, and slide the mounting block underneath it. Fit the hole you cut over the block, adjusting the size if necessary.
Check the position of the block with a level, fit a galvanized screw on your power drill’s screwdriver bit, position a screw in the small gap between the block and the siding, drive the screw through the block’s flange into the wall, and finish adding screws around all sides of the flange. Caulk around gaps in the mounting block to waterproof the installation, especially when mounting electrical components.
Attach the trim ring to cover the seam where the mounting block and vinyl siding meet. Pop the loosened siding section back into place along the bottom. If the mounting block doesn’t match your vinyl siding color, take a scrap of siding to the paint store and have the paint store mix a matching color. Paint the mounting block.
How do you use a mounting block?
To perform a stirrup, the rider should position their left foot in the stirrup, reach for the offside pommel, center their weight on the horse’s back, and then sit down comfortably on the horse’s back.
How do you install a vent block?
It is recommended that block work be laid in courses with dowels and wire mesh every three layers. The dowels and wire mesh should be buttered and pressed into the mortar bed, and all mortar joints should be filled and tooled to a minimum depth of 5mm. The installation of vent blocks requires the input of skilled workers.
Does wood siding need an air gap?
The installation of wood siding over furring is recommended to create a drained air space between the drainage plane and wood siding. In contrast, vinyl and aluminum siding have a more pronounced drainage space and require furring.
📹 SIDING Prep – DO NOT INSTALL Siding Till You Watch This
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Are the picture frames absolutely necessary between the OSB and the vent? Or is it ok to mount the vent directly to the OSB with screws + silicone caulking, then add a picture frame around the vent to hide the screws, making it more aesthetically pleasing? This is assuming the vent has enough clearance when mounted directly to the OSB that it doesn’t interfere with the surrounding siding.
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.
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.
Matt, up here in the northeast we call those wooden battens by another name — thermal bridges. You are about a month ahead of me in construction. I’m just starting my rain screen siding now. I’m using a product from Armatherm which is described as a Z-girt. It is a z-shaped fibre glass strip that holds the insulation down while providing a nail bed (or in my case a screw bed) for the siding. These have the advantage of not serving as a thermal bridge, which probably does not matter as much in Austin as it does in Boston. The miscalculation on my part was how hard this installation has turned out to be. The siding I chose is installed with aluminum clips that provide the air-gap that makes it a rain screen. The installation is incredibly labor intensive. It looks great and will last forever, but not very economical.
The pricing for this sounds very high. Granting that the price of lumber is currently outrageous, I would be very surprised if the labor portion was more than $.75 / sqft on the high side of things. Also, for gods sake, slope ALL penetrations. There is no excuse for drilling the whole at a 90 degree when you can just as easily slope the whole downward to the outside. Gravity is your friend.
If you live in an area with enough rain (>20″ per year) to warrant considering installing a rainscreen, then you should also consider using treated wood furring. Pine is not naturally decay resistant. If the point of a rainscreen is to drain and dry the wall from rain that gets past the siding, you should also use a more durable furring to hold up to that moisture over time. Oregon code requires wood furring to be naturally decay resistant wood (cedar, redwood, etc.) or treated wood.
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.
Question? why would you want all your electrical service outside? On my shop I put the meter box with its 200 amp main breaker outside ran conduit through the wall and have the service box inside. It would seem the less wall penetrations you have the better plus the breaker panels always take a beating out in the elements whereas if you put the service inside your box and breakers will stay pristine.
I’ll never understand why anyone would want an OUTDOOR load center. You gotta get out in the elements every time a breaker trips. I know breakers aren’t normally supposed to trip, but when they do, it’s often at a very inconvenient time. Going outside during an electrical storm to reset a breaker is a horrible idea, and you end up encouraging it when you put a breaker box outside. People gotta have their lights or whatever back on, so they’re going to expose breakers to rain while touching the breakers with wet hand while standing in a puddle of water. Outdoor breakers invite death!
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.
The one item I would suggest you change in future homes is mounting main service panel w/breakers on exterior. The only electrical on exterior should be metered entrance, the main service breaker panel should be on interior wall opposite that metered entrance. While you obviously don’t live in snow country which severely obstructs access to a breaker, it’s just more convenient having interior access to all breakers. We generally have a dedicated mechanical room for this but a laundry room or even garage can perform same. An additional advantage of interior over garage or exterior placement, we have just a single penetration through vapor-air barrier for 4/0 wire, not 25+ holes to seal required for each circuit. While most solar integrated systems from relay safety switches to inverters, junction boxes and battery systems are rated for exterior fitment, having those items in a mechanical room or even garage is also better for management, servicing and monitoring. Nice details, especially that vertical siding porch. Gonna be a nice home for your family 👍
Great article and things to look for. Have a question related to installing hardie plank over brick. I plan to use furring strips similar to your article over the brick and in between install 1.5 inch insulation panels. The question is, do I install the vapor barrier over the brick first or does it go over the furring strips? I will appreciate your comments
info MATT, how much wind and rain do you get there and what is your temp range across seasons., please. I am in southwest Australia and am interested in the comparison. if this is ok? The Hardy products are a shop stocked line here but we seem to get mostly double brick in our constructions. Our winter winds average around 100+ klms per hour for the main wet months in the heavy rain fronts. The building codes/construction I see in this part of the world are quite a way behind your “codes” even though we hav e temp ranges in the south here of 0 – 40 deg C but not much variation in the building stile and/or the consideration for the climate … great articles and content. thanks
Hey Matt, Whats your thoughts on installing a nice big 1×4 or 1×6 trim around all your windows? My thought is to do it this way for future window replacement if needed. When its time to replace the windows, you simply need to remove the big trim & pull the window. This will prevent tearing off a bunch of siding. Also gives room to reseal the new window.
Hey Matt… you are becoming a big name in the building world, mad props bro.. Just wondering, do you have any articles where you’ve got tool bags on? Not trying to troll by any means… but as a pro, trying to educate myself on best practice, while during my 6:30-5 work day pound nails with tradesman, grunts, old timers and dummies, your advice and knowledge would go over even better if you were the guy installing… or at least you talked with the guys in the background… for the people on the ground it would be nice to hear about pitfalls of installing rain screen, are those outside extension jambs as much of a hassle as they look like they are to make look good, do they get pocket screwed together and then pocket screwed to framing/batts? I dig the science, as a youngish carpenter/GC I try every day to continue the education I skipped in school to build high functioning structures… but dude, you kind of talk a lot and the details you hit are great for the FineHomeBuilding audience, but could we get down to some knitty gritty for guys who are banging walls all day…. It sucks, but its the reality… carpenters are a dying breed, we make less than most tradesman, we are asked to be well versed in a wide swath of building phases (or at least I am…as are many as well) set footings/forms/occasionally pouring concrete/frame/roll trusses/cut rafters/roof/hang windows and doors/install flooring, including tile/trim/install insulation and eave vents-baffles/blow in attics/custom built-ins and cabinets/stairs.
So timely! I’m in the process of residing my house. I am using Prosoco MVP, Joint and Seam Sealer, and Fast Flash and doing a rain screen. It has been a bit of a challenge getting the subs on board. Today I had to agree to pay them more for doing the battens and Cor a vent. Once they got more money for the extra work they are liking the concept. They have never done this before. They now see what I’m doing and agree that it is a worth while process. Of course I learned about the rain screen from “The Build Show”. Thanks Matt for teaching about the best practices! Oh, I have to say that Fast Flash is a mess! I’m here in central Texas also!
Great job Matt! Being new to Texas and starting another home inspection business it’s vital for me to find, follow and learn the absolute best construction practices for a specific region. Your articles are easy to understand but yet highly educational. Appreciate the time and effort you took to creating this article and following your passion! I’m looking forward to hiring you in the future! Until then, take care. – Kevin Ninnis
You spend so much time, money, and planning on something that realistically wont last 100 years. Traditionally built brick structures easily last 300 years using 300 year old technology. The way we engineer and build structures today is silly. Most all houses built today show the planned obsolencence and disposable everything mentality that made the 20th century so terrible.
If i were to redo my siding and add housewrap (currently doesnt have any) and add those 1×4 boards, would i need to redo all my windows and doors bc everything will now stick out further by 3/4 of an inch? And out even more if i wanted to add outside insulation like the poly-iso. House built in early 80s and coastal.
Why not just have Yeti build you a 2700 sq ft cooler and cut a hole in it for a door. What ever happened to fresh air. Ive torn into 75 year old houses with no house wrap, no insulation panels, no artifical wood or plastic. Siding nailed directly to studs. Corner braces and no wood sheathing panels…also, no rotten wood. Just good old fashioned carpentry. Houses that have survived decades of storms, tornados, hurricanes, torrential sideways rain. Although fun to watch and learn new technology, there’s still something to be said about just good sound construction techniques, and a few air leaks for some fresh air.
I hate to be that guy who makes suggestions, but there’s one thing I’d change. I would figure out a way to shield the bug screen from debris like pollen, dust, lawnmower debris, over-sprayed paint, anything over the years. I’d hate to have to spray-wash 20 year old screening which could tear it all up. Maybe install it upside down, or higher up behind the siding. It’s just a shame to have a beautiful 50-year siding installation with that one Achilles heel element. This might not be an issue with your house, but I’d worry about it on mine.
It’s not a shield from outside rain. But it is vent gap, to release steam during cold winter times, which penetrates throught the wall from inside to outside! Without this gap steam will condenseted on the internal side of the wall siding and siding will the rotten. Usually 1 inch is not enought for proper vent, since ancient times gap was 2 fingers wide or about 3/4 ” Good luck!
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 articles, Matt.
Very well done and informative articles. Love the attention paid to airtightness. Every detail is cared for. My only caution – and full disclosure, this comes from someone in the insulation industry making a competing product (and all contractors and even architects fall victim to this lack of disclosure by the polyiso makers) is the overstatement of R values. They can really pump it up for their ASTM test results, but once shipped the dropoff can be considerable with rapid off-gassing. Even taking into consideration the LTTR as the design value, there is plenty of third-party testing on in-situ values far below what is printed on the panels and less than their LTTR statement. The R6 or R6.5 claimed is never realized in the field. I know the National Roofing Contractors Association has done extensive studies, replicated in other studies done in B.C. and Massachusettes concluding “NRCA has revised its design in-service R-value recommendation to 5.0 per inch thickness in all climate conditions”. Expecting R6 and getting R5 performance is a 17% miss. Not insignificant. It’s EPS for me, especially if the vapor barrier is on the interior side of the assembly which is the norm in cold climates. Known, stable, and permanent R-value for life with great water vapor transmission. I’ll take the R4.05 per inch when it’s the best R-value per dollar there is and it never lowers.
Can I go back 65 years and have them install a rain shield under my siding? Now after 65 years of stuff happening, the siding won’t hold the paint. Painter drilled a thousand holes in the siding to vent it but the insect shields fall out and get painted over. Then next painting he replaces them, except the old ones are no longer available, so he buys larger ones, these holes get awfully big over time.
Very nice Matt but recessing those structural screws for your 1×4 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 1×4’s, snapping a chalk line and pre screw them where they go and then install on the wall. With 2×6 and 2″ rigid foam with a rain screen, awesome high energy wall assembly. I prefer the “innie” windows install for that depth look. Your articles have taught me a lot. 👍
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 article 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.
Hi Matt, I love the idea of this rain screen. In our 1970s somewhat Scandinavian looking house in Baltimore MD we now have a vertical 6×1 tongue and groove cedar plank siding. Lots of leaks. A local contractor (lets call them F* brothers) forgot to put flashing over the windows that they installed all around the house. Also our roof has very little overhang. No soffit. We want to redo our siding, starting with the insulation, weather proofing, and then the best siding we can fit with the limited roof overhang ( or.. we need a new roof at the same time ) What puzzles me is how we can attach anything, including the rain screen, without creating water entry points in the wrap or boards that provide the water and air shielding behind the siding. In the article we can see the big screws going through the 1x4s. How deep do they go through the insulation into the house frame? Are they all targeting framing or randomly into boards mounted on the framing? I would like to see a article highlighting those aspects. Regards Ronald
Nice article Matt! I’m doing “outie” windows to accomodate Roxul ComfortBoard and battons for siding. In your article, it looks like your drip edge over the windows does not go back all the way to the sheathing / Tyvek. There really is not a close up shot to be sure. I’d appreciate clarification. Thanks
Seeing all the work running and sealing the breaker box wiring, I have to ask why you don’t save all those unnecessary penetrations and either install the box inside so you only need to run a couple of big wires inside, or build a cabinet for them on the outside of the wall that is connected to conditioned space. Basically expand the envelope over the breaker panel. Then you just use a separate meter base with a conduit running into the cabinet, and you only have a single penetration instead of 20 dozen. It will also look nicer having a finished matching cabinet instead of an industrial surface mount box. I know building the cabinet might be a little more work, but it would probably make the electrical equipment last longer, as well as looking better.
What if the arrow penetrates your shield where your arm is? You cant hold up the shield anymore, then the next arrow will do some damage. The problem with your spacing is the hardie can get wavy when it heats up and expands slightly and looks ragged when looked at down the length. 12 inch spacing for battens is best but then you have to block framing.
Everyone Stop (Matt With Love) this is not best practice. It is required when wind speeds in that area justify it… we build to suite conditions – as determined by code. California homes aren’t the same as Alberta homes. Why not build for Radon in all homes? Or seismic events?? It’s only “best practice” in those areas otherwise it’s overkill and degrades the economics of the project.
Wow! – — QUESTION — Matt, @06:24 you say that the cost of the batton installation including labor is ABOUT $12,000.00. I assume that’s a mistake. No way those batton stirps were that expensive including installation. IF you are paying that much for a day’s work, PLEASE hire me! DId you mean $1,200.00??
I have seen a lot of mice chew through that 2 insulation board. And that congregated plastic is used for ridge vent and squirrels chew it up, meaning mice will also, just a bit slower. Admittedly mice have a bit of ADHD going on, so it may take several hundred mice, but that could be just a few years. Your house looks air tight so that also means they will be less motivated to chew through it, but I worry about DIY’ers and it being used on remodels and on less airtight houses. The smells and heat coming out of the house will draw the mice and there is just not much to stop them there. And the options for a permanent fix to stop the critters, after the fact, is going to cost several thousand. Also keep in mind if the mice (or other rodents) chew through that it will also lets in snakes, and down in your neck of the woods, scorpions.
Thanks for the article. I live in a high fire risk zone in the San Diego mountains. The air gap is definitely not best practices in this setting. In case of a fire, the Hardie panel is not going to burn, but it will get extremely hot. That heat plus an air gap can cause gases from the other building materials to flash. That, plus the air gap below proving oxygen is not a good situation in a fire zone. A lot of “code” is based on certain assumptions of risk (fire, water intrusion, energy loss, etc.), best practices highly depend on where you build.
Been perusal your articles recently. May be building a small house on a property for my mother thats separate to the main house. R6 is nearly 80 bucks so i like the idea of just using zip sheeting like you. The question i have is what are the benefits in your opinion of adding your insulation on the outside vs using same type of insulation as zip r6 against the studs and then zip sheeting against that vs your method? Its basically building your own zip r6 but saving roughly 30 bucks per sheet. Thanks
I think a rain screen would even be useful in a hot dry climate where it almost never rains like the south west region. Having the exterior finish material lifted off the wall will greatly reduce the overall contact area for conductive heat transfer. Also, as the exterior finish heats up from the sun beaming on it all day, it will radiate heat off the backside of the material, but because there is an air gap, as the airspace heats up, the air will want to rise, and it will go out the vent at the top. Best case scenario, it might create a convection current behind your siding, constantly drawing in cooler air at the bottom vent near the ground and blowing hot air out the top vent.
I just had a siding guy come out for a quote with James Hardie.. they put some plate along the bottom to seal everything up and when I asked if that’s OK because it doesn’t allow for water to drain out and he said “no water will get behind the siding”…I wasn’t a fan of the answer but I don’t know much about siding. He made it seem like JH siding is bulletproof and we won’t have water getting behind it. How common is it for water to get behind the JH siding?
Researched adding exterior insulation. But one point never discussed in shows like this, is the problem of where the “dew point” relocates to, inside the existing wall, when exterior insulation is added…& that changes, per regional weather extremes. Alaskan research showed something like 3/4 of the total new + existing insulation, must be outside the existing wall, to prevent the dew point from happening inside the existing wall. THAT seems very important to at least mention, isn’t it? I mean, ya’ll are focused on rain screens..rightfully so. But, what about the condensation point, & preventing that happening inside of existing framed walls?!? What about anti-mold & moisture coatings on existing T-111 siding, then mounting insulation, rain screen, & new siding? PLEASE share info on this!!!! Millions of old tract houses could seriously benefit from that.
This method has been used for years in the North Country where we live….. Extreme cold, high humidity summers, rain & lots ice & snow. It’s a “finished wrap” and the 1st barrier of weather. I am not a believer in Tyveck over the insul-board, because of excess perforation with staples/etc….let the foil back do its job stand alone. I prefer Black Stainless steel J-wrapped over the corrugated breather starting strip. This way dead bugs, grass debri, etc, etc can be hose sprayed off and a light nylon brushing every other year or as needed. The Black SS mesh scre won’t break down cleaning like poly screen.
Didn’t I see somewhere they or maybe here had the bottom trim piece but it was galvanized and had probably an inch of some kind of drip edge then it was about an inch of almost like screen you might use for stucco, the tighter woven stuff. The concept is there regardless, I think it’s a great idea, totally makes sense, question is why would you NOT add the rain screen now. 😊 I’ll do it, or some form of it.
How many new materials and techniques have been called “best practices” without knowing whether unforeseen reliability failure modes would materialize in 30+ years. Maybe this works for ceramic board but sure seems like wood, engineered wood, or plastic could lose flatness. Also will the foam hold moisture? Will the plastic venting fail and lose its intent? Dunno but too many unknowns here to call it a best practice. Appreciate the clarity of the article though.
ICF seems like it would have been way faster. Then most of these details. Wall and insultaltion boom done. Spray on wall barriers. Boom Done. Hot knife for everything else. I want a house this air tight. But for COST to COST. Matt details vs ICF I feel ICF would come in cheaper. Can you break down the labor and material cost for all these details framing and insulation details?
You are full of it! According to Experts You are creating %20 Non Rainscreen on your house with those 1 x 4 . So that means 20% of the house does not have a Rainscreen on it so that means 20% will trap the moisture behind that furring. That coravent clogs with dust fast thus negating airflow! Dumb dumb
Is it just me or does so much effort go into trying to make wood into the durable material it’s not? This seems like an incredibly fussy construction method. Layers upon layers, details upon details, tons of labor, wood, foil, plastic, fiberglass, sheathing, wraps, etc, etc, etc. It’s just nuts. This isn’t the only way to build a house.
@risingerbuild Matt – I don’t know if you are still replying to comments (the number of articles you post must make for a deluge of comments every day), but the one thing you don’t mention is the radiant barrier. That is, your article advocates installing “wooden battens” between the siding and the foil-faced poly-iso to create a “rain screen”. But heck, isn’t the foil-face meant to act as a radiant barrier? And a radiant barrier only works if you have an air gap between it and the next layer, which is siding. So, whether you install battens for a rain screen or not, you would have installed furring strips to form an air gap for the radiant barrier, no?
Won’t the siding “indent” between the extra 1×6 over time? Hardiplank is not as ridgid as wood and flexes a bit. Over time, I can foresee the sides having waves across the whole house because there’s no backing directly behind the “air gaps” so it will indent in. I would like to see this in 5 years to see if it waves.
Matt. I am doing vertical hardie siding incorporating a rain screen over zip sheathing. I am planning to install horizontal furring strips as you have. Due to the price of lumber currently, i intend to install mti 3/16″ corrugated lath strips between the zip and furring strip to allow airflow from bottom to top. Since i am using untreated pine, i am going to miter the top of the furring strip on a 45 to direct and water to the lath strip. What are your thoughts on this assembly vs the double layer of furring strips?
I enjoy these articles but after looking back, why use pine strips that don’t appear pressure treated or weather treated to be on the exterior to hold up the siding? If the siding material you is like some plastic that lasts incredibly long, wouldn’t it be better to use something that can last longer on the outside? Why not use cedar or some other durable wood species for holding it up?
I am a bit confused with the vapour issue in this house. There is a vapour barrier between the insulation and dry wall and the foil covered insulation on the outside will act as a second vapour barrier. Everything that I have read indicate that condensation will be trap between the two vapour barrier and cause rot. If anyone knows of information to clarify this mater please let me know. I am re-insulating my house and planning to use format that is using on his house. Comment are appreciated and welcomed. By the way I know my spelling is bad.
Hey Matt, this is amazing info. We’re installing siding on my folks bungalow this week. The question is how is air flowing on top, do you leave a gap of 1/4″ between the top layer of siding and the roof eaves (no soffit), so the coravent on top has a 1/8″ gap from the roof’s wood? My neighbor’s siding along the roof was caulked, so I notice they only have opening air on bottom, we just got confused since you see if seen done so many ways. Thanks for your great articles. Best, B
Why do I feel like that rainscreen is just inviting rodents into your house?lol they can easily chew that plastic screen at the bottom, sure bug wouldnt be abke to get in but rodents will always find a way to get in that gap, chew your exterior insulation and possibly slowly get into the house or the gap between the walls as their nest. Also those pines wood are toast in the long run lol. Dependong on where you live, where moisture will hold up in the air for long, the wood will absorb it because there’s an air gap, that pine wood will rot. Imagine a poorly insulated crawlspace with lots of moisture, the joist will soften and it sometimes create molds. That’s kinda the same thing with that rainscreen, moisture will get there.
This gap and a foil faced inside surface also deflects solar radiation away from the inside of the house insted heat inside the cavity will rise to the top and I hope have someplace to escape. Im going to bet you have very low energy bills and a very good and tight home, but doing this requires a fresh air exchange vent system.
As a Northerner, and an older one at that, it boggles my mind that you would be putting your main (and secondary) electrical panels OUTSIDE the house. I can definitely understand having the ATS for the generator outside next to the meter, but to have to go outside to reset a breaker if it trips? Not to mention the added cost of having a weather (and bug) tight electrical panel. When I first saw the Coravent on the house I was thinking wasp habitat ! but then you showed one side has screen and you’re adding a SECOND layer of screening as well. Great tips Matt! Pricey of course, but you have three options. Fast, Cheap or well constructed. Pick _ONE_!
What if you wanted a more modern look and put your siding going vertical and without overlapping? First, would you put another Batton going horizontally? And could you leave a 1/4 inch gap between the siding hardy planks? Would that lead to problems or could the waterproofing iso handle more water running down it that gets behind the hardy boards?
Yes sir!!! We’re doing the exact thing to our home, our Hardie Plank just arrived yesterday. No some years ago we renovated an 1800s home in Fredericksburg Virginia, and after we replaced some corner 4×6 post sections, and rotten sill on a balloon framed house the homeowner didn’t want to pay the extra $ putting furring strips, instead we wrapped everything in metal, tyvec on the whole house incl a new addition, Azek pvc wrap on posts ect, and then that was it. But I learned my lesson, no sense in going cheap and skipping a major step that could save you tons of $ and maintenance down the road.
Since insulation is on the outside then there won’t be condensation on the surface so you don’t need the rain screen. It is only essential when a home is insulated inside and the exterior temp change promotes condensation IMO. this is important because there has to be a sensible rationale for the install not just “belts suspenders” for the sake of throwing money away.
Matt, @9:06 you mention putting a water heater outside your conditioned envelope. Given that the climate is going wacky and will probably get wackier, and that you can no longer count on the temperature in Texas staying above freezing, is that wise? Now seems like a pretty good time to rethink those plans.
There is one big difference between the houses build here in Iceland and what I see in this articles. Houses here are made wind proof on the inside. Isolation is open to the outside. In front of the isolation is an air gap that helps drying out the Isolation. In front of that you place the siding keeping the rain out.
Hey Matt love your articles. I especially admire your attention to detail. I have a couple of question’s. My house is 55 yrs old and currently has the original asbestos shingles and as you know is very expensive to remove and requires Hazmat team to remove and dispose of in my municipality in St, Louis County Mo. Is it possible to just go over existing shingles, and what prep work is involved also exterior walls are not flat and have some bowing. Would I need to shim braces to flatten walls as much as possible before starting with insulating and siding? Keep up with the great articles. Thanks brother.
Im working on a house in Florida without one, it is rotting….also if I bug seal the bottom and rain gets in it has no where to go. It drives me nuts, there was 3 inches of dirt inside the wall where water and bugs brought it inside. I did everything possible to fox it but without a rain screen its doomed….
one repeated theme of criticism of risinger that i see on this website is over the cost of some of the things that he is doing. some of these critics might just be haters, but i find that many of these criticisms are “penny wise and dollar foolish”. for example, people criticized risinger for spending $10,000 to put furring strips over his house. but you could spend $10,000 to get someone to paint your house. so it might not be such a bad idea to spend $10,000 more when you build your house so that you don’t have to spend $10,000 to repaint your house as often (or $30,000 to reside your house because you didn’t repaint it often enough).
4:31 Matt, with adding an extra bug screen over the Coravent material’s bug screen, are you worried that the “air flow” will be too restricted and not “move” as well? Asking, cuz have installed bug screened patios and choosing the smallest “hole” in material restricts air flow for ppl inside, and so, gotta find a balance for comfort while keeping bugs out. So, wondering if air will still move as well, with an extra layer of bug screening 🤔 Thx and love the website✌🏻✌🏻😊
We did rain screen on a 1840 house and it works beautifully in cooling down the house in the summer. We also use the same concept on the roof (rafter, decking, 1×2, another decking, then the rest of the roofing w ridge vents), and that ties in very well with rain screen. But I’ve been thinking – maybe coravent is an avoidable expense. There are enough gaps between siding already. Cost of adding 1×2 is a minimal expense, nowhere near $15K.
Great Approach and great detail! Older houses in my area (pre 1980’s Houston) were sheathed in Gypsum board, then tar paper,then siding or brick directly over top with no air gap. it is interesting that they were sheathed this way, Any insight as to why they didnt use plywood? i realize the lateral strength in these homes is provided by let in 1by bracing but the gypsum seems almost pointless, any moisture back there and its trashed instantly.