My parents live in Florida and their condo building was only slightly damaged by the hurricanes of years past. A few pieces of the T-111 siding were damaged and easily replaced by a long time contractor who has been taking care of the place for years. Some building in the complex were more severely damaged and those people have yet to be able to move back into their units.
There is a very big push by some other contractor and another person who claims to have no financial interest into tearing off the T-111 and installing Hardy board. They claim a 50 year warrantee. These people are all 80 to 90 something. And, the warrantee has holes big enough to drive a truck thru. It’s dependent on it being “installed properly” by the contractor who happens to be from the north east. (Good luck finding this guy next year.)
My question is — Has anyone worked with Hardy board and do you think that this is worth the capital investment? Does it really stand up better the hurricanes and flying 2×4’s? How easy is it to screw up the installation and how hard is it to see from looking at the completed job that the installation is bad?
Don’t tell me that the kids get more on the resale value when we inherit the place. That possible few dollars more is meaningless to the rest of the family.
Replies
Hardie board is good stuff: http://jameshardie.com/
And there are a number of other brands of fiber-cement siding that are also considered to be good.
It's pretty much totally rot-proof and insect-proof, and resists mechanical damage better than most other siding options. In terms of wind resistance it should be at least as good as regular wood siding, and a lot better than vinyl or metal siding.
However, it isn't as easy to install as vinyl or metal siding, and there are certainly ways to screw up an installation. Careful attention to flashing and caulking is a must. Some of the fiber-cement siding is pre-painted, but some may require painting immediately.
My take: If minor repairs will do it, do those now, and start a sinking fund for residing. Wait until the rip-off artists have moved on (hopefully there won't be any more hurricanes for another couple of years) and then revisit the issue when everyone's under less pressure.