Siding choice with respect to pests
Hi all,
When I tore off the aluminum siding on my back porch remodel, there were about 10 ant nests. They are the tiny little buggers that show up in the kitchen & bath looking for a meal every spring. I’m in the process of picking out new siding and I think I am leaning towards good old fashioned wood siding with a lap edge since it holds closer to the sheathing, leaving less space for the ants and other bugs. The old aluminum stuff had fiber panels for insulation. Vinyl siding has plenty of room for bugs. Any experience would help.
This may be academic, but does the soffit go up after the siding? That is, does the siding go up to the edge of the soffit, or does the edge of the soffit butt up to the previously-installed siding?
Thanks,
Scott
Replies
Fiber cement would also do what you propose.
I don't think you can make your house ant proof. Put on whatever siding you like, and just plan on having your interior and exterior sprayed a couple of times a year to control them.
Stucco.
Soffit first. Then all your trim, siding last. Your choice on the siding. Budget usually dictates with cedar the most expensive, followed by FC, then vinyl.
<does the soffit go up after the siding?>
wooden soffit? fiber cement? aluminum or vinyl?
sometimes with fiber cement or similar siding and aluminum soffit I run the siding past the soffit line on the eave walls, install the soffit j, then soffit.
On gables and with other siding types the soffit, or at least the channel it sits in with alum, goes up first in my experience.
j