Answers

That is a gable vent, they help cool and dry the attic

yes

hardie board has a 30 year warranty, why are you covering it?

Yes we have siding positions open and hardy siding installation open please call and stop in our office/showroom

You may always send your resume to hr@pioneercraftsmen.com for consideration.  What type of position are you looking for?

Have them take that metal off that they installed "over" the existing step flashing. You'll need to check the step flashing cards to make sure they are all aligned and in the right places. Chances are they are not. If they are in the right places then it's your window leaking. Best I can do for you without running a hose on it. 

No you could run a hose on it...start along the roof line first and eliminate each area before spraying up towards the window. 

It appears that you are missing both step flashing (between the roof and the wall) and the head flashing (above the trim running parallel to the roof line). Here is the link to the Hardie Best Practices manual with specs on both flashings: https://www.jameshardiepros.com/getattachment/9a1017e1-853d-4574-b3e9-7afb1a5a472d/intro-tools-hz5-us-en.pdf. 

We are certified James Hardie installer and every answer you received here is true.  It is the best siding out there bar none.  Here is one of our completed James Hardie jobs. With their ColorPlus technology that will withstand the elements your home trues colors will shine for years to come.

If you are looking to boost your home's curb appeal while also improving energy efficiency, you should consider getting new siding. When you want to go with a quality product that you know will last, James Hardie Siding, should be a serious consideration.

Why Get New Siding?

If you find that your home's current siding is worn out, tattered, cracked, or damaged by termites, getting new siding is the perfect solution. Not only will it make your house look great, but it will increase your home's value, making it a sound investment. In fact, replacing your siding was recently ranked the 2nd best remodeling option to increase home value. It will freshen up the look of your house, making it stand out from others in the neighborhood, boosting appeal to prospective buyers. You can even choose a modern siding color, such as dark gray.

New siding will help you save money year-round due to the increased energy efficency profile of new materials. High quality siding will help regulate the temperature of your home, reducing heating and cooling costs, no matter the weather.

You would be suprised to learn how much the material of your siding can change the entire look of your home. If you want to feel proud of the quality of your home's exterior, fiber cement James Hardie siding is for you.

Benefits of James Hardie Siding

In addition to the above benefits,  James Hardie siding boasts many advantages over traditional siding because it's made with fiber cement. This material is bug resistant, fire resistant and outlasts standard vinyl siding by decades. It's as close as it gets to a zero maintenance home exterior. Amazingly, James Hardie has been in buisness since the 1800's, so you can be assured of the company's product quality and timeless appeal.

James Hardie siding will give your home a high quality appearance, while also being durable and sustainable, making it eco-friendly. Being fire resistant, fiber cement siding also offers an extra layer of protection should there ever be a fire near your home. However, one of the most cited reasons why people choose fiber cement is that it will not rot like traditional siding when exposed to humidity and precipitation, making it perfect for the DC area. Furthermore, James Hardie developed the HardieZone® System, which tailors the composition of your fiber siding to your climate zone. The DC area is a part of HardieZone® 5, ensuring the best protection against hail, extreme temperature changes and humidity. This advanced system will allow your siding to resist the elements to protect against mold, swelling and cracking. 

Finally, James Hardie siding comes in a variety of attractive colors, thicknesses, densities, and designs. You'll be able to choose a beautiful, customized look for your home. This can include using various plank designs to create intrigue or accentuate different areas of your home with different styles. So if you're looking for a beautiful and strong material for your home's exterior, look no further than James Hardie.

Working with James Hardie Certified Installers

Once you've come to see the advantages that James Hardie siding offers, it's time to start thinking about the details of a potential installation. To ensure that you get quality work done to make the most of this product, you need to work with a James Hardie Certified Installer, such asBRAX Roofing. 

On any type of siding project, it's important to leave the work to professionals, which will ensure that everything is measured correctly, properly installed, and does not include any gaps. Especially when you are going for a customized design, it's essential to use professionals who will work with you to ensure 100% satisfaction.

Professionals can also give you advice and insight on what style, thickness, and design would look good with your home. If you cannot decide on a style, they will be able to steer you in the right direction of what would fit with your home, and what combinations would look good if you choose to go with more than one style

Check out this "How It's Made Video" and see for yourself:

https://youtu.be/LuxGDH9KVLM

James Hardie Siding (i.e. Hardieplank) is the best exterior cladding material (outside of true masonry) on the market and delivers the strongest ROI (return on investment). It's imperative, however, that you only get a trained installer to put up this product as installation issues can cause future problems.

J.H. Fiber cement is composed of 70% concrete and 30% celluoose. Cellulose being ground up paper. Both water and cement wick moisture so if you use these products be sure to read and follow installation instructions. Leave no surface unpainted or it will draw moisture and deteriorate. Seen it many times. It is also dusty if you cut it with a saw. It is heavy, breaks easily if flexed. It is also heavy so it only comes in 12 foot lengths for the most part. It has the insulation value of cement which R-1 per inch. It is 5/16 thick so you get 5/16 or R-1 which is not much.

Vinyl is plastic but it is about half the price and any handyman can install if they follow directions so it can expand and contractl. Don't expect it top lasd forever. Hail storms beat it up pretty bad if the stones are big enough. One caution with it is do not place a grill near i, vinyl melts at 150 to 165 degerees depending on how thick it is. 

In my opinion steel is a little costiler but in most cases lasts for a long time.  If you figure it out, you will replace vinyl about every seven years. My stleel has been on my home in a hail region since 1975, No hail damage. You do the math.

Foam insulation is very effective in the development of a super tight building enevelope. It will stop air leakage and enable more total control of the interior living space. This present potential problems in that our living and breathing in the living space generates moisture.

Traditional building construction practices are precisely the opposite and utilizes the concept of venting in the attic and in the crawl space whereby the area above and below the living envelope allows for the eveporation of moisture.

In designing a super tight envelope that is totally sealed  there should be careful thought and concern for moisture in the enclosed area. Because foam is so effective at sealing drafts, the space should be thoughtfully designed as a whole house system, with exhaust vents for all areas of the house that generate moisture, and consideration should be given to installing an Energy Recovery Vent (ERV) to normalize the humidity between exterior and interior, to avoid the potential of developing a sick hoiuse syndrome.

Open cell is advisable in attic applications where you want moisture to freely move through when a roof leak developes, to avoid major structural damage over time. Close cell is most advisable in the peremeter of the crawl space or basement area where concern is for a more dense insulation product with more structure. (I have seen it done but advise against, applying foam on the bottom side of flooring since doing so seals all of the mechanical systems into the muck and makes maintainence profoundly troublesome and wretched for the future).

Bob Windom,     Windom Construction Co. Inc.  Atlanta

Closed cell

Here is a good website to reference for foam insulation:

http://energy.gov/energysaver/types-insulation

Types of Liquid Foam Insulation

Today, most foam materials use foaming agents that don't use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which are harmful to the earth's ozone layer.

There are two types of foam-in-place insulation: closed-cell and open-cell. Both are typically made with polyurethane. With closed-cell foam, the high-density cells are closed and filled with a gas that helps the foam expand to fill the spaces around it. Closed-cell foam is the most effective, with an insulation value of around R-6.2 per inch of thickness.

Open-cell foam cells are not as dense and are filled with air, which gives the insulation a spongy texture. Open-cell foam insulation value is around R-3.7 per inch of thickness.

The type of insulation you should choose depends on how you will use it and on your budget. While closed-cell foam has a greater R-value and provides stronger resistance against moisture and air leakage, the material is also much denser and is more expensive to install. Open-cell foam is lighter and less expensive but should not be used below ground level where it could absorb water. Consult a professional insulation installer to decide what type of insulation is best for you.

Available liquid foam insulation materials include:

• Cementitious
• Phenolic
• Polyisocyanurate (polyiso)
• Polyurethane.

Some less common types include Icynene foam and Tripolymer foam. Icynene foam can be either sprayed or injected, which makes it the most versatile. It also has good resistance to both air and water intrusion. Tripolymer foam—a water-soluble foam—is injected into wall cavities. It has excellent resistance to fire and air intrusion.

Installation

Liquid foam insulation -- combined with a foaming agent -- can be applied using small spray containers or in larger quantities as a pressure-sprayed (foamed-in-place) product. Both types expand and harden as the mixture cures. They also conform to the shape of the cavity, filling and sealing it thoroughly.

Slow-curing liquid foams are also available. These foams are designed to flow over obstructions before expanding and curing, and they are often used for empty wall cavities in existing buildings. There are also liquid foam materials that can be poured from a container.

Installation of most types of liquid foam insulation requires special equipment and certification and should be done by experienced installers. Following installation, an approved thermal barrier equal in fire resistance to half-inch gypsum board must cover all foam materials. Also, some building codes don't recognize sprayed foam insulation as a vapor barrier, so installation might require an additional vapor retarder.

Costs

Liquid foam insulation products and installation usually cost more than traditional batt insulation. However, liquid foam insulation has higher R-values and forms an air barrier, which can eliminate some of the other costs and tasks associated with weatherizing a home, such as caulking, applying housewrap and vapor barrier, and taping joints. When building a new home, this type of insulation can also help reduce construction time and the number of specialized contractors, which saves money.