The article features a home we remodeled, replacing the siding with an open joint rain screen siding system.  I hope it illuminates rain screen siding systems for those interested.  Click on the image below to read the .pdf of the article.

It may not be possible to always perform both activities at the same time due to budget constraints.  However, there are methods that can be implemented to plan ahead while installing replacement windows to allow for a future seattle siding replacement that will properly tie into the penetration flashings around the windows or visa versa.  Before you hire a contractor that just wants to sell you a product give us a call.  We will work within the constraints of your budget and align the right products and methods to fit your project and pocket book.  Let us keep your project in drive and out of reverse.

Seattle siding and windows starts with design

Synapse Construction was recently contacted by a building owner that wanted to reinvent his buildings 50 year old facade to be relevant and appealing for the next 50 years. After meeting with the building owner it was clear that this project would be design build. After a short interview and collecting some key building details we set out to come up with a siding and window design that would bring the building owners Seattle siding and window ideas to life.

Seattle Siding and Windows – A picture is worth 1000 words

Because of our ability to come up with preliminary designs as part of our Seattle siding and window replacement proposal the owner was able to more clearly articulate his vision refining the scope of work. This translated into lower design cost for the owner when it came time to solicit design and permit services from an architectural firm. This is just another example of Synapse Construction – Seattle siding, going the extra mile to provide superior affordable service to earn our clients business.

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/pdf/RainScreen.pdf

Seattle Siding  – metal flashing is an integral part of the envelope

When it comes to Seattle siding and metal flashings, most people think of the bent metal they buy at home depot.   While, that is metal flashing, it only scratches the surface of what is needed to do a proper Seattle siding or replacement window job.  In the Pacific Northwest rain can go more directions than just down.  Tight seals and impenetrable barriers are needed at the most vulnerable areas on a building.

Seattle siding flashing should slope away from the building

When you put flashing over a window or on any horizontal surface you want that flashing to direct water away from the home.  That’s why we at Seattle siding find it a little frustrating that the home improvement stores carry flashings that are bent at 90 deg.  With a 90 deg bend you have an equal opportunity for the piece to slope to the house, away from the house or not at all.  Having the flashing bent with a 100 deg angle guarantees it will slope away from the house at least 5 deg.  Because of this Seattle siding usually spend the extra money to have my flashings custom made by a metal shop.

The flashing shown here is a “corner boot”.  As you can see its fully soldered and made for an outside corner.  Without this custom piece of flashing the outside corner of a belly band would be very difficult to waterproof and would likely rely on sealant.  These flashings are always custom and require a little drafting knowledge to get them right.  The one shown here is quite simple and they can also get quite complicated.

If you have any questions for Seattle siding on metal flashings don’t hesitate to contact me.

The $1500 Federal Tax credit for installing energy efficient Seattle replacement windows expires at the end of the year.  If you have a drafty house with old single pane windows and have been on the fence whether to install replacement windows;  now is the time.  If you don’t do it now you’ll miss out on the $1500 you can get back from uncle Sam.  It’s money that shouldn’t be thrown out the window along with the warm air in your house.

Replacement windows save you money and are good for the environment.

Contact us today for a free Seattle replacement windows estimate.  What do you have to loose besides the cold drafts?

New Seattle replacement windows and Seattle siding keep you comfortable and make $ence.

Hopefully you’ve read my earlier post – “Siding Seattle – rain-screen 101” and have a basic understanding of Seattle siding rain-screen systems.  For this post I will get a little more in depth regarding the different types of rain-screen Seattle siding.  For the purpose of this post we’ll assume the drain plane to be vertical battens that the Seattle siding will be fastened to.  There are basically 2 different Seattle siding rain screen systems that can be employed.  They are: closed rain screen siding,  open joint rain screen siding.

Once a closed rain-screen Seattle siding job is done it doesn’t look any different than a traditional siding job.  The difference of course is there is a drain plane behind the Seattle siding and plenty of venting to allow the wall to dry out if and when water gets behind the siding.

An open joint rain screen is a Seattle siding system comprised of  planks or panels where there are open joints between courses.  You can actually see behind the Seattle siding to the weather resistant barrier (wrb).  As you have probably guessed the wrb in an open joint rain-screen needs to be very robust as there will be water present whenever there is precipitation.  The wrb is also exposed to the sun and needs to be stable under ultra violet light exposure.  Right now there’s only a few wrb products on the market that claim they are UV stable and appropriate for open joint Seattle siding rain screens.  The product we use for this application is Vaproshield. It comes in black and needs to be doubled up where the open joints occur to protect from the UV light.  In practice this requires a double layer of the wrb when using narrow planks for your open joint Seattle siding rain-screen and secondary strips at joint locations when using wide panels for your open joint rain-screen.  The battens also need to be appropriate for water contact and stable under UV exposure.

Open or closed Seattle siding, rain-screens make sense.

Both of the rain-screen Seattle siding systems written about here are the same in that they both employ a drain plane to keep the wall dry.  The closed joint rain-screen looks no different from a traditional Seattle siding project but open joint rain-screens are strikingly different.  The open joints add shadow lines and depth that add real aesthetic interest.  In my next post on this subject I will discuss how the various systems on the building need to be integrated into an effective rain-screen Seattle siding system.