This is a nice little hotel in LaConner, WA I really liked the design of the cedar shingle siding and board and batten siding juxtaposing each other on this beautiful craftsman building The board in the “board and batten” siding is fiber cement panels and the battens are 5/4″x4″ clear cedar It doesn’t look like there is any finish on the cedar but is being allowed to patina by weather You throw in the cedar arbors with grape vines and you’ve got a timeless classy craftsman look Even though most of our time is spent siding Seattle, it’s nice to get out on field trip every once in a while and take note.

By, Kyle Keever

Well it’s been a little while since we’ve done a pre finished panel siding project Not because we haven’t been asked to but more because I swore I wouldn’t do it again In the past we’ve had problems with the panel siding material showing up with scratches and other blemishes These blemishes really show themselves on a smooth panel versus a textured siding panel The manufacturer who I won’t mention by name (initials are JH) has been very good about replacing the product with new at no cost to us, Seattle siding contractors, but in reality there is a cost The cost is in time and scheduling If we need to order replacement panels then we need to wait and the project schedule is delayed or things get done out of typical sequence and man hours go up I’ve always been an advocate for pre finished siding in Seattle It makes a lot of sense when our building exteriors take such a beating So I had another customer recently ask if we could do a smooth pre finished Seattle siding panel job on his new cottage The manufacturer has been working hard on fixing the production problems that lead to the pre damaged panels I had on a few projects So I decided to give it another try I’ll let you know how it works out I hope it works like it should and we get the panels, mill them to the size we want, install them and the owner gets worry free Seattle siding on his new building If you do want to use pre finished material its important your Seattle siding contractors takes care in protecting the finish until it’s installed or it’s a big waste of time and money.

By, Kyle Keever

Original wood cap that failed and resulted in dry rot repairs

To view the full description and pictures of this home’s siding replacement project click – Seattle fiber cement siding replacement – The back porch of this home had a beautifully constructed wood rail cap that was built about 5 years ago The carpentry that went into its construction showed a lot of skill however it’s construction was not suitable exterior construction in our wet Seattle weather For starters the wood cap was built level or with no slope to allow water to run

soldered wall cap saddle to protect the roof to wall junction

off easily The other problem was the building wrap under the cap was reverse lapped What happened is when it rained the water was able to pool up on top of the cap because it was level At the mitered corner the caulked joint had failed and allowed water to run under the cap over the years This resulted in dry rot in the cap and the railing wall The dry rot repair necessary would have been more extensive but luckily the studs were pressure treated and all that needed to be replaced was the cap and plywood sheeting We made the necessary dry rot repairs and to avoid future problems elected to match the profile of the wood cap with

Soldered bonderized corner cap

a sheet metal cap That allowed us to use a fully soldered corner boot and a soldered saddle at the cap to wall junction We had a slight slope built into the cap Not so much of a slope you can’t set a drink on it, but enough for water to run off away from the house We matched the crown molding trim and our metal cap looks just like the wood cap but will last indefinitely and protect the wall for many years to come Seattle siding and exterior envelopes need to be bomb proof to hold up to our climate for the long run.

New metal wall cap

By, Kyle Keever