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Live/Work Video Update: Siding!

13 Feb 2010, Posted by Shawn in Live Work, Sustainability, 5 Comments, Short-URL:http://portlandbuilt.com/mkh4b

Live/Work Video Update: Siding!


With the roof finished, our crew moved on to the task of siding the project. Our initial plans called for a rain screen, but (for many reasons) we decided to forgo this measure. Instead, we opted for several layers of weather resistance including Tyvek and XPS (pink foam).

Working outward from the plywood siding, the wall is composed of:

  • A Layer of Tyvek ship-lapped over the lower layers of pink foam board
  • 1″ layer of pink board to mitigate thermal bridging (click the link for more details)
  • 1/4″ Hardi-board (cement-fiber board)

My contractor, Rory Read, has an excellent article discussing the pros and cons of this wall system. He also details the thinking behind each decision point – it’s an excellent read.

Here’s a time lapse video of the Tyvek installation, followed by a video of the siding on the building’s north face.

Related Posts

  1. Live/Work Update: Roof, Electrical, Plumbing, House Wrap
  2. Live/Work Update: Exterior Trim
  3. Live/Work Update: Slab Insulation

5 Comments

February 14, 2010 11:24 pm

Patti

Wow! Thanks for the show. I’ve been waiting to see the results. Like the “ta-da” too.

March 9, 2010 4:01 am

scott owens

I would be curious on why you skipped the rainscreen ?

I am re-siding my house which currently has stud/celotex/stucco to go to
stud/wrap/foam/air_gap/hardie
and the ability to have the air gap ( probably provided by Car-A-Vent products ) seems a very valuable addition.

There is also a new product from DOW called SIS that gives sheathing and closed cell insulation in one sheet that might save labor by only installing 1 item instead of 3.

March 09 2010 10:18 am

Shawn

Hey Scott,

The rainscreen was eliminated for two reasons: First, cost. While it seems a relatively minor expense, adding the screen creates downstream issues in terms of wall thickness, window details, etc. Second, we have two layers of weather resistance - Tyvek and XPS (pink foam). We felt that this double-skin approach significantly limits the threat of water intrusion, and if water does get in, there's a path to exit at the belly bands. I'm putting the finishing touches on a video that details this system.

In Portland, rain screens are going to be code-mandated (this summer, I believe) so it's a bit of a moot point now. I do think that if money were no issue, then I'd do the air-gap/rain screen as you've planned.

Tell me more about this Dow SIS system...I'm curious!

March 9, 2010 12:14 pm

Scott Owens

Here is a link –
http://building.dow.com/na/en/sis/

I am not entirely sure how window rough opening is handled.

It is pricier than OSB/wrap/foam but the trade off I think is labor saving from the single product installation and the R3 from an overall thickness of 1/2 inch for those with spacing issues. This is less thick than the standard 5/8 OSB and provides thermal efficiency as well and might easily allow rainscreen walls without dramatic differences in wall thickness over “stock” construction.

.

March 09 2010 13:43 pm

Shawn

Thanks, Scott! I'll check it out - this is just the kind of information our readers are looking for.

The thickness issue can be a real factor, so I'll be curious to see if Dow has an answer for window detailing. That was a real pain for our stud-wrap-foam build-up. It's surmountable, but a lot of labor.

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