Fiber cement board (Hardie) siding on my old townhouse saved me and my dog from a fire. And probably saved the entire building from burning down. The back deck (all wood) and the patio under it were on fire raging out of control for about 20 minutes from start to fire hoses on it. This raging fire was right up against the Hardie Panel fiber cement board siding and it never burned through. The foam insulation and plywood sheathing behind it were untouched. It blew out the windows eventually of course, just as the fire trucks were coming down the road. That fiber cement was literally life saving.
in 2002 I resided my house with James Hardie siding. it wasn't prepainted but I gave it 2 coats of Sherwinn Williams A1 paint. I sold the house 6 years ago but I drove past it this week. It's still got the original paint and looks great. I built my current home 6 years ago in the Black HIlls National Forest. This is a semi arid area and fire is a concern. My house is a Deltec and it came sided with ALLURA. My personal experience is that it doesn't compare to Hardie. I sided the 1000 SF garage as well as other portions of the house. The Allura was extremely fragile. I could only carry it on edge and just getting it to that position was delicate. I broke several pieces. I also found that it was not uniform in thickness. At times I measured with a caliper and found that it was inconsistent by about an 1/8 of an inch. It also was inconsistent in width of the planks. they varied by about an 1/8" as well. By my experience, I wouldn't recommend it. With Hardie I could snap lines for the top of the planks. That was not possible with ALLURA.
Fiber cement has become the defacto siding option for us, we build in Boulder and high Rockies of CO as well as BigSky-Gallatin Gateway, MT, all due to fire risk and insurance. We are seeing more and more steel siding the last 5 years. It’s class A fire rated, none of the silica issues and many more aesthetic options than fiber cement. We’re building home now in Nederland, CO that will be our first steel siding, along w/stone. It was a choice of architect and client but I am looking forward to seeing how well it installs. It’s about 20% higher price than JH siding in material costs
Thank you for this. My husband are looking to have our siding redone and this is super helpful. Last week it got to 116+ so… this give a lot of food for thought
I just watched the most recent _This Old House_ episode on their UA-cam channel and was very disappointed that they were showing people installing an engineered-wood siding in Paradise, CA (where a wildfire had destroyed almost the entire town). The siding had a 1-hr fire rating, but in my mind, it should have been some other material (e.g. fiber cement, metal, stucco). I was also expecting to see some people rebuild with block walls, brick facades, etc. (materials that are inherently more resilient to fire) since wildfire is not a problem that only happens once. If you live on an urban/wilderness boundary, it's potentially a problem all the time. They rebuilt the town, which is "noble" or "brave" or whatever, but it seemed like they didn't learn from their mistakes, which makes them seem kind of dumb IMO.
They are also building some houses with vented crawlspaces and vented attics. Yes they showed a fire retardant vent mesh but I bet the majority are not going to use that product and go code minimum which is a 1/16th mesh. That helps slightly not enough. Why have ventilated anything when it's not necessary and it's a major fire risk.
What they need to do is pass laws to only allow building exteriors with metal panels, concrete/stone, and cement fiberboard and require a 10-20 ft vegetation buffer with nothing but gravel or decomposed granite between that buffer and the house’s outer walls. Otherwise, people will skimp to save money and will build houses that burn. Confederacy of Dunces.
I trust Matt, but do wish he'd gone unsponsored or an unrelated sponsor for this video. I believe the results would be the same, but it would feel...cleaner.
@@plowboy5220 this is extremely common. the fun part is tearing half the building apart to repair this. then you realize that the color is totally different between the old and new cause a couple years in the sun is rough on plastic. its the worst option by far.
We have used fiber cement siding exclusively for over 10 years due to ability to withstand fire as well as hurricanes. Being on the coast in SC, we have the chance of land falling hurricanes, ie Hugo, Floyd and other named storms. Wind resistant., as well as fire due to close proximity to other home. Brick is second choice that we use depending on customer. Great video and will save to show potential new build customers on their new construction. Stay safe and see you on next video.
Check out Everlast. Lighter, no painting ever, no caulking, tight butt joints, 140 mph wind, labor and material warranty. Beacon can supply in Charleston
I live in the Midwest. Temps vary from-20 to +95. I worked for a chain of gas stations in doing maintenance. Many of the locations had builder installed fiber cement siding. The problem we had was that the product would shrink during cold weather and crack the siding at each nail location. I put LP Smart siding on my house 5 years ago and it looks like new( my house is 50 years old) I don't know what brand of cement siding was used of if it makes a difference but in my area, I would recommend engineered siding
Had my house resided with Hardiebord 12 years ago with no issues or cracks. Temps range from -15 to 115 F in KCMO sometimes. Wonder if they left enough space for thermal expansion and contraction?
As a DIY I really like the LP smart siding. I was able to reside my whole house myself and didn’t have to worry about the dust. Much less weight moving around 16ft pieces. Very durable and looks great. Matt I followed your advice installing a rain screen. In Ohio fire isn’t a concern.
@@timgleason2527 Tip is use H molding on butt joints. I think it looks better. Cans of primer spray paint also makes it easier to seal edges or cuts then trying to brush those. The Gecko gauges are a must for DIY.
I just did a big solo diy siding project with LP Smartside. I just caulked the joints and they pretty much disappear. Love the durability, ease of cutting and 16ft lengths.
wouldn't do anything other than char or change color. Screws holding it up may transfer heat to a wood back and maybe start a fire, but id imagine that would take some time. something else is bound to catch fire before that.
What do you think of Everlast Siding? I completely agree with your assessment of standard vinyl siding, but I have seen some very nice Everlast siding installs.
We chose Everlast over Hardie. No regrets. Outstanding product. Of course my opinion but it looks as nice as Hardie and install is much easier. Matt time for you to do a review of Everlast. Unbiased please. Not a pitch of a product or the sponsors product.
Great demonstration! When I added a work shop on to the back of my garage, I settled on Allura for the siding. I could get it in widths that matched the clapboards on the rest of my house. It wasn't cheap, but worth every penny. Found some aluminum corners that also matched the house (I wish Allura would carry these in all sizes. They were hard to find.). It's only downsides are it's heavy and it needs to be carried vertically or it will likely crack or break. But the look is amazing, and I do like the fire safety issue as we do barbecue right next to the shop..
Australian here, never heard of vinyl cladding before, sounds like a straight up recipe for disaster. Though we've got other alternatives that are equally as cheap & nasty
In mild climates it’s VERY common and works perfectly fine. Last a long time, it’s cheap, easy to put up, and easy to repair. It’s not super durable if you hit it with a lawnmower or weedwacker, but it usually looks fine for decades.
Lots of houses built or remodeled in the 70's and 80s have it. Was sold as a wonder material requiring no maintenance. Vinyl was installed over my natural cedar shingles, I just think they look tacky.
the house my grandparents built 20 years ago has it on it, no issues. It doesn't dent and its cheap. If outdoor fires is a concern then you would want to consider something else. If a fire breaks out inside your home, it doesn't matter what is on the outside of your house. We don't have forest fire issues or other concerns here so vinyl has been great in general.
The vinyl siding by my patio has a visible droop in a section where I unwittingly fired up my propane grill too close to it. Won't do that again, and as soon as I can afford it I'm going to get the house re-sided in fiber cement or Boral or something like that.
When a house on fire the fire coming from inside to outside ! So the last layer of the house is siding ! The fire resistant should be in the interior face of the wall before fire catch the insulation!!!!
Real life situation. My home burned in 2008. James Hardie siding. I stood and watched flames come out a basement window and up the side of the house. No fire damage. Made me such a believer that I have had it on every house since.
did the siding become brittle afterwards? im just really curios. like can a house survive a brush fire and just need some fresh paint afterwards? or would it need replacing afterwards? im sure there's allot of variables but im really curios if your siding was compromised or if it really is that incredible. thanks for your comment.
You are correct with respect to vinyl being used heavily in many areas of the country. In the Cleveland, Ohio suburbs it is the most common siding. Beside initial cost, the main attraction is ALMOST NO MAINTENANCE, no painting, no resealing, no anything. The house we are in has 30 to 40 year old vinyl siding. After 10+ years of us living here, we had some mold growing on the north side of the house and detached garage. We also had some dirt build up on a couple of areas covered by overhang. It cost us a few hundred dollars to have those areas professionally power washed. Amortized over 10 years, that is like $30 per year. Actually, when I was talking cost, I should point out that the majority of houses in our area were originally built with wood siding and at some point some insulation was added and the vinyl covered the wood siding. It was about 1.5 to 2.0 times as expensive as painting. In the time the vinyl has been on the house, it would have had to be painted 4 to 6 times. That vinyl siding has paid for itself many times over.
Yeah it's pretty to silly color everyone's opinion with this fire test. There are certainly places where I would want fire protection for my home, but the simple fact that you have to recaulk and repaint our beloved fiber cement is reason enough to go with vinyl. I don't love the look of J channel, but spending thousands and so many hours to maintain is silly and I can't believe it wasn't mentioned in the video.
@@krentzcellostudio You hit the nail on the head! After 20 years of having to scrape and repaint every few years, my parents moved to a brick house. Even brick needs the mortar inspected and tuck pointed about every ten years or so.
Another expense factor not mentioned is insurance. It is my understanding the insurance companies consider cement fiber a masonry siding, same a brick or stone, so could reduce your annual homeowners insurance premiums since it is more fire and hail damage resistant than other siding. Year over year that could add up. Talk to your insurance agent about that and shop around.
Broke my heart to see you burn hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of wood for your demonstration. Hands down I'm using Hardie Lap Siding and this demonstration just confirmed it. Thanks Matt.
Fiber cement siding is common for fire-rated separation walls here in New Zealand. Cedar cladding is really beautiful if the budget allows for now and future maintenance, which is the top pick for cladding an architectural-designed house in Wellington. NZ.
Thinking about our rain screen assemblies- would that nice stack effect suddenly become an issue? I can see the OSB lighting from radiant heat and making a rocket engine behind any siding… thoughts?
I installed Certainteed cement/fiber. Missed out on the class action lawsuit so now I just have crappy shrunken/sagging huge gapped siding on my house. Thanks for the info. Looking for a new siding now.
@@thecarpentergarden2943 making up nonsense....plastic bottles are dangerous...everywhere...pick siding is cheap...and toxic during mfg. And cutting..and flimsy
@@cengeb umm I'm not installing plastic bottles 😳. Yes it bad during manufacturing but way more people install the products then the people with big special masks and protection. But fiber cement is just a bad for the people during the manufacturing.... but plastic isn't bad to cut. Use tinsnipes or a vacuum on a saw. But cutting Hardie is bad with any blade. The chopper cutting tool just destroys the product. The hardie blade just makes a ton of poison dust. Which u need to tell people 25 feet away when u are cutting it. Worksafe bc code. Also need a big very nice mask. but Wait dont smoke, eat or drink with the dust on your clothes either. 🤔 and the product doesn't stand up to snow or water. But yes it can survive fire lol who cares about fire 🔥 😅 I Don't have a bon fire 5 feet from my house ever weekend
Just curious, Did you use Allura on your Real Rebuild or James Hardie? In an earlier vid you talk about installing James Hardie color plus, but at the end of this one you say that “this is Allura on this house that I built”.
Love your show Matt and watching that vinyl melt like cheddar on a barbecue burger was hilarious. But I have to help out a fellow gringo by asking you not to repeat the “más y memos” (more and less) comment. It’s actually “más O menos” (more OR less). My Colombian wife would slap me if I said “más y menos”. I have learned so much from your vids so up the great work…. Just stay away from the Español mi amigo!
I love the concept of cement siding..i just can't get behind it for home usage. My place has dents in it. Not to mention handling and cutting pain-points. Maybe one day, they would embed some 28 gauge wire or something to toughen it up.
@@Shadi2 No, we're saying they need to add more reinforcement to cement fiber siding. I know what stucco is and you use a metal lathing, I am saying they need to add a metal very thin mess to the cement fiber siding so it not so flimsy. Putting up long runs you can snap a section easily and it doesn't hold up well to hard impacts.
@@elslick That's why hardie trains installers on proper handling and installation, get guys that know what they are doing, not pretend siding guys, guys didn't break one piece installing my hardie stuff here, and they had some complicated cuts, especially working off my back room with 8 Velux sky lites to work aroundguys only do hardie, when people see hardie compared to vinyl, they all choose hardie..
The engineered wood does have an accelerant in it. Once it catches the glue burns even hotter than the wood. Fought quite a few fires and several houses that caught as exposures. Never had to deal with a Hardie sided house as an exposure.
Very fun video Matt! I do wish you picked on a higher quality polymer like the Injection Molded Polypropylene products like CertainTeed's "Cedar Impressions Perfections" or Stylecrest's "CedarCove 8' Roughsawn" ... I've used both. Unlike poly-vinyl which is most often paper thin extruded product, Injection molded Polypropylene is very thick and looks great and has no seems like Hardie Plank siding in my community. I appreciate how they lock into place for superior wind protection on the coastline. Truthfully I am much more concerned about wind loading. How about a wind load test. It doesn't need to be an ASTM certified test. Cheers, Eric
In Europe, brick semi detached houses can be completely gutted by fire on one side of the party wall and the other will have only minor damage at the join. Exterior walls definitely want to be fire proof 🔥
I put viber cement panels on 2 of my homes. I put a piece in my BBQ pit and turned in on for an hour. All it did was char a little. Was still substantial. I could possibly attach it to my house if I wanted.
Fiber Cement SIding " Hardy Board" will deteriorate if exposed to too much moisture. Example is when a two story upper floor and the siding continues above the garage roof. We quit using it in Minnesota for that reason. If you take the LP siding that looks like OSB on the back and soak it in water for weeks it will still look the same. The resins used now days is incredible.
@Matt What percent of new construction is being done for homes for sale to individuals vs homes for sale to corporations, often for them to rent out? Saw a Second Thought video that asked that question so I figured I'd forward it to someone more in the know. Rent for a 500 square foot studio apartment in between Denver and CO Springs: $980. Zillow monthly estimate for a 2 bed 2 bath house with a garage in the same area: $1,200... with $60,000 down. I'm stuck either living with my mother till I'm 40 to afford a down payment, or just never owning a home and giving all my money to corporate landlords forever. It used to be rent till you can buy, now it's rent till you die. Or put another way "The bank says I can't afford a thousand dollar mortgage, so I pay two thousand in rent."
Would love to see some low cement content Fibre Cement Board make some in roads into the market. Many benefits over natural timber but embodied carbon performance is a negative in comparison
Fibre cement siding is pretty good cladding material. But please remember that there are also fibre cement panels in various thicknesses and sizes, coloured as well, that can be used on your house or building. Eternit makes excellent fibre cement panels. So does Nichiha. And they don't look like "siding".
Cement stucco is fire resistant up to a point. You have to remember, EVERYTHING can burn if it gets hot enough, even steel! There are other stuccos which are less resistant to fire, and their substrate, if EPS or EXP will burn or melt, Mineral fibre will not readily burn.
These UA-cam channels are a business, and this test is part of that business. How would you suggest a test of this nature without actually burning something? I for one appreciate the comparison and will help everyone think through the options...
Vinyl is cool!! It's cheap, lite and it's virtually maintenance Free!!! So who cares if it melts with fire?? If there's fire inside your house it doesn't matter what happens to the outside, your house is lost!! And as far as not being recyclable... Nothing in construction is
Hey Matt, Thank you for the demonstration. I have recently purchased a house near Grass Valley CA and it's in a wildfire area so I need to use fire-resistant materials whenever possible, I'm going to be building a patio/ deck area, fencing and a storage shed. So I have a couple of questions, is T1-11 cement board siding fire-resistant, composite deck, and fence boards fire-resistant. would be a good show building in high fire-risk areas.
I had a “grilling incident” at my old house. Grease drip pan in my gas grill ignited and flared up. HUGE flames pouring out of the grill. Ribs were toast unfortunately. I’m thankful for the hardie siding I had on the house. Melted the paint a little. Had to sand, prime, and repaint.
I would love to see Matt do a review of Alside's Ascend composite siding product. It's being compared to the durability and fire resistance of fiber cement and the easy installation and low maintenance of vinyl siding. Hype or innovation?
I'm going with Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Panels GFRC siding for the cladding is light weight, won't burn, and can look like wood/stone/brick/etc
I was looking to see if anyone mentioned the class action lawsuit. Only saw one comment and a few more about cracking. I am an architectural designer and used Certainteed fiber cement on my own home (completed in 2012). Noticed some cracking in the first 18 months and assumed it was simply due to settling. Started recommending my clients not use it on new construction and only on remodels, since settled had already occurred. Fast forward several years and I figured out how it was installed partially incorrectly. Laps not to be caulked (plan for water to get in, give it a way to get out), all cuts painted, 3/8" gap in butt joints, etc. So I thought it was failing simply b/c of improper installation. Wondered if any of it could be repaired, I figured not since it seemed to me the only fix was a full reinstall. Have been thinking on the time when I have to re-do that and planning for some better assemblies underneath it. Fast forward to last year when I discovered there was a class action lawsuit and I was NEVER notified. By anyone. And that the deadline had passed. Now I see where they ran out of funds and the folks who participated seem to have not received their second (remaining 50%) payout and were left holding the bill. Certainteed fiber cement is now Allura. I would REALLY like to see some studies and information on the durability of this product, the issue with the fly ash being used in the manufacturing, and how many people have been left being burned (pun intended) by this situation. It seems I am one of them. As they sponsored this video, I would be surprised to see anything negative posted, but it's a real problem. I love the pros of it, but I think it's rare for it to be installed properly (which will void a warranty), but if it's a faulty product in the first place, they won't take responsibility for it, won't work to improve the product, and won't help the people they've hurt . . .I'm trying to find if there's a better product out there. As I had a nasty hail storm less than a week ago, my siding is even more damaged as it has gotten increasingly more brittle over the years and has too much flex in it where it's pulling loose from warping. I have to deal with my own situation, but I am becoming aware the larger picture is quite tragic for many folks. I might go with something else, but if fiber cement is still my best option, I'll likely go with Hardie AND do a shake, not a lap to reduce the potential for cracking. I would really like to see this addressed.
id be very interested to see what the integrity of the cement board is after the burning. its the best option either way. but roman concrete does come to mind...just curios I guess
Matts new Neighbors "street full of cars, bonfire in the driveway, constant noise...i assumed he wasnt that type of youtube star" matt risinger, Jake and Logan Paul's long lost brother 🤣🤣🤣🤣
The Fiber-cement board does look like the product of choice. I don't like dealing with mold, don't want fire from a grill, and don't want to deal with rotting boards either.
Seen plenty of vinyl melted from grills to close.... But I've also seen fiber cement fall apart due to freeze/thaw cycle and disintegrate in 7 years or less, by the way I'm in Central NC
A good external option here in australia is a product called Hebel hebel.com.au/segment/houses/ Its basically aerated concrete panels, light weight, fire resistant with good thermal and acoustic properties. Not sure how the R values translate to USA numbers
I thought I read somewhere that it's R1.2 per inch, but don't quote me on it which is not very much. AAC units are excellent building materials, but masonry contractors in North America are totally clueless about them, and how to build with them. They would not know what to do with them. They're common in Europe, though - look up Ytong. AAC work best as far as finishes, and insulation are concerned is if you put EIFS on its exterior.
@@apscoradiales Not sure on what the panel rating on its own is. For a wall system using hebel, 179mm to 210mm thick, it has an R value of 2.06 to 3.22 in Australian R values which is equal to R11 to R18 in USA R values
Mr Risinger, would you speak to the pros and cons of replacing OSB sheathing with the older shear bracing method? Current OSB and plywood prices raise these questions. Still, structural compromises are of paramount concern. Thanks.
Let-in bracing is still done, as well as corner only sheathing. You probably want an engineer to sign off on a modification unless it's standard, might negate any saving.
Hey Matt. I have another question. I know if you take care of the seams and the foundation to wall gap if the zip system, it is manages water, air, and vapor very well. What happens when you nail siding or other things to the wall? Doesn’t that deteriorate the properties of the zip system and a failure could happen. Also, how does the zip system manage vapor? I feel like any vapor that gets into a wall cavity if a house built with zip wouldn’t be able to get out because of the low perm rating of the system. Would half inch plywood or thicker with a fluid applied house wrap be a better option? Thanks!
Well, I’ve got a side of one house, possibly another side, got an inspector and a siding contractor telling me the Hardie needs to come off the wall, got rotting close to the foundation, already knew that, but they can point out where the Hardie is saturated with water and basically just an algae farm. I like Hardie, but it’s got to be installed correctly, and the overwhelming majority of siding contractors aren’t doing that.
@@thecarpentergarden2943 it's actually cement, and fiber and additives for algae and mold resistance..Hardie is the best siding out there, it has to be installed by people that know what they are doing, as in get a contractor that is recommended by hardie, my install is perfect, from a Hardie installer which is all mostly what they do hardie.
@@cengeb I seen that they did- I wonder if the concrete panels or the metal panels are better. So many people are going to metal roofs, wondering if it will be less maintenance on the walls.
Fiber cement board (Hardie) siding on my old townhouse saved me and my dog from a fire. And probably saved the entire building from burning down. The back deck (all wood) and the patio under it were on fire raging out of control for about 20 minutes from start to fire hoses on it. This raging fire was right up against the Hardie Panel fiber cement board siding and it never burned through. The foam insulation and plywood sheathing behind it were untouched. It blew out the windows eventually of course, just as the fire trucks were coming down the road. That fiber cement was literally life saving.
Do u have picture ?
?
Which fiber cement brand did you use?
You should do a part 2, with brick, stucco, metal, etc.
Yes, definitely stucco. My neighbor changed from wood lap siding (like we have, ugh), and his house looks nice! 👍🏻
I agree! Brick is still best. You have to repaint fiber cement every 5-7 yrs.
Or just use this instead of that junk
ua-cam.com/video/B7WoKDDzLCg/v-deo.html
@@deanabossio3091 well fiber cement takes 9 years before you see any fading if multiple paint coats are added.
Also would have been nice to know the temperature on the backside of them
Forget about buying a lamborginni to flex.
Matt 😌 is burning OSB just to flex
🤣🤣
in 2002 I resided my house with James Hardie siding. it wasn't prepainted but I gave it 2 coats of Sherwinn Williams A1 paint. I sold the house 6 years ago but I drove past it this week. It's still got the original paint and looks great. I built my current home 6 years ago in the Black HIlls National Forest. This is a semi arid area and fire is a concern. My house is a Deltec and it came sided with ALLURA. My personal experience is that it doesn't compare to Hardie. I sided the 1000 SF garage as well as other portions of the house. The Allura was extremely fragile. I could only carry it on edge and just getting it to that position was delicate. I broke several pieces. I also found that it was not uniform in thickness. At times I measured with a caliper and found that it was inconsistent by about an 1/8 of an inch. It also was inconsistent in width of the planks. they varied by about an 1/8" as well. By my experience, I wouldn't recommend it. With Hardie I could snap lines for the top of the planks. That was not possible with ALLURA.
To echo Apsco above....Thanks!
Now THAT ^^^ comment is worth its weight in lumber. Or gold. Same-same these days.
that sounds like triple the labor to me! thanks for heads up.
i recently got an offer to side my house im switerland with james hardie, i got a good feelimg about this product
Fiber cement has become the defacto siding option for us, we build in Boulder and high Rockies of CO as well as BigSky-Gallatin Gateway, MT, all due to fire risk and insurance. We are seeing more and more steel siding the last 5 years. It’s class A fire rated, none of the silica issues and many more aesthetic options than fiber cement. We’re building home now in Nederland, CO that will be our first steel siding, along w/stone. It was a choice of architect and client but I am looking forward to seeing how well it installs. It’s about 20% higher price than JH siding in material costs
Even in Colorado Springs the majority of houses have hardie fiber cement siding. It looks good, keeps fire out, and it doesn’t rot or melt.
Matt's vinyl laugh..inhaling the plastic fumes
Makes me think of Burt Reynold's laugh.
It was cringeworthy
2:00 Matt's laugh is awesome
Thank you for this. My husband are looking to have our siding redone and this is super helpful. Last week it got to 116+ so… this give a lot of food for thought
I live in Northern California. Icf, Metal roof, and cement siding is the way to go. With fire insurance being what it is that's a no brainer.
Never been up there. What % of houses built with block/brick?
Thx
@@willbass2869 not many but I'm seeing more and more. Fire insurance is skyrocketing. Only way to stave it off is to try to get a 4hr rating
@@jwristen24 makes sense not much brick/block. Y'all are so close to major timber supplies in NorCal/PNW that prices were cheap.
@@willbass2869 we are close, in the the forests but they don't give you a cost break lol.
@@willbass2869 less than 1% I would say. A lot of stucco, which is really good but most have vents so still a high fire risk.
I just watched the most recent _This Old House_ episode on their UA-cam channel and was very disappointed that they were showing people installing an engineered-wood siding in Paradise, CA (where a wildfire had destroyed almost the entire town). The siding had a 1-hr fire rating, but in my mind, it should have been some other material (e.g. fiber cement, metal, stucco). I was also expecting to see some people rebuild with block walls, brick facades, etc. (materials that are inherently more resilient to fire) since wildfire is not a problem that only happens once. If you live on an urban/wilderness boundary, it's potentially a problem all the time.
They rebuilt the town, which is "noble" or "brave" or whatever, but it seemed like they didn't learn from their mistakes, which makes them seem kind of dumb IMO.
They are also building some houses with vented crawlspaces and vented attics. Yes they showed a fire retardant vent mesh but I bet the majority are not going to use that product and go code minimum which is a 1/16th mesh. That helps slightly not enough.
Why have ventilated anything when it's not necessary and it's a major fire risk.
Californians don't learn, after many fires, very few are doing the proper fire prevention.
@@safffff1000 Hardie fiber siding and tile roofs, walls should be all block and concrete too
That's what I was thinking too when watching that TOH episode...
What they need to do is pass laws to only allow building exteriors with metal panels, concrete/stone, and cement fiberboard and require a 10-20 ft vegetation buffer with nothing but gravel or decomposed granite between that buffer and the house’s outer walls. Otherwise, people will skimp to save money and will build houses that burn. Confederacy of Dunces.
so the sponsor for the video is the winner - never saw that coming
I trust Matt, but do wish he'd gone unsponsored or an unrelated sponsor for this video. I believe the results would be the same, but it would feel...cleaner.
I have seen vinyl siding melt from sun reflecting off a window onto the siding.
That's ridiculous... or you saw it the only time that ever happened.
@@plowboy5220 Tis common - here is a video from "Ask This Old House" dealing with the very issue. ua-cam.com/video/oyis1tbBxBY/v-deo.html
@@plowboy5220 this is extremely common. the fun part is tearing half the building apart to repair this. then you realize that the color is totally different between the old and new cause a couple years in the sun is rough on plastic. its the worst option by far.
This has happened to my home. It’s from the neighbor’s window. We are all vinyl siding, 5ft apart, lowE windows in this community.
That laugh when the vinyl went up😂😂😂😂
We have used fiber cement siding exclusively for over 10 years due to ability to withstand fire as well as hurricanes. Being on the coast in SC, we have the chance of land falling hurricanes, ie Hugo, Floyd and other named storms. Wind resistant., as well as fire due to close proximity to other home. Brick is second choice that we use depending on customer. Great video and will save to show potential new build customers on their new construction. Stay safe and see you on next video.
Check out Everlast. Lighter, no painting ever, no caulking, tight butt joints, 140 mph wind, labor and material warranty.
Beacon can supply in Charleston
I’d love to know the cost of the real rebuild.
Sponsored cost? Or real cost?
@@tonynguyen1815 real
He said a while back real cost would be around $400/sf
@@mikemessenger1681 I didn’t remember that, but okay. That’s a lot.
$400 psf if you and I did this, but he’s probably at less than $100 if you consider all his sponsors.
I'm watching a commercial .... within a commercial .... within a commercial
Inception- Build show episode.
I live in the Midwest. Temps vary from-20 to +95. I worked for a chain of gas stations in doing maintenance. Many of the locations had builder installed fiber cement siding. The problem we had was that the product would shrink during cold weather and crack the siding at each nail location.
I put LP Smart siding on my house 5 years ago and it looks like new( my house is 50 years old)
I don't know what brand of cement siding was used of if it makes a difference but in my area, I would recommend engineered siding
Had my house resided with Hardiebord 12 years ago with no issues or cracks. Temps range from -15 to 115 F in KCMO sometimes. Wonder if they left enough space for thermal expansion and contraction?
As a DIY I really like the LP smart siding. I was able to reside my whole house myself and didn’t have to worry about the dust. Much less weight moving around 16ft pieces. Very durable and looks great. Matt I followed your advice installing a rain screen. In Ohio fire isn’t a concern.
Anything you’d have changed? Thinking of doing the same in PA.
@@timgleason2527 Tip is use H molding on butt joints. I think it looks better. Cans of primer spray paint also makes it easier to seal edges or cuts then trying to brush those. The Gecko gauges are a must for DIY.
@@eagleknight2701 thanks!
@@timgleason2527 good
Question, so I’m following.
I just did a big solo diy siding project with LP Smartside. I just caulked the joints and they pretty much disappear. Love the durability, ease of cutting and 16ft lengths.
It would be interesting to see metal siding also in this test.
wouldn't do anything other than char or change color. Screws holding it up may transfer heat to a wood back and maybe start a fire, but id imagine that would take some time. something else is bound to catch fire before that.
ua-cam.com/video/B7WoKDDzLCg/v-deo.html
2:07 That laugh 😂
What do you think of Everlast Siding? I completely agree with your assessment of standard vinyl siding, but I have seen some very nice Everlast siding installs.
We chose Everlast over Hardie. No regrets. Outstanding product. Of course my opinion but it looks as nice as Hardie and install is much easier. Matt time for you to do a review of Everlast. Unbiased please. Not a pitch of a product or the sponsors product.
I always enjoy and respect your work, Matt
Great demonstration! When I added a work shop on to the back of my garage, I settled on Allura for the siding. I could get it in widths that matched the clapboards on the rest of my house. It wasn't cheap, but worth every penny. Found some aluminum corners that also matched the house (I wish Allura would carry these in all sizes. They were hard to find.). It's only downsides are it's heavy and it needs to be carried vertically or it will likely crack or break. But the look is amazing, and I do like the fire safety issue as we do barbecue right next to the shop..
How is allura holding up? Looking to install it
@@benzun9600 Excellent. ZERO issues.
Australian here, never heard of vinyl cladding before, sounds like a straight up recipe for disaster. Though we've got other alternatives that are equally as cheap & nasty
In mild climates it’s VERY common and works perfectly fine. Last a long time, it’s cheap, easy to put up, and easy to repair. It’s not super durable if you hit it with a lawnmower or weedwacker, but it usually looks fine for decades.
Lots of houses built or remodeled in the 70's and 80s have it. Was sold as a wonder material requiring no maintenance. Vinyl was installed over my natural cedar shingles, I just think they look tacky.
the house my grandparents built 20 years ago has it on it, no issues. It doesn't dent and its cheap. If outdoor fires is a concern then you would want to consider something else. If a fire breaks out inside your home, it doesn't matter what is on the outside of your house. We don't have forest fire issues or other concerns here so vinyl has been great in general.
The vinyl siding by my patio has a visible droop in a section where I unwittingly fired up my propane grill too close to it. Won't do that again, and as soon as I can afford it I'm going to get the house re-sided in fiber cement or Boral or something like that.
As a volunteer fire fighter,. I have seen vinyl melt on houses all the time. I have seen full two story sides of houses melt away.
If a house is on fire the house next door with vinyl starts to melt.
The radiant heat will catch adjacent structures on fire if no cooling by the fire department.
When a house on fire the fire coming from inside to outside ! So the last layer of the house is siding ! The fire resistant should be in the interior face of the wall before fire catch the insulation!!!!
And insurance re sides the house and the house doesn't burn down even with vinyl
Been to many fires that start on the back deck, run up a wall covered in vinyl siding, and straight to the attic, eventually burning down the roof.
@@rock3072 how did the fire start on a back deck ?
Also love Hardie siding,. Never have used Alura.
Real life situation. My home burned in 2008. James Hardie siding. I stood and watched flames come out a basement window and up the side of the house. No fire damage. Made me such a believer that I have had it on every house since.
Do u have photos
did the siding become brittle afterwards? im just really curios. like can a house survive a brush fire and just need some fresh paint afterwards? or would it need replacing afterwards? im sure there's allot of variables but im really curios if your siding was compromised or if it really is that incredible. thanks for your comment.
You are correct with respect to vinyl being used heavily in many areas of the country. In the Cleveland, Ohio suburbs it is the most common siding. Beside initial cost, the main attraction is ALMOST NO MAINTENANCE, no painting, no resealing, no anything. The house we are in has 30 to 40 year old vinyl siding. After 10+ years of us living here, we had some mold growing on the north side of the house and detached garage. We also had some dirt build up on a couple of areas covered by overhang. It cost us a few hundred dollars to have those areas professionally power washed. Amortized over 10 years, that is like $30 per year.
Actually, when I was talking cost, I should point out that the majority of houses in our area were originally built with wood siding and at some point some insulation was added and the vinyl covered the wood siding. It was about 1.5 to 2.0 times as expensive as painting. In the time the vinyl has been on the house, it would have had to be painted 4 to 6 times. That vinyl siding has paid for itself many times over.
Yeah it's pretty to silly color everyone's opinion with this fire test. There are certainly places where I would want fire protection for my home, but the simple fact that you have to recaulk and repaint our beloved fiber cement is reason enough to go with vinyl. I don't love the look of J channel, but spending thousands and so many hours to maintain is silly and I can't believe it wasn't mentioned in the video.
@@krentzcellostudio You hit the nail on the head! After 20 years of having to scrape and repaint every few years, my parents moved to a brick house. Even brick needs the mortar inspected and tuck pointed about every ten years or so.
Could be interesting to add aluminum siding to your fire test.
What a pyro, your enjoying this a little too much. Love your vids Brother Man. Keep em coming.
Could you do a fire test with panels set up as rain screens?
Another expense factor not mentioned is insurance. It is my understanding the insurance companies consider cement fiber a masonry siding, same a brick or stone, so could reduce your annual homeowners insurance premiums since it is more fire and hail damage resistant than other siding. Year over year that could add up. Talk to your insurance agent about that and shop around.
Broke my heart to see you burn hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of wood for your demonstration.
Hands down I'm using Hardie Lap Siding and this demonstration just confirmed it.
Thanks Matt.
Fiber cement siding is common for fire-rated separation walls here in New Zealand. Cedar cladding is really beautiful if the budget allows for now and future maintenance, which is the top pick for cladding an architectural-designed house in Wellington. NZ.
Love the video Matt. I would love to see a torture test with zip and a house wrap(fluid applied, self sticking one, etc) to see how each perform.
Good to see all this . Thanks!
Thinking about our rain screen assemblies- would that nice stack effect suddenly become an issue? I can see the OSB lighting from radiant heat and making a rocket engine behind any siding… thoughts?
With rockwool insulation behind the fibre cement boards you would have a good set up. So long as your doors and windows hold out.
Yahoo! Now check out Perfect Block, I’d love to see you do a video on the pluses and negatives of it.
I installed Certainteed cement/fiber. Missed out on the class action lawsuit so now I just have crappy shrunken/sagging huge gapped siding on my house. Thanks for the info. Looking for a new siding now.
All fiber board is bad to use and the dust is so bad for u
@@thecarpentergarden2943 making up nonsense....plastic bottles are dangerous...everywhere...pick siding is cheap...and toxic during mfg. And cutting..and flimsy
@@cengeb lol as u coment on a post of a person that is having issues with the product. Your a joke
@@cengeb umm I'm not installing plastic bottles 😳. Yes it bad during manufacturing but way more people install the products then the people with big special masks and protection. But fiber cement is just a bad for the people during the manufacturing.... but plastic isn't bad to cut. Use tinsnipes or a vacuum on a saw. But cutting Hardie is bad with any blade. The chopper cutting tool just destroys the product. The hardie blade just makes a ton of poison dust. Which u need to tell people 25 feet away when u are cutting it. Worksafe bc code. Also need a big very nice mask. but Wait dont smoke, eat or drink with the dust on your clothes either. 🤔 and the product doesn't stand up to snow or water. But yes it can survive fire lol who cares about fire 🔥 😅 I Don't have a bon fire 5 feet from my house ever weekend
@@thecarpentergarden2943 your a joke? What?
Just curious, Did you use Allura on your Real Rebuild or James Hardie? In an earlier vid you talk about installing James Hardie color plus, but at the end of this one you say that “this is Allura on this house that I built”.
I’m also wondering the same.
Love your show Matt and watching that vinyl melt like cheddar on a barbecue burger was hilarious. But I have to help out a fellow gringo by asking you not to repeat the “más y memos” (more and less) comment. It’s actually “más O menos” (more OR less). My Colombian wife would slap me if I said “más y menos”. I have learned so much from your vids so up the great work…. Just stay away from the Español mi amigo!
I love the concept of cement siding..i just can't get behind it for home usage. My place has dents in it. Not to mention handling and cutting pain-points. Maybe one day, they would embed some 28 gauge wire or something to toughen it up.
Or a wire mesh.
@@elslick @Adrian Sanchez you guys are describing stucco
@@Shadi2 No, we're saying they need to add more reinforcement to cement fiber siding. I know what stucco is and you use a metal lathing, I am saying they need to add a metal very thin mess to the cement fiber siding so it not so flimsy. Putting up long runs you can snap a section easily and it doesn't hold up well to hard impacts.
Glass fibers are embedded in it, unless they are using cheaper wood fibers
Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Panels are probably the best.
@@elslick That's why hardie trains installers on proper handling and installation, get guys that know what they are doing, not pretend siding guys, guys didn't break one piece installing my hardie stuff here, and they had some complicated cuts, especially working off my back room with 8 Velux sky lites to work aroundguys only do hardie, when people see hardie compared to vinyl, they all choose hardie..
I’m curious how thermally modified wood siding stack up to fibre cement siding.
Right now, depending on how you did it, a log cabin might cost more than a stone castle of the same size. wood siding is fancy, weird times
The engineered wood does have an accelerant in it. Once it catches the glue burns even hotter than the wood. Fought quite a few fires and several houses that caught as exposures. Never had to deal with a Hardie sided house as an exposure.
that engineered wood siding stuff looks like crap, it's OSB with cement painted on, what a dopey product...hardie cement fiber is the best
Very fun video Matt!
I do wish you picked on a higher quality polymer like the Injection Molded Polypropylene products like CertainTeed's "Cedar Impressions Perfections" or Stylecrest's "CedarCove 8' Roughsawn" ... I've used both. Unlike poly-vinyl which is most often paper thin extruded product, Injection molded Polypropylene is very thick and looks great and has no seems like Hardie Plank siding in my community.
I appreciate how they lock into place for superior wind protection on the coastline.
Truthfully I am much more concerned about wind loading.
How about a wind load test. It doesn't need to be an ASTM certified test.
Cheers,
Eric
In Europe, brick semi detached houses can be completely gutted by fire on one side of the party wall and the other will have only minor damage at the join.
Exterior walls definitely want to be fire proof 🔥
I put viber cement panels on 2 of my homes. I put a piece in my BBQ pit and turned in on for an hour. All it did was char a little. Was still substantial. I could possibly attach it to my house if I wanted.
Fiber Cement SIding " Hardy Board" will deteriorate if exposed to too much moisture. Example is when a two story upper floor and the siding continues above the garage roof. We quit using it in Minnesota for that reason. If you take the LP siding that looks like OSB on the back and soak it in water for weeks it will still look the same. The resins used now days is incredible.
I live in Hawaii 200 ft from the ocean. Had it on my house for 17 years and still looks new
you are a damn good presenter of facrs, succinct, unbiased and waste no time. You should do more videos on construction DIY budding builders
@Matt What percent of new construction is being done for homes for sale to individuals vs homes for sale to corporations, often for them to rent out?
Saw a Second Thought video that asked that question so I figured I'd forward it to someone more in the know.
Rent for a 500 square foot studio apartment in between Denver and CO Springs: $980.
Zillow monthly estimate for a 2 bed 2 bath house with a garage in the same area: $1,200... with $60,000 down.
I'm stuck either living with my mother till I'm 40 to afford a down payment, or just never owning a home and giving all my money to corporate landlords forever.
It used to be rent till you can buy, now it's rent till you die. Or put another way "The bank says I can't afford a thousand dollar mortgage, so I pay two thousand in rent."
My vinyl is probably 15 years old, and it is done... color is the same, but its all flimsy and warped... planning on doing fiber cement next
Does fiber cement get brittle or start to break off in small chunks/pieces over time?
My new construction home was built with Hardie Board. This was fun 😁
Would love to see some low cement content Fibre Cement Board make some in roads into the market. Many benefits over natural timber but embodied carbon performance is a negative in comparison
Your laugh made my day.
I think we all have that laugh when playing with fire.
Fibre cement siding is pretty good cladding material. But please remember that there are also fibre cement panels in various thicknesses and sizes, coloured as well, that can be used on your house or building.
Eternit makes excellent fibre cement panels. So does Nichiha.
And they don't look like "siding".
What about stucco??
Stucco cannot afford to sponsor a Matt Risinger video ;)
knowyourmeme.com/photos/1198655-christmas
Cement stucco is fire resistant up to a point. You have to remember, EVERYTHING can burn if it gets hot enough, even steel! There are other stuccos which are less resistant to fire, and their substrate, if EPS or EXP will burn or melt, Mineral fibre will not readily burn.
There are so many houses in my neighborhood that have aluminum siding, different reveals here and there but id like to hear your opinion on that
Brick and block baby! Can't beat it
Talk about flaunting wealth. Matt’s out here burning plywood
These UA-cam channels are a business, and this test is part of that business. How would you suggest a test of this nature without actually burning something? I for one appreciate the comparison and will help everyone think through the options...
@@blackwaterfarms5893 it was a joke. i know how youtube works and the value these tests bring.
Vinyl is cool!! It's cheap, lite and it's virtually maintenance Free!!! So who cares if it melts with fire?? If there's fire inside your house it doesn't matter what happens to the outside, your house is lost!! And as far as not being recyclable... Nothing in construction is
Clearly, you don’t live in California. Lots of houses burn from the outside in.
Hey Matt,
Thank you for the demonstration. I have recently purchased a house near Grass Valley CA and it's in a wildfire area so I need to use fire-resistant materials whenever possible, I'm going to be building a patio/ deck area, fencing and a storage shed. So I have a couple of questions, is T1-11 cement board siding fire-resistant, composite deck, and fence boards fire-resistant. would be a good show building in high fire-risk areas.
What’s best for soundproofing?
Fire resistance is a huge factor here in California.
I'm quite impressed with the OSB behind the vinyl :-)
I had a “grilling incident” at my old house. Grease drip pan in my gas grill ignited and flared up. HUGE flames pouring out of the grill. Ribs were toast unfortunately. I’m thankful for the hardie siding I had on the house. Melted the paint a little. Had to sand, prime, and repaint.
That definitely shows the fire resistance of Fiber Cement!
What about sealing paint on houses, love to see a video on this, Fire resistant paint and heat resistant paint. Nice video.
Ever use Everlast siding?
Interesting. Would liked to have seen some actual Shou Sugi Ban, too, though that could be done with a few different types of wood, I guess.
Well we ended up with some Shou Sugi Ban after all, just had to move the samples a little closer. 🤣
Try doing it again with NO WIND
Having a little too much fun here.... 🤣 Great test man! 👍
How insightful, Matt. May I specify Allura on your recommendation?
I would love to see Matt do a review of Alside's Ascend composite siding product. It's being compared to the durability and fire resistance of fiber cement and the easy installation and low maintenance of vinyl siding. Hype or innovation?
I have 32 year old vinyl siding and definitely would use it again. Fiber cement cracks and sucks up water 💦
I'm going with Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Panels
GFRC siding for the cladding is light weight, won't burn, and can look like wood/stone/brick/etc
I'm just here for the "Build Show Drinking Game"
Drink any time Matt says "BOMBER"...
Nice test! Go ahead
Our barn burned as a kid. It melted the vinyl off one side the neighbor's house 100 feet away. Our house was cedar shakes and closer, no damage.
I was looking to see if anyone mentioned the class action lawsuit. Only saw one comment and a few more about cracking. I am an architectural designer and used Certainteed fiber cement on my own home (completed in 2012). Noticed some cracking in the first 18 months and assumed it was simply due to settling. Started recommending my clients not use it on new construction and only on remodels, since settled had already occurred. Fast forward several years and I figured out how it was installed partially incorrectly. Laps not to be caulked (plan for water to get in, give it a way to get out), all cuts painted, 3/8" gap in butt joints, etc. So I thought it was failing simply b/c of improper installation. Wondered if any of it could be repaired, I figured not since it seemed to me the only fix was a full reinstall. Have been thinking on the time when I have to re-do that and planning for some better assemblies underneath it. Fast forward to last year when I discovered there was a class action lawsuit and I was NEVER notified. By anyone. And that the deadline had passed. Now I see where they ran out of funds and the folks who participated seem to have not received their second (remaining 50%) payout and were left holding the bill. Certainteed fiber cement is now Allura. I would REALLY like to see some studies and information on the durability of this product, the issue with the fly ash being used in the manufacturing, and how many people have been left being burned (pun intended) by this situation. It seems I am one of them. As they sponsored this video, I would be surprised to see anything negative posted, but it's a real problem. I love the pros of it, but I think it's rare for it to be installed properly (which will void a warranty), but if it's a faulty product in the first place, they won't take responsibility for it, won't work to improve the product, and won't help the people they've hurt . . .I'm trying to find if there's a better product out there. As I had a nasty hail storm less than a week ago, my siding is even more damaged as it has gotten increasingly more brittle over the years and has too much flex in it where it's pulling loose from warping. I have to deal with my own situation, but I am becoming aware the larger picture is quite tragic for many folks. I might go with something else, but if fiber cement is still my best option, I'll likely go with Hardie AND do a shake, not a lap to reduce the potential for cracking. I would really like to see this addressed.
id be very interested to see what the integrity of the cement board is after the burning. its the best option either way. but roman concrete does come to mind...just curios I guess
Matts new Neighbors "street full of cars, bonfire in the driveway, constant noise...i assumed he wasnt that type of youtube star" matt risinger, Jake and Logan Paul's long lost brother 🤣🤣🤣🤣
The Fiber-cement board does look like the product of choice. I don't like dealing with mold, don't want fire from a grill, and don't want to deal with rotting boards either.
the vynil looked like a ghost screaming lol
Seen plenty of vinyl melted from grills to close.... But I've also seen fiber cement fall apart due to freeze/thaw cycle and disintegrate in 7 years or less, by the way I'm in Central NC
Whaich way was the wind blowing?
Can fiber cement be installed over old vertical wood siding?
What's difference between cement board and engineered wood ?
A good external option here in australia is a product called Hebel hebel.com.au/segment/houses/
Its basically aerated concrete panels, light weight, fire resistant with good thermal and acoustic properties.
Not sure how the R values translate to USA numbers
I thought I read somewhere that it's R1.2 per inch, but don't quote me on it which is not very much.
AAC units are excellent building materials, but masonry contractors in North America are totally clueless about them, and how to build with them. They would not know what to do with them. They're common in Europe, though - look up Ytong.
AAC work best as far as finishes, and insulation are concerned is if you put EIFS on its exterior.
@@apscoradiales Not sure on what the panel rating on its own is.
For a wall system using hebel, 179mm to 210mm thick, it has an R value of 2.06 to 3.22 in Australian R values which is equal to R11 to R18 in USA R values
Mr Risinger, would you speak to the pros and cons of replacing OSB sheathing with the older shear bracing method? Current OSB and plywood prices raise these questions. Still, structural compromises are of paramount concern. Thanks.
Lol just hit the southwest all you have are a few sheets of osb at strategic locations on the framing and then your foam, wire, and stucco.
Let-in bracing is still done, as well as corner only sheathing.
You probably want an engineer to sign off on a modification unless it's standard, might negate any saving.
What about WPC siding? Is it as good as FCB siding?
Hey Matt. I have another question. I know if you take care of the seams and the foundation to wall gap if the zip system, it is manages water, air, and vapor very well. What happens when you nail siding or other things to the wall? Doesn’t that deteriorate the properties of the zip system and a failure could happen. Also, how does the zip system manage vapor? I feel like any vapor that gets into a wall cavity if a house built with zip wouldn’t be able to get out because of the low perm rating of the system. Would half inch plywood or thicker with a fluid applied house wrap be a better option? Thanks!
I use drainwrap behind hardie to get any water out
how does fiber cement compare to stucco with regards to wind and fire?
I would like to see you add Efis siding to the comparison.thanks
Well, I’ve got a side of one house, possibly another side, got an inspector and a siding contractor telling me the Hardie needs to come off the wall, got rotting close to the foundation, already knew that, but they can point out where the Hardie is saturated with water and basically just an algae farm. I like Hardie, but it’s got to be installed correctly, and the overwhelming majority of siding contractors aren’t doing that.
Hardie is crap
@@thecarpentergarden2943 it's actually cement, and fiber and additives for algae and mold resistance..Hardie is the best siding out there, it has to be installed by people that know what they are doing, as in get a contractor that is recommended by hardie, my install is perfect, from a Hardie installer which is all mostly what they do hardie.
Just do as I said and throw it in water it will be nothing in 24 to 48 hrs 🙃
Also I didn't know people like silicoses so much
@@thecarpentergarden2943 Proper safety procedures are meant to be followed...wake up. Hardie is the best siding out there.
Comon Matthew when are you going to do a series on rising lumber cost and how is that affecting you guys profit margin?
Cost + 20%. Margin is still 20%. GC's are making more and more every day.
Thinking of putting board and batten on our next hour. Don’t know if we want to do concrete or metal panels. Your thoughts?
Hardie has the board and batten stuff
@@cengeb I seen that they did- I wonder if the concrete panels or the metal panels are better. So many people are going to metal roofs, wondering if it will be less maintenance on the walls.