New Video for 1st Oregon Exteriors
I got a new web video made for 1st Oregon Exteriors. It’ll soon be embedded on the home page, but I thought I’d give you a sneak peak here. I hope it lets you know how much we really do care about doing a good job on your home!
Are you ready for a free estimate for your next siding, windows or painting project?
P.S. We also made a new video for our Portland roofing company, Roof Life of Oregon. Have a look at our Roof Life of Oregon video when you’re done here.
Why are my Replacement Windows Leaking Wind and Water? Was I “screwed and glued?”
Like many people, you probably bought your home (especially your first home) on a nice spring day.
The sellers made a big deal about the brand new vinyl replacement windows, and how much nicer they were than the old aluminum framed windows that had been there for years. You paid a home inspector to look at everything and report back to you. The inspector said that everything looked great, but noted that you should probably paint the house within the next year and be sure to caulk around those new windows at the same time. Like most of us, you made a note of it, but got lost in the excitement of moving into your new place. The report got filed away with the rest of your paperwork and the seasons moved on.
Portland Siding: A Few Words of Warning
There are at least 10,000 homes in the greater Portland area that have Lap siding on the front of their home and T-1-11 panels on the sides and back. This was the builder’s way of saying that he was cheap and wanted to defer the cost of doing it right to the homeowner. The homeowner living there from the 6th year on gets that privilege. You get to be the one to finance the replacing of your dry rotted, rain soaked, mildew ridden, defunct siding. Even though you really do not want to know, it’s better to know this now than find out later.
The problem is that wet/dry rot in your walls makes for a really expensive problem to remedy and has the potential to stall a home sale. It is far better to deal with this error prior to a sale. We can help you determine if there is a problem, just call us.
Some people wonder how this could happen when the home is supposed to be inspected as its being built. Here is the answer:
In Portland, there is only one way to put the exterior of your home together to keep Oregon’s weather out, anything short of that is wrong and will fail. In Portland, we get 8 months of moisture. Sometimes it falls straight down, but on occasion it comes in sideways, and because of this the siding, windows and trim on your home need to be put on with that in mind. Every detail must be followed just as spring follows winter.
Without exception, houses with LP (Louisiana Pacific), Weyerhaeuser, or Masonite T-1-11 panels (that your home’s builder chose to put on your home) will fail due to application error.
Here are just a few of the most common application errors:
Too many nails driven past the outer skin of the panel. This allows water absorption and a place for rot to begin. In addition, as the siding begins to swell due to a manufacturing error, the nails sink into the panels even more everywhere. This usually happens on the two weather walls of your home.
Another very common error that will cost a homeowner a bundle is the fact that the framer of the house (not the siding installer) installed the panels. The Framer is paid by the foot to frame the house; not one thought is given to weatherization, moisture, and rot. These T-1-11 panels are an important part of the structure of your home. They double as a shear wall holding your framing straight and true, and also as an exterior siding. That’s how the builder saved money; by paying the framer to do a sider’s job.
You get big mistakes like installing the T-1-11 panels right on top of the window frames. The window frames hold moisture that is quickly soaked up by the panel and thus begins the rotting process. The same is true on any horizontal trim. The siding must not be touching the ledge. If a window has a trim accent, it must be flashed correctly. It is incorrect to caulk the entire top of any horizontal trim, as this doesn’t allow interior moisture to escape the wall as it travels downward. By putting dams at each end of the trim flashing, water will be prevented from going down the corners and entering into the interior window well.
That’s it, those are the biggies that will cost you a bundle, I hope we can help you sooner rather than later.