Highlander NW
Siding, Decks, Repairs, Remodels
(425) 686-2869
HIGHLN*845LW
Does your company replace siding on existing homes?
Can the siding on my house be replaced during the winter months?
The nails on my house are rusting. What can you can do to stop it?
Why must hot dipped galvanized or stainless steel nails be used on cedar?
Will you paint the new siding?
Will you work on apartments, multi-family or commercial jobs?
I'm building a new house.Should windows have paper UNDER the flange?
On my house, the lower piece of siding looks rotten. Why did this happen?
Why is cedar an ideal wood for outdoor use?
Can I leave my new cedar siding a natural color?
Will the knots in the wood fall out?
What kind of corner boards should I use?
Can I tear off the existing siding to save some money?
Does your company replace siding
on existing homes?
- Yes. We perform
siding replacements on existing homes as well as installations on
some new construction.
Can the siding on my house be
replaced during the winter months?
-
Yes. We work throughout the year. We remove only enough siding
every morning that can safely be replaced that same day. Your
house will NOT be left exposed to the weather.
The nails on my house are
rusting. Is there anything that you can do to stop the rust?
- Chances are that the nails used were
not the proper type. Sometimes the nails can be countersunk and
the holes filled. A quality painting contractor should be able to
help you with this.
Why must hot dipped galvanized or
stainless steel nails be used on cedar?
- Cedar has acids and oils that
contribute to it's outdoor durability. Many other metals react
poorly to these acids and oils.
Will you paint the new siding?
- No. We specialize in siding
installations. Others specialize in painting houses. We feel you
get the most for your money when you hire specialists in each
field. Our "LINKS" page has several painting contractors for you
to call.
Will you work on tract homes?
- Yes, but in limited volume. Due to
recent insurance company restrictions, we can install siding on 4
homes or less in any given tract or project.
Will you work on apartments,
multi-family or commercial jobs?
-
No. Due to recent insurance company restrictions, we will only
perform services on single family homes or structures.
Do you install vinyl siding?
-No. Vinyl siding is popular in some
communities, but we think that the owner recieves much more value
with wood and wood type composite materials.
NOTE: PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING IN
MIND:
When talking to vinyl siding contractors, please
remember this fact :
Water and moisture can easily get behind
vinyl siding if not properly installed.
We have performed
numerous vinyl siding repairs and replacements due to faulty
installation by the original contractor.
CHOOSE CONTRACTOR
WISELY !
Is building paper necessary?
-Yes. With the numerous siding
replacements that we perform, the most common and very
problematic thing we find is the lack of building paper under the
siding. It is usually missing in areas such as the tops of
windows and at inside and outside corners. These are the most
likely areas for moisture penetration.
Building paper should
overlap a minimum of 2" horizontally and 16" vertically. Inside
and outside corners should be completely sealed.
We use 10
minute paper on typical installations and 60 minute paper for
those that wish superior protection from moisture infiltration.
I'm building a new house. Should
the windows have paper UNDER the window flange?
-Yes. To completely safe guard against
window leaks, the window flange should be set on a water
resistive barrier. The siding paper is then layered in a manner
to direct any moisture away from the wall cavity.
There are several specialty products for this
application or you can simply use a siding or roofing grade type
of asphalt paper.
Unfortunately, many builders of new homes do
not properly install windows and quite often, want to argue this
fact.
On my house, the lower most
piece of siding looks rotten. Why did this happen?
- The most common reason for this is
that dirt or landscaping materials have been placed against the
siding.
You should maintain a
minimum of 6" of clearance between organic materials and the
siding.
Missing or leaking gutters and downspouts are also a
common reason.
Why is cedar an ideal wood for
outdoor use?
-Cedar has excellent
resistance to moisture, decay and insect damage. Cedar also takes
stain and paint easily.
Can I leave my new cedar siding
a natural color?
-Yes. A lightly
tinted transparent finish works great. A quality painter can help
you with product selection. See our "LINKS" page for a list of
painting contractors.
Will the knots in the wood fall
out?
-Cedar knots that are "tight"
will not fall out. These knots add to the character of the
material. Cedar also has what we call "black ring knots". If the
knot has a black ring around it, front side and back side, there
is a good chance that it will fall out with time. The lower
grades of cedar typically have more black ring knots.
Many siding contractors
will use these boards with black ring knots and smear a layer of
caulk over them. In a few years these knots fall out and the wall
looks like it had been blasted with a shotgun.
We use PREMIUM
KILN DRIED cedar with minimal defects.
This makes for a
quality installation that still looks great, many years down the
road.
What kind of corner boards
should I use?
-We think the best
corner board to use for wood siding is a single vertically
mounted 2x4.The siding abuts the corner board and a bead of caulk
seals the joint.
This type of corner board resists bugs and moisture the best.
Can I tear off the existing
siding to save some money?
-No. The
main reason being is that we only like to remove enough siding
that can be replaced that same day in order to protect the wall
cavity from the adverse and un-predictable weather here in the
Pacific NW.
Besides, tear off and disposal is a dirty, dangerous and labor
intensive job.
Our tear off procedure includes clean up of
the residue on the ground, removal of nails from the wall,
removal of old caulking at doors, windows, etc.
We simply
prefer to do it ourselves. It helps us stay on schedule and
control the quality of the finished siding job.