WATERPROOFING YOUR HOME

Waterproofing is a process which is designed to prevent water from penetrating a building. Usually extensive waterproofing measures are added to a building at the time of construction to provide moisture control from the start. Waterproofing may also be done after a building is constructed to address problems as they emerge or as part of a building retrofit. Schrader Contracting Services is skilled in building waterproofing, maintenance, restoration, and new construction services.

James Hardie Siding

You likely realize that replacing the siding on your house is an important job. If your siding is worn down, damaged, or otherwise in bad shape, it’s necessary to replace it so your home can remain protected. Replacement siding can also make your house more appealing to potential buyers and raise the value of your home. The flip side is that these benefits don’t come cheap; replacing siding isn’t a simple or fast job, so it comes with an appropriately high price tag.

You have lots of options when replacing your siding, and you might be tempted to go with an inexpensive option like vinyl, but James Hardie siding (a brand of fiber cement siding) offers far more benefits, even though it costs more. So how much does it cost to install James Hardie siding, and is it worth the extra money?

History

Fiber cement siding became the leading siding choice in the United States since its introduction in the early 1990s because it provided a better alternative to vinyl, wood-based and aluminum siding, the norm for that time. Those innovation ideas have benefited homeowners and builders alike with products that are durable, easy-to-install and cost-efficient. James Hardie products are the results of decades of research and development – and they are still investing in product innovation.

Material Composition

Part of the cost basis is attributable to the material composition of fiber cement siding. Unlike wood or vinyl, which are relatively easy to produce and made from common materials, fiber cement siding is a composite made from a special blend of different ingredients. Some of these ingredients include cement, cellulose fibers, and sand. James Hardie uses a proprietary mixture of these ingredients, which has taken significant time and research to perfect. The end result is a material that can stand up to the elements—including natural disasters and insect damage—much better than its less expensive counterparts.

Installation Efforts

Fiber cement siding is very heavy and hard to work with, especially compared to flimsy materials like vinyl. If you think about it, this makes sense—the harder a material is to work with, the more likely it will be to stand up to exterior damage. The fact is, fiber cement siding demands bigger installation crews and more time and effort to put the siding in place securely. These additional costs are added to the total cost of your installation. However, having a gives you confidence that your home will have an excellent return on investment and the desired curb appeal.

Performance & Warranty

It’s also worth noting that James Hardie siding costs more simply because it outperforms the competition so extraordinarily well. It comes backed by a 30-year limited transferable warranty, and will essentially last you forever, through any type of damage you can imagine. The ColorPlus Technology and Hardie Trim boards comes with their own 15-year limited warranty. You’re paying for performance when you buy James Hardie products.

Factors That Affect Cost

It’s hard to estimate a single cost that can apply to every homeowner. Your cost will be affected by these factors at a minimum:

Project size

Most installation costs are calculated based on the square footage of your home, but with discounts applied to higher quantities of materials purchased. For example, a 1,000 square foot home would likely pay a higher per-square-foot cost but have a lower overall price, while a 2,000 square foot home would likely pay a lower per-square-foot cost but have a higher overall price. The bottom line is that bigger homes have to pay more for installation.

Optional features

Fiber cement siding does come with a number of optional features to select. You can choose different brands of fiber cement siding, different styles that emulate other siding varieties in look and texture, and of course, different colors. What types of options you choose will ultimately impact how much you pay for the raw materials; the more ornate your options, the higher the cost.

Special Circumstances

The condition of your home and other special circumstances (such as those that make installation easier or harder) may also have a marginal effect on how much you pay for installation. Difficult patterns or configurations in a house will add to the siding costs.

General Estimates

With the understanding that your installation costs will vary due to all the factors mentioned, there are some general ballpark estimates available for James Hardie siding. Assuming you live in or around Chicago, for example, you can expect fiber cement siding to cost between $17 and $24 per square foot of your home. For a 1,500 square foot home, that would likely put you between $25,000 and $35,000, including the full cost of installation.

Again, these numbers will likely vary—dramatically—based on the factors we listed above. It’s kind of like going to a dentist and hearing that your root canal is estimated to be $300, but with all the other costs added, it comes out to $700. General estimates don’t speak to everything that goes into the final price, so make sure you get a formal estimate from multiple siding contractors before moving forward.