A challenging project with a fantastic end result

Some siding renovation projects are easy - other ones keep hitting us with surprise after surprise! This home in central Edmonton is a great example of the second type.

The clients came to us looking for a contemporary update to their faded vinyl siding exterior. This is right up our alley, of course, so we were happy to oblige! Before long, the clients had selected James Hardie lap siding in Deep Ocean as their product of choice, with Arctic White HardieTrim corner posts and window trims.

Once we got started, we knew we had a problem. The existing siding had been installed over a thick layer of XPS insulation, plus 2x lumber strapping. We knew about this, and had planned to save the existing insulation and reinforce the existing strapping so that it would support the increased weight of cement board. What we didn’t expect was for the existing studs to be installed randomly all over the walls… pretty much everywhere EXCEPT into studs. To make matters worse, the exterior sheathing of the home was a gypsum/drywall type product, and the nails were completely loose. If we tried to install Hardie on this assembly, it would have been sagging or completely falling off within a few years.

After confirming that the strapping was installed incorrectly across the entire exterior, we presented our findings to the clients, along with a few different options for a correct installation. We worked on the garage in the meantime, in order for the clients to make the best decision. In the end, they decided to proceed with multiple layers of EPS (expanded polystyrene) insulation and new strapping properly secured to the studs. We installed EPS insulation panels to replace the existing XPS (extruded polystyrene) panels. (The black panels in the photos are EnerSpan panels with graphene, and the white ones are a normal PlastiSpan EPS. Both products are unfaced to promote the best possible vapour permeance.)

Because the XPS panels were quite old, they had lost a ton of their insulating value - even though EPS supposedly carries a lower R-value per inch, the clients reported that their home was much much warmer! Their teenage daughter used to complain that her room was too cold in the winter time. Now, she complained that her room was much too warm in the winter!

Interested in a consultation for your own siding renovation project? Contact us today!