Your siding is one of the most important elements of your house. It protects you from the elements, helps to keep your walls insulated and your house warm, and makes up the impression your house presents to the world. But when your siding starts to show wear, how do you know when to get it replaced?
Winter may be when your siding needs replacing the most, but will the cold weather interfere with your installation process? Read on to learn more about James Hardie siding and whether you can get it installed during the winter months.
What Is James Hardie Siding?
Before we dive into the challenges of installing siding in the wintertime, let’s talk some about James Hardie siding. James Hardie makes a variety of different siding options, ranging from lap and vertical siding to more rustic shingle siding. Their fiber cement siding design is not only incredibly strong and durable, it’s also the most popular brand of siding in North America.
James Hardie siding comes in a variety of colors and finishes, ranging from smooth lap and vertical siding to staggered or straight line shingle siding. You can get your shingles squared off or in a rounded shape, lending them to different design aesthetics.
Cold Weather Challenges
While construction can continue into the winter, there are a few factors that make it challenging. For one thing, working in temperatures below freezing can be dangerous for contractors if they don’t have the proper winter gear to keep them insulated and warm. Without proper training, they can also be at risk on ladders and scaffolding that can become very dangerous in icy conditions.
Some construction materials can also suffer if they’re installed in sub-freezing temperatures, shrinking or becoming brittle during cold temperatures. Not only does this make them more vulnerable to cracking during installation, but they may also buckle in the spring when the weather warms back up and the siding expands.
You Can Install James Hardie Siding in the Winter!
The good news is that you can install James Hardie siding in the winter with no problems and there are also some great benefits that come along with a winter siding project! Because the siding is made of fiber cement, it doesn’t have the same expansion and contraction issues that some vinyl siding does. It will stay the same size year-round, so you don’t have to worry about spacing changing later on in the year.
The only issue contractors may face when installing this cold weather siding in the winter is trying to get their air compressor to start so they can power their nail guns. You can even do the caulk work you need to in sub-freezing temperatures! James Hardie has an approved caulking product that will cure in temperatures all the way down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Save Your Landscaping
You might be surprised to learn that there are actually some advantages of installing your James Hardie siding in the winter. For one thing, you can save some damage to your landscaping by tackling this project during cold weather. In the spring or summer, your contractor may have to work around any decorative trees you have around your house, and your flower beds may be susceptible to damage as installers maneuver in and out with your new siding.
The good news about remodeling during the winter is that all your flower beds will most likely be in hibernation, and your other plants will be dormant. If a tree needs to get trimmed back, you can do so without risking harm to it. But because none of your plants will have foliage on them, your contractors may be able to work around them without damaging the plants at all.
Maximize Your Outdoors Time
When warm weather does roll around, you want to be able to enjoy your outdoor spaces as much as possible with a beautiful new James Hardie exterior. You want to have cookouts on the patio, swim in the pool, and tend to your flowerbeds and gardens. But that’s hard to do if you have a contractor crew installing siding on your house during the finest days of summer.
Getting your new siding installed in the winter can help you make the most of the warm weather when it arrives. You’ll want to be inside when it’s cold, so having the contractor crew outside won’t make a difference. And when the weather warms up again, you’ll be able to get outdoors without worrying about your siding.
Benefits of Using James Hardie Siding
Aside from the fact that you can install it all year round, there are a number of other benefits of using James Hardie siding. For one thing, this siding is created using the HardieZone system that is based on the idea that your siding should suit the climate you live in. They created their siding using eight different climate variables and custom-tailored it to work in ten different climate zones.
James Hardie siding is also one of the most durable options on the market today. Their siding is moisture- and rot-resistant and can stand up against all types of precipitation. It will also resist wear, looking wonderful for years to come so you don’t have to worry about replacing worn-out siding in another few years.
Get Your James Hardie Siding Projects Done
Getting your siding replaced can be an important way to protect your home, but some siding materials can’t stand up to the brutality of winter. Luckily, you can install James Hardie siding year round, confident that it will be durable and beautiful for years to come. Getting your siding installed in the winter could even help you to make the most of the warm weather when it comes and save your landscaping from damage.
If you’d like to get James Hardie siding installed on your house, MHX Designs is the best contractor for your job as your local James Hardie Elite Preferred Contractor. We provide quality and experienced craftsmanship with customer satisfaction as our highest priority. Get the exclusive MHX Digital Experience today and transform your home with the nation’s leading siding solution.
