Siding in Augusta & Aiken

What CSRA humidity does to siding

Siding in this climate deals with a combination that few other regions throw at it: long humid summers, driving thunderstorm rain, and heavy shade from the tree canopy that keeps north facing walls damp for days.

What that produces is predictable. Black and green mildew streaking on the north and shaded elevations, which is biological growth rather than dirt. Swelling and delamination at the bottom edges of hardboard and composite siding, particularly the products used widely in Augusta and Aiken subdivisions built in the 1980s and 1990s, which fail from the bottom up as they wick moisture. Woodpecker damage on those same materials. Rot behind gutters that have been overflowing quietly for a couple of seasons.

Helene added a category most homeowners here had not dealt with before: impact damage from flying debris and limb strikes, on walls as well as roofs. Some of it was obvious immediately. Some of it cracked a panel or a piece of trim and has been letting water in ever since.

What is behind the siding matters more than the siding

Siding is a rain screen, not a seal. Water is expected to get behind it. What keeps the house dry is the layer underneath and the flashing details, and that is the part you cannot see once the job is finished, which is exactly why it gets skipped.

The things worth asking about on any siding quote:

• The weather resistive barrier. House wrap or equivalent, lapped correctly so water runs down and out rather than into a seam.
• Flashing at windows and doors. Head flashing and properly lapped tape at every opening. This is where most siding related rot begins.
• Kickout flashing. The small piece where a roof edge meets a wall that directs water out into the gutter instead of behind the siding. It is missing on a startling number of houses and it causes some of the worst hidden rot we find.
• Clearance at grade and at the roof. Siding held too close to the ground or to a roof surface wicks water continuously.

When siding comes off, sheathing problems come to light. Like roof decking, nobody can price that honestly in advance, so ask what the rate is for replacing sheathing before the job starts rather than after.