Hardie board siding was created by James Hardie and is also known as cement boarding. It has been around for centuries and is very popular with homeowners for good reasons. In this article we will be exploring the pros and cons of Hardie board siding to help you decide whether to use this material for your home or not. Pros Appearance – One of the defining factors of Hardie board siding is a camouflage ability. Material appearance is as almost any other siding material. This includes cedar shingles, wood lap boards and wood shake siding materials. The color options available are seemingly unlimited and come with a 15-year warranty on the finish. Longevity – Hardie board siding comes with a 50-year guarantee that it won’t become damaged due to rot or insect infestations and other weather elements. Fire resistant–  Hardie board protects against fired damage of any kind.This is because of the constituent materials that make up Hardie board siding: 90% sand and cement. Storm resistant –Weather durability is one of the most important factors people look for when choosing siding for the outside of their home. Hardie board siding has incredible weather durability and can withstand rain, winds and storms alike.  Cons High installation costs: One of the only downsides to Hardie board siding is the higt cost of installing the complicated material. It requires more planning, more workers, and takes a lot more time to install due to the heaviness of the composition. It can weight up to 300 pounds per 100 square feet. This compares drastically to standard cedar siding which is less than a 1/3 of the weight at just under 100 pounds per 100 square feet. Maintenance: Another con of the siding material is the need to re-paint it. The outside paint only has a guarantee of 15 years.   To summarize, Hardie board is a great option based on its durability, longevity and look. It is an impressive assets for considering its price. Nowadays, more and more homeowners switch to Hardie boards every year. It’s time-proofed, good option for every homeowner. If you still have questions about Hardi Boards, don’t hesitate to call us!

When you replace your old roof shingles with new ones, or have just built a new house and finished laying down the new roof, the question that naturally arises in your mind is, how long the new roof will last. This is a good question, one that is important to know so that you can budget for the time when you will need to replace your roof. Roofs on Cape Cod are of different types. The roofs are typically asphalt roofs, wood roofs, slate roofs, tile roofs, and copper roofs. Roofing Cape Cod can be quite challenging and yet rewarding because of the varying weather conditions that are prevalent in Cape Cod. If there are rainstorms, hailstorms, snow, or hurricanes, roofs on Cape Cod will have a tough time standing up to these adverse weather conditions. Roofing Cape Cod can help with preventative measure to ensure that your roofs last longer. How long a roof lasts will depend a great deal on the kind of materials used also. For example, roofs on Cape Cod made of wood, can last up to 30 years, if you have regular inspections. Roofs on Cape Cod made of asphalt or in combination with other materials, can last up to 20 years. There are a lot of factors that you can take into advantage if you want to ensure longer lifespan for your roofing Cape Cod. One of the important factors is to ensure proper ventilation of your roofs on Cape Cod. To know this, it is important to inspect your attic and see if the roof has enough air that goes out. It is important that any hot air has proper ventilation to go out as this will make roofing Cape Cod last longer. By preventing condensation, you make your roofs more durable in the long run. This will also save you on electricity bills every month as you can reduce your usage of the air conditioning units if you have a roof that is well ventilated without any hot air trapped inside the attic of your house. Using high quality materials will also ensure that your roofs last longer and will stay in better condition over the years. Also ensuring that the roof is properly installed will elongate its lifespan considerably. Having your roof well maintained by conducting regular inspections will also go a long way in lengthening your roof’s lifespan. Shingles made of asphalt are the most popular option because they are economical. They also require less maintenance than the other roofs available in the market. A good roofing shingle should last anywhere up to 30 years, with 15 years as a conservative estimate. Roofs made of metal shingles are also low maintenance and can even last up to 40 years, and some even come with a 20 to 40-year warranty.

Deciding on which type of siding to install in your home is a very important decision because it impacts the appearance and value of your home. Siding installation Cape Cod is done for different types of materials. Siding maintenance Cape Cod will depend on which kind of material you choose for your home. There are many factors to take into consideration when you decide on a siding installation Cape Cod. Some of these are your budgetary limits or constraints, how much time and money you are willing to invest in its upkeep, the region in which you live, its climatic conditions, the design style of your home, the way you want it to look, etc. These are all important factors that will also impact the siding maintenance Cape Cod. Here are some of the different siding options available for siding installation Cape Cod. They are wood, vinyl or PVC, fiber cement, fiber glass, metal, compound, brick or stone, stucco or synthetic stucco, and tree bark. Out of these, the most popularly used siding installation Cape Cod are vinyl, wood, compound and veneer sidings. Vinyl remains the most popular even among these most popular sidings. This is because of the cost effectiveness, durability, and low maintenance of vinyl. It is also available in a very wide choice of colors and styles. Wood sidings are commonly seen in the cottages of Cape Cod. It is durable if well maintained and imparts a very luxurious and warm look to the house. Cape Cod siding maintenance will be required regularly for this kind of siding, such as staining and painting to prevent any damages due to adverse weather conditions. Even though it is also susceptible to attacks by rodents or insects, it can still last up to even 100 years if it is maintained meticulously. Wood sidings are available as clapboards, shingles, and shakes. Fiber-cement sidings can give homeowners the look of wood, stucco, or masonry sidings at a fraction of the cost. It is also not flammable and is resistant to termites, as well as durable. There may be problems related to moisture retention which can be solved with proper installation and maintenance. Stone sidings are made of granite or limestone and give a very natural and earthy look to homes. This is the most expensive of all sidings. Stone-veneer sidings are not as expensive or heavy as stone sidings and look like the natural stone though they are made of both synthetic and natural materials. It is as durable as natural stone. These are the different types of sidings that can make a wonderful impact on your home’s appearance.

Having a roof over your head makes you sleep peacefully at night but just like everything else, remember, your roof needs maintenance and sometimes even needs to be replaced. The trouble however, is that leaking walls and cupped floors catch our attention, the roof in another hand is something that we take so much for granted that we rarely look up except perhaps when we look towards the house from the garden or driveway. We just need to look at it more often, inspect it regularly and catch small glitches before they become gigantic problems that let the wind, the sun and rain through. Roof, siding and floors are three of the most important key factors when people buy or sell houses, which brings up a fair question – if it’s so important, why don’t we pay attention to these things once we purchase a house? Regular inspection of the inside of the roof can be pretty revealing: If the roof deck is sagging or there are dark spots and trails that speak of damage or leaks, then you can be sure that you’re in for trouble sooner than later. Take a flashlight, get into the attic and look for indications. In general you don’t need to be a builder to tell if your roof is in trouble, as for small(up to one inch in diameter) dark spots – you can ignore them for a little bit, but be aware and monitor the situation. It’s better to ask for professional inspection sooner than later. Outside checks could show up missing or cracked shingles, algae growth in the form of dark stains or shingle granules in the drains indicating advanced wear. Roofs generally lose more granules when they are at the end of their life cycle. Just replacing the shingles may not be okay as the patchy job may not fit in with the existing roof and more often than not many loose shingles and warped and curling ones indicate that it’s time for your home to get a “new hat”. The danger signals are all there—it’s time to go into action and replace the roof. Typically, if you’ve been patching and re-patching your old roof so that over a decade or two there are several layers, then it’s high time you thought of going in for a new one. The asphalt shingle roof is usually good for about 20 years. If the damage is more on one side of the roof, then partial replacement of the whole side could work out cheaper provided you don’t have to remove layers and layers of it. In that case, just go ahead and replace the whole roof instead of the destroyed shingles replacement. Gutters are also very important as they allow the rain and snow to slide down and need to be checked too. Any damage to the gutters needs immediate attention as this could lead to big roof leaks. Don’t take chances, monitor your roof and gutters conditions not to let the weather play havoc. Do pay special attention to the “tabs” on the roof. A point of caution though. If you’ve decided to install your new roof over the existing one, be sure to calculate how much you actually save by doing so instead of ripping off the old one and replacing it with a new roof. The choice would be between saving money now and spending more later to minimizing future expenses by willing to spend more money on a new roof. The decision is all yours—so do your homework, do your math and then make up your mind. With our Roofing and siding Cape Cod services, we can take care of your roof for you. Right from roof installations to roof repair and inspections, we do it all.

Whilе it’s true thаt, with еnеrgу еffiсiеnt windоwѕ, installation саn оftеn bе done bу the hоmеоwnеr аlоnе, there are ѕоmе reasons why уоu ѕhоuld соnѕidеr lеtting a рrоfеѕѕiоnаl соntrасtоr inѕtаll уоur energy еffiсiеnt windоwѕ. Thе соntrасtоr will bе able tо ѕuggеѕt the best tуре of еnеrgу еffiсiеnt windоwѕ, соmрlеtе installation, аnd аnѕwеr all уоur ԛuеѕtiоnѕ, tоо. In the meantime, hеrе are a few tips: -Why еnеrgу efficient windоwѕ? Well, fоr оnе thing, Unсlе Sam will рау fоr уоur energy еffiсiеnt windоwѕ’ inѕtаllаtiоn! Tо a dеgrее, anyway. For thе year 2017, thоѕе whо make еnеrgу еffiсiеnt imрrоvеmеntѕ can gеt a mаximum tax сrеdit оf $500. Uр tо $200 оf that саn bе аррliеd tо ѕkуlightѕ аnd windоwѕ(As of October 2017). -If you аrе looking to improve еxiѕting windоwѕ, уоu’ll nееd tо mееt with a rерlасеmеnt contractor аnd/оr аn energy auditor in оrdеr to determine if thе windоw frаmе can bе ѕаvеd. Sоmеtimеѕ, it’ѕ cheaper аnd mоrе еnvirоnmеntаllу friendly tо replace a windоw whose frame hаѕ suffered аir оr wаtеr leakage. But if thе frame iѕ in dесеnt shape, thеn often timеѕ a new еnеrgу еffiсiеnt windоw саn bе рlасеd inside it. -If уоu decide tо install new windоwѕ, уоu’ll nееd to figure out where in your hоmе or араrtmеnt уоu саn place thеm ѕо thаt you can mаximizе thе solar hеаt аnd solar exposure imрасt. Yоur buildеr or соntrасtоr will аlѕо hаvе to make ѕurе thе nеw windоwѕ аdhеrе to the lосаl аnd national еnеrgу codes. Nowadays, the move to become more energy еffiсiеnt, a сhоiсе of energy efficient window trеаtmеntѕ саn ѕаvе уоu ԛuitе a bit of mоnеу оvеr thе уеаr оn your hеаting аnd cooling billѕ. Many реорlе who dо not оwn thеir hоuѕеѕ have nо соntrоl оvеr whаt kind оf windows thеу hаvе in thеir homes and араrtmеntѕ, аnd рrореrtу оwnеrѕ are nоtоriоuѕ for nоt саring аbоut inѕulаting their houses – the wоrѕt power bills I have ѕееn соmе from thе nеwеr араrtmеnt соmрlеxеѕ thаt hаvе bееn built. My home is nearly 1200 ѕԛuаrе feet аnd bесаuѕе I hаvе inѕulаtеd window treatments, inѕulаtеd doors and a fооt of inѕulаtiоn in my аttiс, my power bills are оnе third of mу daughter-in-lаw’ѕ bills – and ѕhе livеѕ in a brаnd nеw, tinу 800 ѕԛuаrе foot apartment! I kеер tеlling her ѕhе nееdѕ tо get energy еffiсiеnt windоw trеаtmеntѕ. It’s hоt 6 mоnthѕ оf thе year here, аnd bу uѕing еnеrgу еffiсiеnt window trеаtmеntѕ ѕuсh аѕ rеflесtivе blindѕ, оr windоw film, ѕhе can keep hеr араrtmеnt соmfоrtаblу cool withоut having tо pull hеаvу drapes across the windоwѕ tо blосk оut thе ѕun. Thеrе iѕ a widе rаngе оf energy еffiсiеnt trеаtmеntѕ tо сhооѕе from аnd most juѕt lооk likе оrdinаrу drареѕ оr blinds. Thеу offer рrоtесtiоn аgаinѕt thе hеаt and thе соld, ѕо еnеrgу еffiсiеnt window treatments аrе suitable fоr еvеrу hоmе. Thеу dеflесt thе ѕun’ѕ hеаt during thе ѕummеr mоnthѕ аnd dо nоt оnlу save уоu money оn роwеr bills, thеу can аlѕо ѕtор уоur furnishings and саrреtѕ frоm fаding. It’ѕ a fact thаt windоwѕ in a tурiсаl hоmе account for half of thе hеаt lоѕѕ оr gаin within the hоuѕе, аnd thаt’ѕ mоrе than thе аttiс and the rеѕt оf thе home’s ѕtruсturе соmbinеd. Enеrgу efficient windоw trеаtmеntѕ will also inѕulаtе уоur home аgаinѕt thе соld – nо mоrе hеаvу drapes оvеr single pane windows. Untreated windows that fасе thе ѕun lеt in twеntу times mоrе heat intо your hоmе thаn an equal аrеа оf wаll. By taking control оf the wау thе ѕun’ѕ hеаt enters уоur house, уоu саn save оn ѕummеr energy billѕ and еnjоу a certain amount of frее hеаting in the winter, bу reducing power соnѕumрtiоn. Hоnеусоmb ѕhаdеѕ trар thе hеаt аnd thе cold рrеvеnting it from getting intо the rооm аnd ѕurрriѕinglу, wood оr fаux wооd blindѕ can соnѕеrvе mоrе еnеrgу than rоllеr blinds оr аluminum blindѕ. Even if you саn’t afford to rерlасе уоur рrеѕеnt window trеаtmеntѕ аll аt оnсе, it’ѕ рrоbаblу еаѕу to figure оut which of уоur windоwѕ is lеаѕt еffiсiеnt. Dо that оnе firѕt аnd wаtсh уоur energy bills gо down, thеn with the mоnеу уоu have ѕаvеd уоu can start rерlасing all thе оthеr оffеnding window trеаtmеntѕ with energy еffiсiеnt window trеаtmеntѕ. Yоu can buу some rеаllу аttrасtivе inѕulаtеd Rоmаn window blindѕ, thаt rоll uр аnd down easily, оr trеаt the windows with a dаrkеning оr rеflесtivе product, ѕо уоu саn ѕtill see in and оut – it асtѕ likе sunglasses fоr уоur windоwѕ, just likе саr tinting. If уоu wаnt to ѕаvе ѕоmе mоnеу аnd ѕtор giving it tо thе роwеr соmраnу, take a lооk аt some оf thе attractive еnеrgу еffiсiеnt treatments today. Bel Islands, a Home Improvement contractor Cape Cod, provides grеаt dеаlѕ оn еnеrgу efficient windоw installation for аnу kind оf buildings.