James Hardie Siding: How Long Will My Project Take to Complete?

Thanks for reading our blog on how the sales process goes at Canes Exteriors. Now, let’s look at how the average James Hardie siding project will go.

Since most people will only have to re-side their home one time (if you do your research and choose the right contractor), we often get asked how long a James Hardie residing project will take.

There are a number of factors that affect the length of the project and I will outline those below to help set the expectation of what your project will be like. Overall, most James Hardie projects will be completed in 1-2 weeks.

Day 1

All of the materials should arrive at your home and be delivered on a flatbed truck with a forklift.  Your contractor should have a conversation with you prior to this to discuss the ideal placement of materials so they are not in your way. All of the materials should also be covered with a tarp. This should be done by the siding delivery driver and will keep the materials dry so they can be installed per James Hardie specifications.

Depending on the size of your home and the scope of the project, you may also need to have a dumpster. Again, this is a conversation that should be had by your contractor prior to the arrival of the dumpster. Some cities let you keep the dumpster on the street but most will want it on your driveway.

All of these deliveries should be coordinated to arrive before the siding installers so everything is ready to go when they get there.

Day 2

A pre-construction walk-through should happen before any work is done. This is the time we use to communicate the entire scope of work with the installers, homeowner, and the production management team. A written detailed scope of work should be on hand that everyone can reference to ensure you are getting your dream project and that it goes smoothly. Remodel magazine states the #1 cause of customer dissatisfaction is poor communication. At Canes, we have a thorough process for our pre-construction walks and we provide our clients with written documentation of the scope of work that they can reference should any discrepancies arise.

Days 2-3

After the walk-through, the installers will start removing the old siding. How long this takes depends on the type of siding you currently have and the condition it is in.  On a lot of homes in Kansas City, the old siding is a wood-based panel product that can serve as the backing for the new siding. Some sections may need to be replaced because they are soft to the touch and rotting. James Hardie requires their products to be installed on a flat, even, and solid surface.

Once the old siding has been removed, inspected, and repaired or replaced with new OSB it is ready to have a weather barrier installed. At Canes Exteriors we use James Hardie Hardiewrap. It is time-tested, prevents mildew, and can also save you money by reducing energy loss. 

Installing the house wrap is one of the most important steps of your siding project. The weather barrier is the main line of defense against water getting inside your home, but it also allows your home to breathe and prevents mold and mildew from growing inside your walls. A high-quality weather barrier, sturdy metal flashing and waterproof tape should be used around all of your doors and windows.  

At Canes Exteriors, we will not start installing siding until the house wrap installation has been inspected by one of our former James Hardie employees. 

Days 4 – 7

Once the house wrap has been installed per James Hardie specifications and has been signed off, we start installing the siding. How long this takes depends on how big your home is and what type of siding is being installed. Shingle, board, and batten siding take the longest, while lap siding (Hardieplank) is the fastest to install.  

Siding will be installed faster than you think and a lot of progress will be made each day.  Workers will usually show up around 8 AM and leave around 5 or 6 PM depending on the time of year. If your schedule permits, they may work on Saturdays as well. We will send you daily update videos outlining what progress has been made so you are kept in the loop throughout the project. At the end of the day, the siding crews should clean and pick up any debris that resulted from the day’s work.

Day 8

After the siding has been installed you are on the home stretch and need to get your gutters installed. Gutters usually take half a day and if your home has a lot of trees we will always recommend gutter guards. We want you to be able to enjoy your home and not have to worry about getting up on a ladder to clean your gutters.

Days 9-10

One of the last steps in your siding project will depend on if you purchased Colorplus siding or if you purchased primed siding and are having it painted.  

For Colorplus, the installers will need to clean the siding per James Hardie specifications and then touch up with the included touch-up kits. This needs to be done with care and should be supervised by the contractor. The touch-up paint will fade and weather differently than the Colorplus siding so it will be visible to the naked eye in certain light after a couple of years.

A permanently flexible color-matched caulk should also be used. Again, this should be done under the supervision of the contractor because the caulk should not be smoothed out and needs to settle naturally. If the installer smooths it with his fingers, which is common for most caulks, it will break down the UV inhibitors and will start to fade and turn pink after 6 months.

This will be one of the most important days of the whole project and will determine how satisfied you are with the contractor and how your project turned out.

For primed siding, the last couple of days will look a little different. The siding will still need to be cleaned and all of the windows and vertical trim boards will need to be caulked. This will be a paintable caulk that is permanently flexible. A high-quality acrylic-based paint should be used. At Canes Exteriors we use Sherwin Williams paint. We recommend the Emerald or Duration lines because they have lifetime warranties and have been proven to perform for dozens of years. We use temperature gauges to make sure the surface temperature is in the range of Sherwin Williams installation guidelines and we use meters to gauge the wet Mill thickness to ensure it meets their lifetime warranty requirements.

Day 11

After all of the painting and touch-up has been done, your contractor should conduct a final walk-through with you to ensure that everything is done in the scope of work and the quality and workmanship meets your expectations. For some owner/operator type contractors, this may be the only time that you see them on your job site. At Canes, we have a project superintendent make daily visits to the job site and the project will be inspected by one of our two former James Hardie employees before any payment is accepted.

Hopefully, this helps give a clear idea of how your siding project will go. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can help with on the exterior of your home!