Thread: Is this siding above the window installed correctly?1

Hi everyone,

Recently, I had some siding work done on my house. After it was complete, I had a window repair person come by to look at a window and he told me that the siding was installed incorrectly above the window...that the cut above the window was made much too widely. The other windows with new siding over them have no gap and the siding comes down right over the flashing. It's a tight fit. He said the installer should have cut a new piece of hardi-plank. I didn't notice it until he pointed it out to me...but then again, how would I know?

I contacted my siding installer and relayed the information. He said that that there is nothing wrong with the installation with the wide gap. That it will work just fine as is, and if it were his house, he would have done it the same.

He also suggested I get a second opinion. Which is why I am here. Is this installation okay or should it be redone? Is he right that it's just aesthetic and that there will not be any problems with function? Am I being unreasonable asking him to come and install a new board that doesn't have a gap and looks like the other windows?

Thanks!
Cathy

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Originally Posted by Cynthia France

... that the cut above the window was made much too widely. The other windows with new siding over them have no gap and the siding comes down right over the flashing. It's a tight fit.

Not exactly sure what you are referring to by "too widely", but I will presume you do not mean 'width across the window', rather that you mean 'the gap is not tight siding to flashing'.

HardiPlank is "required" to have a minimum 1/4" gap between the HardiPlank and the flashing.

Agreed - gap is specified. Its purpose is for drainage of any water behind the siding. Most contractors will caulk the gap which is wrong.

I mean that the gap cut above the top of the window is about 3/4" wide on the left side and 1/2" on the right side (the also gap is not cut straight -- it's uneven, and you can see cross cuts) and it was filled with flashing, as you can see in the picture. Is this fine and I don't need to worry about it?

Thanks!
Cathy

Originally Posted by Cynthia France

I mean that the gap cut above the top of the window is too big and it was filled with flashing, as you can see in the picture. The gap is bigger than an inch. Is this fine and I don't need to worry about it?

Thanks!
Cynthia

Cynthia,

That is something we cannot tell you from here as the answer lies in how far the flashing extends up behind the siding and how far to each side the flashing extends behind the siding.

If the top leg of the flashing is 1 inch, yeah, it is likely a problem, however, if the top leg of the flashing is 1-1/2 inches to 2 inches or greater (I doubt it is greater than 2 inches, but it might be), and it extends to the sides several inches, then it may not be a problem.

The thing to do is to ask the installer to draw out the size and installation of the flashings at the windows, in as much detail as they can draw, with measurements, and see what they did. We don't know how or what they did, but, if they are like most installers, they probably made each flashing to fit each window based on a standard template size 'they' use. I.e., 'they' 'always' make the flashing 4 inches longer than the width of the windows, and 'they' 'always' make the top leg of the 'Z' 2 inches, or 'they' 'always' make the flashing out of 4 inch wide flashing material (1/2" drip bent down over front of window, 1" leg over window, that leaves 2-1/2" leg up the wall, something like that).

Maybe you can ask him to cut a sample flashing for you, that will let you see what the sizes are.

To me it looks like he cut the siding a little too much, then pulled the flashing out (bending it) to conceal the gap between the top window trim and siding.

Shoddy workmanship but won't cause a problem. If I were paying to have this work done I'd make them redo it. In fact, I'm currently having my siding done and have made them correct a couple cosmetic issues.

I uploaded some more pictures so you can see it more clearly...but the photos look better than it does in person.

What I am getting is the install probably won't cause any problems function wise (don't know why the window repair guy said that, but maybe he meant that it didn't look good), but aesthetically it doesn't look nice. I guess I can fill the corner cut marks and paint.

Consensus taking: if this was your house, would you let it ride or would you ask for it to be redone due to it not being aesthetically nice due to how the cut is uneven? It's going to be a pain to redo it. It's a long board.

Thanks for helping me with this. I don't want to be unreasonable.

It does look like it was over cut when it was cut back.
You said that the other windows do not have as wide a gap as the one in question.
There is a saying , "Measure once and cut trice", which might have been appropriate in your situation.

Then there is, "I've cut it three times and it is still to short".

If the siding was cut for the new installation then it was just over cut.
Two solutions come to mind.
1) Replace the cut siding.
2) Replace the trim board with a wider one to reduce the gap. May not be noticeable from a distance.
3) Replace side trim boards with longer to raise top trim board. More window will be exposed at the header.

It really boils down to appearance and probably not a physical issue.

A little caulk and some paint and it will be fine!

...........have the installer show you the manufacturer's installation specifications. There's no question that the work is sloppy AND inconsistent. The picture on the left shows the siding to be cut too close, without the required drainage gap, and the window in question is poorly done no matter what the flashing dimension may be. If you're paying for a professional job, "just barely works" is not the benchmark to reach for............Greg.

To me, the third photo in the last post with three photos shows a proper flashing installed improperly (if one could even call that 'installed').

The top edge of the flashing starts out up behind the siding toward the right side of the photos and then drops down to where the top edge of the flashing is exposed toward the left side of the photos. As Chuck Barris would do - GONG!! (Yeah, and finally The Gong show was GONGED! )

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

The top edge of the flashing starts out up behind the siding toward the right side of the photos and then drops down to where the top edge of the flashing is exposed toward the left side of the photos.

Are we sure that's the top edge of the flashing exposed, and not the housewrap overlapping the flashing? Then again, that cut in the housewrap would be awfully straight, much straighter than this installer has shown himself capable of doing with the siding...

I'm wondering if the siding board might not have simply been installed too high. I'd measure the reveal of the pieces above and below this one to ensure it's consistent.

And those kerfs. Ack! I always make my cuts shy and then clean up the corners with a box cutter fitted with a "drywall" blade.

One might also check behind butt joints to ensure the recommended (required if that is factory painted) flashing is present.

The simplest solution for the installer of the siding is to just replace that one board.
I say the simplest as it would end your objection/concerns quick and simple.
The installer may think that it may be a little nit-picking but it is not wrong for you to have it look better, when in fact it should have not been installed in the first place.
Installers do not like to waste material since it is money out of their pocket. But mistakes happen. The real lesson that the installer should take from the situation is that it is easier to scrap some material in the beginning rather than have to come back and redo it.
Looking back at the cut it is just plain bad.
Replacing that one board does not require redoing every thing just that one piece.
No one likes a call back, but it is a fact of life.

Just a pic I found on flashing, and how it should lay. I would get a trusted inspector or contractor to do some documenting on it. It may hold more promise. Here is a link that shows some improper technique. Window Flashing Mistakes and No No's

Hope it helps.