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Order of Siding,Trim,Soffit install.

blownonfuel | Posted in Construction Techniques on June 16, 2009 06:31am

Hello. In which order should exterior lap siding,trim,and soffits go up? I assume Trim first, then lap siding then soffit? Is this correct? Also should the lap siding go up beneath the soffit or just up to the soffit edge? I am using hardie smooth colonial siding and 4/4 trim boards with bead board soffits.

Thanks

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  1. User avater
    Metaxa | Jun 16, 2009 06:43pm | #1

    Amateur here but when I did my home two years ago I did backer for the trim then the Hardie, using ripped lengths of wood to "mark" where the soffit slipped in and running the Hardie right up to the backer. After caulking the Hardie, backer union I placed my trim (wider than the backer so it overlaps the siding) and lastly the soffits after removing the marker boards.

    I rain screened my walls (I'm in what you all call the PNW, we just call it the Wet Coast) so it depends on what you are doing there as to how you "marry" the siding and soffits.

    Also, have at least one pro with you on the Hardie, its not Harry Homeowner friendly. I found a three man crew worked best, two on the wall, one cutting. Hardie site has lots of install tips. Rent shears.

    Beautiful result in my case, wonderful stuff.

    Have fun.

    1. blownonfuel | Jun 16, 2009 07:20pm | #4

      Thanks. Any pics you can post up?

      1. User avater
        Metaxa | Jun 16, 2009 08:13pm | #5

        Sorry, I'm a Luddite.
        Don't even have a cell phone, never mind a digital camera.I get pounded in the winter by wind driven rain. Not at all uncommon to have 60 knot winds pushing 2 inches of rain an hour at my home. Quite literally sideways rain. Then it slows down and just rains for a day or so. Repeat all month sometimes.When we took off the stucco all the rim joists and every window showed signs of water damage. The worst corner involved replacing rim joist, studding and sheathing as well as the slider and all framing for it. All I can say is thank goodness for flashing which saved the floor joists and also having a certified building envelope technologist living across the street doesn't hurt!We installed locally manufactured windows to commercial specs, used PT trim backer, PT rainscreen stickers over shingle lapped building paper, then placed a "flap" of building paper behind each and every butt joint of the siding. I hand painted each and every piece of siding and each and every cedar shingle, all six sides and we touched up each and every cut before install. Used stainless fasteners.Then I used locally milled cedar for the corner boards and around the windows. Mitered the corner boards, again with the pre-paint and touch ups.Aluminum rain goods, matt vinyl soffit.Its been two years of our wet winters and I'm very pleased with the performance of my building exterior. My neighbour has some sort of moisture gizmo that is non destructive testing of the envelope except for small holes drilled and it indicates well below acceptable moisture levels in the land of leaky condo syndrome, new laws and regs. that are state of the art insofar as best practices go for building envelope. I learned a lot all through this process, believe me.So, in short, I'm very pleased with my Hardie install. Do it again in an instant. I'm also very pleased with the cedar shingle (its a raised Ranch, so cedar shingles on the exposed basement and gables with Hardie on the house) and cedar trim look with the Hardie.
        The window company, in fact, used pictures of my place in their brochure, it really does look sharp. Gloat, gloat.Good luck on your project.

  2. Piffin | Jun 16, 2009 07:08pm | #2

    It can be done any way you like.

    We generally do the frieze, soffit and facia from the same pump jack setup we have up for doing the roof sheathing

    We sheathe the roof and get paper on to dry it in.

    Then we do the soffit, then a dadoed fascia snaps to the projecting edge of that, then a rabbeted frieze and sometimes bedmold below the soffit.

    Then the roof shingles happen.

    After that, the pump jacks slide back down and we work the window installs and casings, and siding on up again.

    usually we are on 2-3 story houses.

     

     

    Welcome to the
    Taunton University of
    Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
     where ...
    Excellence is its own reward!

    1. blownonfuel | Jun 16, 2009 07:18pm | #3

      Thanks Piffin. I think I'll do the trim,siding, then soffits.

      1. frammer52 | Jun 16, 2009 11:24pm | #6

        Any new picts?

        1. Piffin | Jun 16, 2009 11:55pm | #7

          Trying to tease him into using up his allotment?;) 

           

          Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          1. Snort | Jun 17, 2009 12:45am | #8

            If you do the soffit, fascia, frieze thing first, it's easier to get your corner boards right where they need to be up at the top. But you can run temporary corners, it's just seems to be a better job when you do stuff once.http://www.tvwsolar.com

            Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill

            I would set him in chains at the top of the hill

            Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille

            He could die happily ever after"

        2. blownonfuel | Jun 17, 2009 04:18am | #10

          Here are a few.

          1. frammer52 | Jun 17, 2009 04:23pm | #11

            There you go!

            A black roof?   Didn't you hear about BO secretary telling us to use white?

          2. blownonfuel | Jun 17, 2009 04:42pm | #12

            Yeah I heard about it. I'll let them come and tell moma that we need to change it to a white roof.

  3. Hackinatit | Jun 17, 2009 04:07am | #9

    soffit, facia, windows, trim, siding, frieze....

     

    A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.

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