Is vinyl siding bettern than hardi plank in a town with foundation problems?

Question

I had Sears over for a siding quote. The sales person said that cement fiber is heavy and with all the shifting of soil we have in San Antonio the heaviness of the hardi plank will make my frame more likely to crack when the foundation shifts. Was he telling me this because they only do siding or does he have a valid point?
Another question
Also, I watched Southwest Exteriors hit hardiplank with a hammer on TV and nothing happened to it. But I just went to view a house for sale that was built in 2006. The cement fiber siding had several dents in it. So are some cement fiber planks better quality than others?

One more question. My house is pretty close to my neighbors house and when they play their TV or radio, the sound radiates through my wall. Is there something that would reduce that noise?

Answer 1

The man from SEARS was in the shoe department yesterday.
Hardi plank is heavy, but so is stucco an brick. put up what you want.

Answer 2

The siding guy sounds about right, but without seing I can't give you a solid answer. If you want to email me a picture(s) of the problem I can give better advice.

Don't go with Sears because you will be overcharged. Look in the listings for vinyl siding and call the companies and ask for advice for good installers, contractors etc. and save some money. All work is guaranteed and all siding manufacturers offer the same warranty on their products if you hire a reputable contractor or dealer for their product.

Going back to the foundation problem: If you have the money repair that first and install the Hardi siding, a much better solution for the longevity. Depends on the reason behind what you are trying to accomplish in the finality.

Hardi planks and panels can get dented. I've seen this especially true with homes on golf courses. Vinyl siding can can be ripped apart by a weed whacker. They both have pros and cons.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Since you live in San Antonio, you would have less problems with cold than in Minneapolis, for instance, with vinyl siding. However, it would appear to me that vinyl is more flexible than cement board in foundation problems.
Cement board will last for about 40 years and is considered the "best" by a lot of people. However, it is a composite product that will chip or dent in some situations, much the same as vinyl will dent in hail situations.
I would go with vinyl unless I had a really good insurance rider on the new cement board and also an iron clad guarantee by the manufacturer and installer.
As for your sound issues, only more insulation or something that deflects the sound waves will resolve your problem. Can you install a solid fence? Or can you have more insulation or foam Tyvex installed when siding? These could help reduce your noise problems, short of asking your neighbors to be more aware of the problem they are causing you.

Answer 4

Vinyl siding is more flexible and lighter. In San Antonio you don't have that much extreme cold that can damage vinyl siding.
As far as sound from your neighbor's house. Sounds like there is no insulation in your walls. About the only thing that will stop that is insulating your walls and putting in double panel insulated windows.

But don't just go with one place get several quotes. Also remember this the cheapest is not always the best. Stated simply you get what you pay for.
Select a dealer/insulator that has been in business there for a lot of years. One you know will be there in case of problems.
Also select you siding on thickness, color duribility, warranty on siding itself [number of years and if transferrible to new owner should you sell], number of years company has been making sidinng, quality of construction etc.
You might also want to investigate other types of siding like steel siding as well. Especially with kids with baseballs and basket balls around.

Answer 5

You might want to go to Home Depot and talk with some of the experts in your area and see what advice they give. Our house has vinyl siding with brick but it doesn't have insulation in the siding so whoever put it up went the cheap route. You might also write to Bob Vila ~ if he doesnt' know the answer, he will contact the right people and get them for you.

http://www.bobvila.com/

I was born and lived in OH most of my life where houses are on firm foundations 99.99% of the time, then I married and move to the DFW area where we have the same sandy soil you folks do down there. I hate this area for this very reason and even though we "watered" our house during the drought in 2006, we still ended up with some bad cracks in the wall and ceiling. You can't water in the middle of the house where the stress fractures are showing in the floor and one wall in particular.

Personally, I think someone needs to come up with a better way to build so they can give us a way to water in the middle and try to prevent some of these problems.

Good luck

Forgot to tell you. I talked with a friend who has lived in his home a little over 30 years and he just had to have them come out and shore up the foundation for a second time. This time around it cost him around $10,000. It isn't cheap but the alternatives are even worse. I want to move to TN so I can be closer to home, just hope we won't have too much trouble selling this place when the time comes.

Answer 6

THough I understand your anger, what your tenant did really isn't that problematic when put into perspective with the type and quantity of damage and/or other malicious harm that a tenant can do. IT also sounds to me like the amount of damage done would not exceed the amount in his security deposit to fix. I suggest writing a letter to the tenant reminding him that his lease states he cannot make alterations to the property, and that he did so, thus violating the terms of the lease. You could state that he will be responsible for reimbursing you for damage done to the property. You could also if you like also state that violation of terms of the lease may be considered a basis for eviction, though threatening eviction can escalate things and you may not want to do that. If I were you I would not evict him since he will be leaving in 5 months anyhow. I would just let him know he'll be paying for the damage, and, if you want, and as acermill suggests, you could rip out his cables and security camera. You can't keep those, or damage them, since they are his property, but you can certainly rip them out. But be aware that doing so could also escalate the situation and you could end up with a tenant intent on revenge. It would be better to ask your tenant to remove his cables and camera from your house, and state that if he does not remove them by such and such a date, you'll have them removed.