House build students nail down the task of siding their house.

 

Blog for 3/31 – 4/5 & 4/7 – 4/11

By: Drecar Del Castillo

During this short week the class worked on siding. After the siding’s first coat of paint and finishing the final touches of pink foam, the class prepared for the installation of siding during testing week. For the few days we were there for house build, the class learned what siding is and its purpose, the tools we would be using to install and cut the siding, and how to safely handle the materials.

Now siding is the last piece of overlayment that goes on the outside of the house. Its purpose is to not only give an aesthetically pleasing look to the house, but to add another layer of protection from wind-driven rain. When installed, the siding is installed from the bottom up. The next piece of siding only covers 1-1/4” of the top of the piece underneath, leaving a 6” reveal. To make sure that the reveal is consistent throughout the runs of siding, we used a gauge tool specifically designed for installing siding.

The gauges can each be adjusted to set a different measurement on the reveal. We also used a nail gun to install the siding because if were to hand nail it, the siding would likely shatter. With a nail gun we can set the pressure at which the nail is driven into the siding so that the heads aren’t sunken in all the way. We then finish sinking the nails in with a hammer. To cut the pieces of siding we use a large shear. We could also use a pair of electric siding shears, but this process leaves a rough cut and produces a dust that can be hazardous when breathed in. So to help prevent us from breathing in the dust, we use N95 face masks.

So far we have completed half of the back of the house and side entrance wall.