Installation

Preparing Your Home for James Hardie Siding Installation

An hour or two of preparation saves delays and protects your things. Here’s a practical list.

Outside the house

Clear the perimeter. Move patio furniture, barbecues, planters, bikes, hoses and bins at least a few metres back from every wall.
Trim back plants. Shrubs and tree branches touching the walls need cutting back so crews can work and so nothing rubs on the new finish.
Take down what’s fixed to the walls. Hanging baskets, hose reels, decorations, cameras and anything else you’ve attached. Ask what the crew will remove and refit themselves, such as lights and house numbers.
Mow the lawn. Short grass makes it far easier to find dropped nails afterwards.
Free up the driveway. A disposal bin and material delivery need space. Park on the street for the duration.
Mark what’s hidden. Sprinkler heads, low-voltage lighting and anything fragile near the walls.
Unlock gates. Crews need to get all the way round the house.

Inside the house

Removing old siding and nailing new boards sends vibration through the walls.

Take pictures, mirrors and shelves with breakables off exterior walls.
Move fragile items away from those walls, especially upstairs.
Keep windows shut while cutting is going on. Fibre cement dust shouldn’t come indoors.
If window trim is being replaced, clear the sills and move furniture back from the windows.

Power and access

Crews need an outdoor power outlet. Tell them where it is and which breaker it’s on. If you won’t be home, agree how they’ll reach you and whether they need access to the garage or a washroom.

Pets and children

There will be open bins, ladders, tools and nails on the ground. Keep pets indoors or away during working hours, and remember gates will be open. The noise unsettles some animals, so plan for that. Explain to children that the yard is off limits until the crew has left for the day.

Neighbours

A quick word beforehand goes a long way, particularly on a narrow lot where crews may need to step onto next door’s side yard to reach your wall. Let them know roughly how long it will last and that there’ll be a bin on the street side.

Decisions to settle before day one

Final colours for siding, trim, soffit and fascia.
Trim widths and where any accent materials start and stop.
Whether exterior lights, vents or the mailbox are being replaced. New ones should be on hand before the siding goes on around them.
Where the bin and material will sit.
Who to call with questions during the job.

On the last day

Walk round with the installer before the final payment. Look at corners, joints, caulking, the bottom edge of the siding and the trim round each window. Ask for leftover touch-up product in your colour and for the care instructions. Then check the lawn and driveway for stray nails once more.