Before Pictures

The homeowner found us through HomeAdvisor/Angi, and selected us based on our numerous good reviews. She was already in the process of renovating a home from the early 1,900’s. She wanted to keep the rustic look and charm that the home had originally, and she wanted the products to be long-lasting and as maintenance free as possible. Because of these requests, we advised her to use Cedar Lap Siding and composite trims. Cedar lap siding was also chosen based on its durability and resistance to wood rot. If cared for properly, cedar siding can last 100+ years.

The homeowner wanted to paint the siding, rather than applying a clear coat, so we knew that we wouldn’t be able to caulk any joints, other than at the corner-posts, due to the expansion and contraction cycles of a home. As a result of this, we chose to use “Slip-Flashing” at the joints where the cedar siding panels met one another.

During Pictures

Slip-Flashing is installed during the siding installation and is used in place of silicone based caulking. Because a home expands a small amount due to temperature changes from morning to evening and changing seasons, silicone used at lap-joints will inevitably crack. These cracks can be unsightly and leaves the siding vulnerable to water intrusion. We install siding with a 1/8” gap to accommodate this expansion and use a black colored flashing so that it isn’t noticeable, even after painting.

Slip-Flashing can be made from several products. These can include Asphaltic felt, synthetic felt, thin gauge galvanized steel, or aluminum trim coil with a baked-on enamel finish. The size of slip-flashing is dependent upon the exposure size of the siding being used, and with a standard 6” width. In this case we were using a lapped cedar siding with a 6 ¼” exposure. This made the flashing size 6” wide X 6” tall (after the bend). The goal is to have the flashing extend down the lap joint ¼” less than the siding exposure so that you can’t see it coming out of the bottom. We chose to use aluminum for the cedar siding slip-flashing, due to its corrosion resistance and life expectancy of over 50-100 years.

Given that the siding is expected to last 50-100 years, we elected to use a composite trim (Miratec) for the corner-posts, frieze boards, fascia, window trim and border trim for the bead-board ceilings of the porches. We also used HardiSoffit Primed fiber cement venting soffits on the roof eaves to continue with all rot resistant materials on the exterior of the home. For the gable soffits, we used primed solid HardiSoffits.

After Pictures

To complete the exterior, we installed Cedar Beaded Board with Miratec trim on the porch ceilings. The Miratec trim was used to create a picture-frame look on the ceilings. This turned out to be a great finishing touch and a nice feature for the porches. The project turned out looking amazing, and is a project that Odyssey is proud to have been a part of.