One Of Our James Hardie Siding Crews Was Cutting Corners… So We Fired Them
As Central MA’s #1 Hardie Installer, We Will NOT Accept Lazy Workmanship. Period.
James Hardie fiber cement siding is the best siding you can get for your home—there’s no question about it. But you won’t reap any benefits if your contractor doesn’t install it correctly.
Unfortunately, most Central MA contractors are unaware of the incredible precision that goes into installing James Hardie siding. This is especially true if they only have experience with simpler materials, like vinyl siding.
James Hardie fiber cement siding installation requires proper training and experience, not to mention painstaking attention to detail. We know from bitter experience what can happen when you put the wrong people on a James Hardie installation.
What Happened?
It was a time when our company was growing rapidly, and we had more jobs than we knew what to do with. Because of this, we had to hire extra installers to meet the high demand. The problem was, one of them slipped through the cracks without being up to snuff.
We always thoroughly train every crew before putting them to the test on a home, and we thought we had done that with this crew. Instead, they pulled a switcheroo, showing up with a completely different group, none of whom received our in-depth training.
As you can guess, we gave them the benefit of the doubt… and ended up regretting it. Only a couple of days into the job, we realized things weren’t getting any better and got one of our established crews to fix their mistakes and do a proper installation.
We decided to not let that happen again.
What Did Our Siding Installers Do Wrong?
One of the first red flags was that they showed up in a sedan with only hand tools to work with.
Their lack of proper equipment indicated a lack of respect for the process and an absence of passion for the job…or maybe they just didn’t know any better. Either way, it was not a great start.
Once they began working, their lack of experience with the material became apparent right away. Because they failed to bring any ladders, they started ripping off the existing siding from the bottom, working their way up. This is wrong, but they ended up doing even more damage….
When attempting to install, one of the installers put a nail through the client’s wall! They also broke their window, which we had to pay out of pocket to replace. Needless to say, we weren’t thrilled, but we had to fix EVERYTHING the first crew mishandled…or just broke.
If that’s not enough, they didn’t use proper OSI Quad Max sealant! This is an absolute MUST for James Hardie fiber cement siding installation. They didn’t even place the siding panels correctly, resulting in huge, noticeable gaps. These are unsightly and can lead to major water damage.
How We Fixed It
It was clear by Wednesday (only a couple days into the job) that things were not improving, and we decided to politely request they leave and allow one of our other crews to finish the job and fix their MANY mistakes.
The client was upset with us, at first, which is quite understandable. The first crew left their home worse than when they started!
It took us slightly longer than our original estimate to finish the job to perfection and repair the damage caused by the first bunch. The overall cost of reworking everything they did was over $4,000! We were NOT going to pass that cost on to our client, though. It’s not how we do things.
Ultimately, we made it happen, and the client ended up satisfied. Mission accomplished, if only on the second try.
Our Approach To James Hardie Siding Training
Since then, we have made even more of a point of training our crews to an almost excessive degree. We even have our own model home, which our installers must practice on until they are sick of looking at it.
One of our greatest secrets to success is our Installation Inspector and Trainer, Rudi. His 10 years working directly for James Hardie makes him our secret weapon when it comes to James Hardie fiber cement siding training and quality control.
If you are considering James Hardie fiber cement siding, no one in Central MA will take more pains and precautions to ensure success than Solid State Construction. Our passion is helping homeowners, and we would be honored to help you! Get in touch today.