Siding and Window Installation and Repair

Aluminum Siding Installation and Remodeling

Because aluminum is very resistant to oxidization and corrosion, the siding is long-lasting. Care should be taken if any signs of oxidization or corrosion are present to stop the damage. Aluminum siding is also easily cleaned. Aluminum siding is both less expensive and easier to maintain than wood siding, and looks nearly the same. It can also be purchased in dent-resistant versions, although it may still suffer damage if struck too hard. However, it is not difficult to replace small sections of the siding.

Aluminum siding is a material used to cover the outside of a home or building. Available in different textures and styles, it is fairly resistant to the elements, making it very low maintenance. The pieces usually overlap in order to prevent water from getting between the slats. Because it does expand and contract depending on the weather, it is best to install in sections. Aluminum siding can be made to look like shingles, wood boards, and various other types of materials. It can be painted any color, and this, along with its easy maintenance and long warranties (typically twenty-five years or longer), make it an excellent choice for home use. Many varieties of aluminum siding are designed to look like wood (whether in horizontal or vertical board designs or shingle form), and make an attractive exterior to the home. Aluminum siding can be painted with paint found at local home improvement stores.

Fiber-Cement Siding

Fiber-cement siding is an incredibly versitile material.  It can be used to look like expensive wood siding very well and you can achieve any look you want because intricate designs like wood grain can be imprinted onto the siding before the cement, sand, and cellulose that make up the fiber-cement is baked.

A huge advantage of using fiber-cement versus wood shingles is that it's very resistant to fire. The materials used to produce the shingles are far more fire resistant after the baking process than using a wood or even vinyl siding. Another benefit of using fiber-cement siding is that it is an extremely durable product. Fiber-cement is not prone to termites, it won't warp and buckle due to exposure to the elements and harsh weather conditions, and it's significantly cheaper than wood siding.

Unlike vinyl siding, cement fiber will not show dings and impressions after an impact with a baseball or a hail storm. It is however a bit more expensive versus vinyl but you get a material thats more durable than wood siding and just as good looking as expensive wood siding.

Composite Siding

Composite siding is a manufactured wood product designed to insulate, cover, or clad a house. It's an aesthetically pleasing and energy efficient product that will increase your property value and improve the look of any home. Adding composite siding is a great way to retain the integrity of your home and give it a new modern feel.

Composite siding is manufactured by heating and pressing wood fibers, fillers, binding materials, and glue into long boards 6 or 7 feet long. Using different fillers can create drastically different results, for example, using sawdust creates fiber board while using wood pulp creates hardboard and using shredded wood will create oriented strand board (OBS).

Composite siding increses protection to the house in inclement weather and is virtually maintenance free, sound reducing, impact and insect resistant. It can be installed horizontally, vertically, or even as shingles. The joints between the boards are either overlapped or done in a tongue and groove style. The siding can be attached directly to the house's current exterior or sheathing can act as an intermediate between the house and siding. The sheathing will also be constructed with wood or engineered wood, whichever is best suited for the home.

Properties of Vinyl and Vinyl Siding

Vinyl is a polymer (a type of plastic). It is produced in the form of a powder (vinyl resin) that can be combined with different additives to create wide variety of vinyl compounds used for items as diverse as raincoats and fencing. Siding is applied to the exterior of a house.

Its purpose is to shed water and protect the structure from the elements and environmental factors. Vinyl siding is often used in combination with vinyl soffit and trim elements to achieve a cohesive exterior in the style and color desired by the homeowner. Vinyl siding is often less expensive than alternatives like wood. It is also relatively easy to install and maintenance-free.

The quality of vinyl siding is greatly determined by its gauge. The thicker the vinyl siding, the greater its durability. Additionally, vinyl siding made from polypropylene and other high-quality plastics offer the greatest pattern realism, deepest color, and cleanest edges. Vinyl siding is one product where cost is a good indication of quality. An industry organization that promotes quality in the manufacture and installation of vinyl siding-has initiated a set of quality standards and certification programs to ensure consumers get the best performance from their vinyl siding. Vinyl siding products certified by VSI meet or exceed industry standards and are a good indication of quality manufacture. Ask your Earthgroup Construcion, LLC representative about VSI certification.

Vinyl siding is frequently used as an economical substitute for wood siding, as such, the siding panels often imitate wood in their look. Common siding panels include Dutch Lap, D4/D5 (two rows of wood with 4"/5" exposure), T3 (three rows of wood with 3" exposure) and Beaded profiles. Other forms imitate scalloped shingles, cedar, flat plank, brick, and stone. Vinyl comes in a range of light to medium colors. New products in vinyl siding include vinyl siding fused to a foam backing material and isolative foam underlayments that fit snugly behind the siding to provide strength, energy efficiency, rigidity, and deaden sound.

Stucco Installation

Exterior House Stucco gives an extraordinary look to your house.  High quality stucco products using the latest stucco modling technology to strengthen the power of exterior house stucco.  Exterior house stucco uses the plaster which is generally made by mixing cement and lime in right proportions.  Stucco Columns for important home decorative elements that enhance the gave your home internally and externally.

Versatile architectural column styles can be made using stucco as their elemental abse.  Exterior stucco is used to proved an elegant and finished look to commercial and residential buildings.  Stucco is also employed extensively to protect the buildings from sun, ice, and rain.

Traditional Stucco is cement combined with water and inert materials like sand and lime.  Many homes built after the 1950's use a variety of synthetic materials that resemble stucco.  Some synthetic stuccos have been prone to problems, however a quality synthetic stucco will prove durable.  Stucco-sided homes became popular in twentieth century America but the concept of using cement mixtures in architecture dates back to ancient times.  Wall frescoes by ancient Greeks and Romans were painted on fine-grained hard plaster surfaces made of gypsum, marble dust, and glue.

Stucco techniques were elaborated by the Italians during the Renaissance and spread through Europe.  This marble dust compound could be molded into decorative shapes, polished to a sheen, or painted. You have the option to tint the stucco whatever color you choose and may never need to paintit throughout the duration of its lifetime.

Synthetic Stucco

Mock stucco siding is often composed of foam insulation board or cement panels secured to the walls.  Although synthetic stucco may look authentic, real stucco tends to be heavier.  Walls made of genuine stucco sound solid when tapped and will be less likely to suffer damage from a hard blow.  Also, genuine stucco holds up well in wet conditions.  Although it is porous and will absorb moisture, genuine stucco will dry easily, without damage to the structure.

One type of synthetic stucco, known as EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems), has been associated with moisture problems.  The underlying wood on EIFS sided homes may suffer rot damage.  However, other types of synthetic stucco are quite durable.  There are three layers to EIFS.  The inner layer is foam insulated board that's secured to the exterior wall surface, often with adhesive.  The middle layer is a polymer and cement base coat that's applied to the top of the insulation, then reinforced with glass fiber mesh.  The exterior layer is a beautiful clean finished coat.

HCS (Hard Coat Stucco) is another option that has been used for decades.  Traditionally three coat stucco has a long history that is well accepted and defined in the Model Building Codes.  The new OCS (OneCoat Stucco) is thinner with proprietary mixes that require code body evaluation service reports for local building officials to review and allow use of products in their jurisdiction.

Green Siding Options

Siding is often overlooked as a way of implementing a green project into your home and it's a great way to save on your heating/cooling bill by implementing a new product that has improved insulating qualitites or choosing a product made with recycled materials.  Many of the best sustainable options are materials that have been on the market for years and when choosing a replacement siding, weigh the pros and cons of sustainability, thermal performance, and the cost of eco-friendly products to get the most out of a product that you want, at the cost you want.

Because many types of siding are extemely long-lasting, they can be considered green options without the permium price.

Insulated vinyl siding is similar to regular siding, except it has a layer of EPS foam insulation.  Its thickness makes it more rigid and easier to work with than regular vinyl.  Vinyl requires maintenance and will last for 30 to 50 years, but it's made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a chemical compound that doesn't degrade in landfills but it can be recycled.

Don't let your time and energy slip out of your old, drafty windows. Don't spend your hard earned money on high heating and cooling bills caused by inefficient windows. Put an end to many of the tiring tasks of exterior home maintenance.

• Measured and manufactured to fit your home.
• Exclusively offer name brands .
• Energy Star qualified.
• Energy efficient designs to help reduce heating and cooling costs.
• Reduce fabric fading up to 75% more than regular windows.
• Constructed of solid, durable vinyl... so the window frame won't warp, crack, rot, chip or dent like wood or metal.
• 100% pure color vinyl... permanent color straight through the frame so it won't peel or flake off, no more sanding, scraping or painting!
• Traditional or contemporary styles to complement any home.

Is Your Home Building Firm Prepared for Disaster?

Leaking and cracking windows may be damaging your home.Your older windows may be hiding something from you. If you notice excess condensation or leaks near your windows, it may mean that moisture is getting into your walls. To ensure against dry rot and potential mold problems, new replacement windows may be the key.

Measuring Infiltration and Thermal Losses

Window heat loss may be considered as a combination of thermal and infiltration (or leakage) losses. Thermal loss occurs when energy passes directly through the materials of the window. It includes radiation and convection to the interior surfaces of the window from the room; conduction through the materials of the window; and convection and radiation from the exterior surfaces of the windows to the outdoors. Infiltration losses are driven by wind and by differences between indoor and outdoor temperatures. They occur primarily through cracks in the sash, gaps between the sash and jamb, and gaps between the frame and rough opening.

We calculated thermal losses using WINDOW 4.1, a computer model developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Building Technologies Program. We based our infiltration test method on ASTM E783-93, performing two air leakage tests on each window. We constructed a simple measurement device around the windows by taping a plastic sheet onto the interior trim and attaching an air hose, blower, and pressure tap. First, to test total leakage, we drew air through the window using the blower and measured the flow rate, in ft³ per minute (CFM), at various pressure differentials across the plastic sheet. Then, to test extraneous leakage, we attached a second plastic sheet to the exterior trim of the window and repeated the test. By subtracting the value obtained in the second test from that obtained in the first, we were able to estimate sash leakage.

Some building designers think of window infiltration only in terms of sash leakage. But significant leakage can also occur between the window frame and the rough opening. (Note that window manufacturers report only sash leakage in product data.) To estimate how much rough opening leakage contributes to total window infiltration, we measured the temperature of the indoor air, the outdoor air, and the air being drawn through the window during 33 of the extraneous leakage tests.

We found that, on average, the air drawn through the windows in the study was approximately 30% cooler than the indoor air. Based on this difference, we assumed that approximately 30% of the extraneous leakage was outdoor air coming through the rough opening. We thus estimated total infiltration as sash leakage plus 30% of extraneous leakage. While this method was not very precise, it did allow us to estimate the relative contribution of rough opening leakage to heating load.

If you have a question about window repair, replacement, or would like to schedule your free in-home estimate, please call our office at: (773)  930-4533  email us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or simply fill out an online estimate form for a free in-home consultation.