07-28-2016, 08:45 AM
Mahalo for the breadth and scope of responses. Pretty much they were as I thought they would be so MAHALO, one and all, for the affirmation.
The initial reason I even brought the up the subject is that in prior posts in 'Building in Puna' there seemed to be a narrow focus on 'wood' as a construction element without ever seeming to address steel studs as a completely reasonable and viable to wood.
When my company built Maui Park Plaza I dealt with a Steel Stud Framing Contractor from O'ahu, whose name evades me at the moment, and he used some substantial material that was by any standard extraordinarily sturdy and the finished product was incomparable. One particular note about SSF: In larger buildings and I imagine even large residential projects, the roof MUST be loaded FIRST prior to installing any kind of siding over SSF, ie, EIFS, etc. Otherwise there is the possibility of deformation resulting in cracks and the like due to SSF's flexibility.
Rob Tucker:
Mahalo for the decoupling comment! Makes absolutely perfect sense. I imagine neoprene strips could be placed to the outside of the SSF prior to any siding going up. I wonder, is there a specific product for this?
Also, mahalo for the comment about painting cut ends of the SSF members with Galvanized Paint. It DEF adds to the cost of framing (extra labor and materials) but must be considered essential to a proper installation and ultimately the longevity of the SSF. I suppose a well designed project with detailed materials list could help minimize that problem, ie, DON'T order 10' studs when you know you're building a 9' wall.
With a life span of 100 years for SSF and ONLY 3 years for Hi-Bor, isn't using SSF basically a no-brainer? It seems like it to me, anyway!
Carey:
AWESOME!! I was VERY MUCH hoping I'd get a response for the 'Hardi-Backer as Siding' issue and voila', there you are. Mahalo for the insight as an actual bona fide user. Again, You've affirmed what I believed could be possible. I've used Hardi-Backer with a 3-layer RedGuard coating on 'wet areas' and the water penetration factor is ABSOLUTELY ZERO! Indeed, Hardi-Backer IS 'saw/blade eating' and that aligns with my own experience as well. As I recall, Hardi recommends AGAINST 'sawing' the materials, rather they instruct to 'score and snap'. Apparently the components that make up Hardi-Backer in 'dust' form, ie, from sawing, is NOT such a good thing to be breathing in. SO, if one were to go the route of using saws, which I will DEF be doing, I HIGHLY suggest a full filtration mask system when doing so. Thanks again for the information!
The_Saints:
To answer your question, I redid a home in Del Mar, SoCali for the daughter of the owner of Winston Tires and we used a Hardi-Backer like materials HORIZONTALLY with 'bats' placed horizontally and then caulked prior to painting. The 'look' was simply awesome. It was modern, yet had a cottage feel that was perfect, imho. So, with that experience I kinda' fell in love with that look and so that's what I'm going with. On top of that, though, I DO NOT like the 'clapboard' look. Totally a personal preference.
Incidentally, on this project, Susan (the client) ordered all of her exterior doors, windows, and sliding glass doors from a company in Europe. I believe Switzerland. These items were made from bronze! NOT KIDDING! And they were unbelievably sturdy and gorgeous. The bill for JUST these units, and this house was basically a 'cottage' of about 1,200 SqFt, was a WHOPPING $400,000. These units were 'security' units that had lugs that penetrated into the floor and headers that were made of hardened steel (which came with the units) and the glass was bullet proof double pane. EXTRAORDINARY!!! Susan bought the place for $3MIL and then sunk $5MIL into redoing it and just the year before it had a $1.5MIL upgrade done through-out. Must be nice to have that much money! LOL
Mahalo folks for the GREAT information and sharing! I am indebted to you.
AWESOME!!
Mahalo a Aloha
Punanny
The initial reason I even brought the up the subject is that in prior posts in 'Building in Puna' there seemed to be a narrow focus on 'wood' as a construction element without ever seeming to address steel studs as a completely reasonable and viable to wood.
When my company built Maui Park Plaza I dealt with a Steel Stud Framing Contractor from O'ahu, whose name evades me at the moment, and he used some substantial material that was by any standard extraordinarily sturdy and the finished product was incomparable. One particular note about SSF: In larger buildings and I imagine even large residential projects, the roof MUST be loaded FIRST prior to installing any kind of siding over SSF, ie, EIFS, etc. Otherwise there is the possibility of deformation resulting in cracks and the like due to SSF's flexibility.
Rob Tucker:
Mahalo for the decoupling comment! Makes absolutely perfect sense. I imagine neoprene strips could be placed to the outside of the SSF prior to any siding going up. I wonder, is there a specific product for this?
Also, mahalo for the comment about painting cut ends of the SSF members with Galvanized Paint. It DEF adds to the cost of framing (extra labor and materials) but must be considered essential to a proper installation and ultimately the longevity of the SSF. I suppose a well designed project with detailed materials list could help minimize that problem, ie, DON'T order 10' studs when you know you're building a 9' wall.
With a life span of 100 years for SSF and ONLY 3 years for Hi-Bor, isn't using SSF basically a no-brainer? It seems like it to me, anyway!
Carey:
AWESOME!! I was VERY MUCH hoping I'd get a response for the 'Hardi-Backer as Siding' issue and voila', there you are. Mahalo for the insight as an actual bona fide user. Again, You've affirmed what I believed could be possible. I've used Hardi-Backer with a 3-layer RedGuard coating on 'wet areas' and the water penetration factor is ABSOLUTELY ZERO! Indeed, Hardi-Backer IS 'saw/blade eating' and that aligns with my own experience as well. As I recall, Hardi recommends AGAINST 'sawing' the materials, rather they instruct to 'score and snap'. Apparently the components that make up Hardi-Backer in 'dust' form, ie, from sawing, is NOT such a good thing to be breathing in. SO, if one were to go the route of using saws, which I will DEF be doing, I HIGHLY suggest a full filtration mask system when doing so. Thanks again for the information!
The_Saints:
To answer your question, I redid a home in Del Mar, SoCali for the daughter of the owner of Winston Tires and we used a Hardi-Backer like materials HORIZONTALLY with 'bats' placed horizontally and then caulked prior to painting. The 'look' was simply awesome. It was modern, yet had a cottage feel that was perfect, imho. So, with that experience I kinda' fell in love with that look and so that's what I'm going with. On top of that, though, I DO NOT like the 'clapboard' look. Totally a personal preference.
Incidentally, on this project, Susan (the client) ordered all of her exterior doors, windows, and sliding glass doors from a company in Europe. I believe Switzerland. These items were made from bronze! NOT KIDDING! And they were unbelievably sturdy and gorgeous. The bill for JUST these units, and this house was basically a 'cottage' of about 1,200 SqFt, was a WHOPPING $400,000. These units were 'security' units that had lugs that penetrated into the floor and headers that were made of hardened steel (which came with the units) and the glass was bullet proof double pane. EXTRAORDINARY!!! Susan bought the place for $3MIL and then sunk $5MIL into redoing it and just the year before it had a $1.5MIL upgrade done through-out. Must be nice to have that much money! LOL
Mahalo folks for the GREAT information and sharing! I am indebted to you.
AWESOME!!
Mahalo a Aloha
Punanny
Kaihekili
