Not certain about the exact reasons but if there is any issues with the product and it is not install 100% to the letter of the instruction CT will not warranty the product period. So regardless of the result that in of itself is reason to have it installed by the book. And I will tell you without even seeing the end result or pictures that most of your issues are due to the method in installation. If it were my house they would not install any more boards period until the previous boards were removed and installed properly.

dam duplicate posts

This post was edited by millworkman on Thu, Sep 19, 13 at 10:11

I think that it should not be a case of you vs. them -it is just what the specs say. It does not matter how many years they have gotten away with installing it incorrectly.

I suggest you contact Certainteed by telephone - because you need a quick answer - and describe exactly what you are seeing and ask for their help. Ask them whether the builder's installation method meets their warranty standards. (If it is not according to CT specs, I can tell you that they are going to say "No" but you need for them to then talk to your builder and tell him that it does not meet their warranty standards. Once you've got Certainteed on your side, it'll be a lot easier to insist that your builder start over and reinstall the siding so that it DOES meet CT's warranty standards.

I had a similar issue with my builder only it was over his use of Tyvek. His crew was not installing it correctly. Although I'm not a builder, I've looked at a lot of houses in the process of being built and the installation did not look right to me from the get-go. So, like you, I looked up the manufacturer's installation specifications.

Made a copy and gave it to my builder along with a copy of Dupont's Tyvek warranty which very clearly stated that failure to install Tyvek according to installation specifications voided all warranties. Builder didn't even want to look at the documents, insisting that he was a professional and knew what he was doing.

At that point I told my builder - either you read these documents right now, in my presence, or we cancel the contract immediately and you can sue me to try and get paid. Even after reading the installation specs, my builder STILL tried to tell me that his guys "have been doing it this way for years with no problems" and "there is more than one way to install Tyvek correctly" and "We're professionals and you're not, so you need to butt out let us do out jobs...."

That's when I called Dupont for help and found out that they actually keep "Tyvek Installation Specialists" stationed all around the country for the specific purpose of dealing with situations like mine. The Tyvek specialist was at my house at 8AM the next morning and was shaking his head as he walked onto the property. First words out of his mouth were "THIS WILL NOT DO!" Needless to say, my builder found it a lot harder to try and argue with him than he did with me. LOL! And the Tyvek Specialist's trip did not cost me a penny.

Dupont told me that the reason they have the Tyvek Installation Specialists is because so many builders misuse their product that it has been giving the product a bad name and costing Dupont $$$$ to defend lawsuits by homeowners where the product was not installed properly in the first place.

Just because someone has been doing something in a certain way for years does NOT mean it is right. Most construction people learn their trades from other construction people. And unfortunately, the results of many bad building practices often do not become apparent until the people who did the hands-on work are long gone.

Certainteed may not have siding-installation specialist available right in your area like Dupont does with Tyvek. But they probably do have someone on their staff who can look at photos you send them and tell you - and more importantly - your builder, whether his installation is up to snuff or not.

I think Certainteed is a reputable company and, if so, while they may be able to disclaim the warranty due to your builder's bad practices - and probably will if it comes to that; they have to be aware that if you have a problem down the road with your siding, you will ultimately wind up bad-mouthing Certainteed as much or more than you will your builder. Heck, your builder l probably be out of business by then anyway! But, if Certainteed can help you get him to install the product right so that it does not fail, you'll be singing Certainteed's praises for years to come.

Trust me, whenever anybody mentions a Dupont product anymore, I tell my Dupont Tyvek story. And given a choice between a Dupont product of any kind and a competitor's product, I now choose Dupont because I have reason to trust the company.

Good luck.