Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
bananastand

Question again about mounting hose reel on Dutch Lap siding

bananastand
10 years ago

I posted before about this- I just got Dutch Lap siding installed on my home. I love it but the contractor did not mount my hose reels where they had been and I didn't know how to mount them on the non-flat surface of the siding. Based on your responses, it sounded like my contractor should have installed mounting blocks for me. Since he didn't, I contacted him and asked why. He said he never does that for hose reels and thinks most contractors don't. He referred me to this product (see link) which he says is designed to be mounted on the surface of the siding after it's installed. Just wondering if anyone has installed something like this and can comment on how easy this is to put on?

If it involves cutting away any of the existing siding I am not comfortable with that. Drilling into it yes, but I am not going to cut it. If this solution won't work I'm curious to hear what others do to store their hoses. I have had terrible luck with the retractable carts that just sit on the ground. In my experience they never work right, are tippy, and also they just don't look good. I really prefer to loop the hose myself around a solid surface mounted to the house. I did try to install the kind that go into the ground and had a LOT of trouble digging down. I think there is maybe concrete or something right below the surface of the area where I'd need it to go. So those won't work.

Just feeling frustrated and a bit lost on how I mount my hoses again. A solution "for dummies" is kind of what I need. Thanks for help and gentle suggestions!

Here is a link that might be useful: Surface Mounting Block for Dutch Lap Siding

Comments (10)

  • kudzu9
    10 years ago

    It looks like you mount it on top of the siding with a couple of screws and then attach whatever you want to mount onto it. If you had to cut away siding to install it, there would be no point to the product.

  • bananastand
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    That's my hope too, but I was worried when I found what looked like the identical product on the Home Depot website, where they include a link to installation instructions. I opened the instructions and it says stuff about cutting away the siding. See link to those.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Same product at Home Depot- click installation guide to see cutting instructions that worry me

  • kudzu9
    10 years ago

    I looked at the instructions. They say nothing about cutting away siding. They do talk about cutting into the product itself as part of mounting a wired electrical fixture, but none of that relates to what you want to do. If you purchase this item and don't feel capable of mounting your hose reel onto this and screwing it to the wall, I suggest you hire a handyman.

  • roof35
    10 years ago

    Sorry you got a bozo for a contractor.

    I have no experience with the type of siding block you want to use. However, I see a couple of potential problems.

    First, siding is supposed to _hang_ from their mechanical supports (nails). It is not supposed to be nailed tight. Nailing tight can cause the siding _not_ to contract & expand. Screwing a mounting block to the siding and hanging a hose from the siding could, and probably would cause a problem with contraction/expansion.

    Second, you would have to hit solid support with the screws. In other words, putting screws wouldn't cut it just into the siding.

    Just get a siding zipper as I mentioned in your other thread, Google it. It's under $10. You will find all sorts of information on YouTube on removing/installing siding.

    Install a correct mounting block, or you probably will regret it.

  • bananastand
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Argh, I am not comfortable cutting the siding away and using a siding zipper. If I wanted to YouTube about installing siding I wouldn't have hired a contractor to do it in the first place. So frustrated.

    I see how I read the instructions wrong on that block.... however if you are correct that they installed the siding by nailing it tight it sounds like it still might NOT work. That said, I don't know where you are getting the assumption they installed it incorrectly. I hate to assume that but maybe you can enlighten me???

    Just so busy with other parts of life I do not have time to become a pro on this! Stupid contractors. I hate them. All of them I've ever worked with. Now it will be another whole rigamarole with a handyman. Houses are gigantic money and stress pits.

    This post was edited by lucilleclifton on Thu, Aug 15, 13 at 19:38

  • roof35
    10 years ago

    I don't know where you got, that I said they installed it incorrectly.

    I said siding is supposed to hang. If you mount a block to the siding, and you mount the block tight, it won't be hanging.

    The bozo part of the contractor comes from, leaving it to you to do it yourself.

    This post was edited by Roof35 on Thu, Aug 15, 13 at 20:02

  • bananastand
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for clarifying, that makes sense now. Still frustrated though.

  • hendricus
    10 years ago

    Roof35 is correct about the siding hanging on the nails, however, I don't see a problem with the hose reel holding the siding tight at one point, it can still move to the right and the left of the reel.

  • bananastand
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I guess I assumed I'd be drilling the mounting block with long enough screws that it would affix to the sub-surface behind the vinyl siding. Which in my case behind it is T-111 wooden siding.

    Really then the stress/weight of the hose reel is on the house structure, not the siding. And as long as it's not pinning the vinyl siding down, all should be well? Right?

    This post was edited by lucilleclifton on Fri, Aug 16, 13 at 12:07

  • millworkman
    10 years ago

    Correct, that is the proper method of attachment

Sponsored
EA Home Design
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars69 Reviews
Loudoun County's Trusted Kitchen & Bath Designers | Best of Houzz