ADU Construction in Palms With Fiber Cement Siding
Palms ADU construction clad in fiber cement siding: noncombustible near lot lines, safe from termites, painted at the factory and flashed to shed water.
Fiber cement lap siding is the cladding we suggest for a Palms backyard unit set close to its neighbors. It does not burn, which helps a wall near a lot line reach its fire rating. Termites cannot eat it, and a factory-applied finish holds its color under hard sun. Each board goes over a weather barrier with a small drainage gap behind it, so any water that gets past the face can run down and dry out.
Putting the boards up
The boards are blind nailed through the top edge, so each course hides the fasteners of the one below. Joints land over studs, with a flashing strip behind each butt joint. Every cut edge is primed before the board goes up, since raw fiber cement takes on water at a cut. Corner and window trim is the same material, so it moves at the same rate as the siding. Cutting happens outdoors with a saw fitted for dust collection, because the dust contains silica. At the base, the first course starts on a metal starter strip that bridges the foundation line.
Water at the base and around openings
The bottom course stays up off the soil and any paving, so splash and sprinkler water cannot wick into the cut ends. Around windows and doors, head flashing laps over the trim, and the weather barrier laps over the flashing in shingle fashion. Above a door, a small canopy or a deeper head flashing keeps the opening dry. Caulk goes only where the maker calls for it, since a sealed lap can trap water. The LADBS inspector may want to see the weather barrier and the flashing before the siding hides them, so we leave those layers open until that visit.
ADU Construction in Palms: questions
The flattest ground inside the setbacks suits it, so the siding's bottom line runs level and close to the ground. A unit set near a lot line needs fire-rated construction on that face, and fiber cement helps with it. If the ground slopes, stem walls keep the siding clear of the soil.
The package takes in a Palms unit if it is single-level and its floor area does not pass 500 square feet. The wall section on its plans calls out the siding, the weather barrier and the flashing, and LADBS reviews that sheet with the floor plan. Construction is priced on its own once the yard has been measured.
Fiber cement costs more than vinyl to buy and to install, since it is heavy and has to be cut with dust control. Trim and flashing at every opening add labor. If the yard slopes, taller stem walls on the low side add concrete. Long utility runs back to the house add trenching.
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Planning work in Palms?
Tell us about the lot and the job. A builder replies by phone or email to set up a visit.