New Construction in Van Nuys, Clad in Fiber Cement Siding
New Construction in Van Nuys clad in fiber cement siding over a vented rainscreen, picked to hold paint and shape under strong inland sun.
Fiber cement lap siding hung over a vented rainscreen gap is the cladding we price first for a new house in Van Nuys. Wood boards left in strong sun on a valley lot tend to cup, check and lose their paint, and the swing from daytime heat to cooler nights keeps working their joints open. Fiber cement holds its shape through that cycle, takes paint well and does not burn, while the gap behind it lets the wall dry.
Boards, trim and the rainscreen gap
Every board is fastened into studs at the spacing its maker publishes, and butt joints get a flashing strip behind them so water reaching the joint is turned back out. Furring strips or a dimpled drainage mat hold the boards off the weather barrier, which gives any water that gets behind them a clear path down to a screened opening at the base of the wall. Corner and window trim comes in the same material, primed on every face. Cutting it throws silica dust, so boards are scored and snapped, or cut on a saw fitted with a shroud and a vacuum.
Paint, flashing and the LADBS visit
Factory primer takes an acrylic finish coat, and a lighter color reflects more sunlight, which leaves the wall and the rooms inside it cooler. Openings for windows and doors are flashed into the weather barrier before any caulk is applied, so caulk is only a backup. An inspector from LADBS may ask to see the barrier and that flashing before cladding hides them, and we hold that stage open until it is signed off. On a sloped lot, where a wall runs downhill, the bottom course of boards is stepped so each run stays the maker's required distance clear of soil and paving.
About our new construction workEverything we build in Van Nuys
New Construction in Van Nuys: questions
Design starts from a boundary and topographic survey plus a soils report that sets footing depth and tells the engineer whether the slab can bear on native ground or needs recompacted fill. If an older house is still on the parcel, it needs a demolition permit, and asbestos and lead paint testing happens before it is taken down.
Siding comes in long bundles that bow and crack when carried by one end, so a truck able to set them near the wall saves labor and broken boards. A narrow frontage splits the delivery into smaller loads carried by hand, and a tight side yard may need narrower scaffold frames. Each of those shows as its own line.
We can, once the set arrives with its structural sheets and the energy report. If the exterior sheets call for wood or plaster cladding, fiber cement is priced as an alternate next to it with trim and paint included, and the architect confirms details such as the rainscreen gap before the set is submitted to LADBS.
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Tell us about the lot and the job. A builder replies by phone or email to set up a visit.