Installing fiber cement siding by yourself, tips for working alone!  

For background I’ve installed Hardie for two years for a certified James Hardie alliance contractor. You did a great job with the flashings especially the end dams on your z flashing above your blocks and windows. A lot of guys bend dog ears down around the trim and caulk where wind driven rain can and will get in behind the siding. An end dam is a much better approach as it’ll never fail unlike caulk and I think it’s cleaner than a blob of caulk in the corner of that 1/4 crevice. But it jumped out at me right away your bottom row is entirely way too close to the ground. Hardie recommends at least 6 inches from grade and more likely than not that first row will be crumbling after a few years of winter snow and spring and summer rain. A lot of times the framing starts less than 6 inches off the ground and you gotta cover it. To avoid this problem, use a 5/4 piece of PVC like Azek or Boral which is leagues ahead of Hardie in water resistance. Then a z flashing above it taped which is fine if you have incredibly tight and kickass tyvek job like this one, but better to cut tyvek and lap it over the nailing flange of your flashing then tape. Furthermore, the 1/8 butting to trim is a nice detail as well. I’ve measured full pieces of Hardie at 144 1/4 on hot humid summer days. So on winter days definitely don’t skip that step. For dust mitigation you are absolutely right about the shears. They even make battery and air powered ones so when your 20 30 even 40 feet up a wall the installer can cut on the scaffolding if your piece is a hair too long without handing it back down to your cut guy. A circular saw with a HEPA vacuum and bag is also a good option but still some dust escapes so a respirator or at least a particle n95 should still be worn. Also a job site fan to blow any dust that escapes the vacuum is another good addition. Some tricks of the trade to speed up the process is stack your pieces and get em straight and you can hang cut your starter pieces. Just make sure your nail line is on the same side for all of pieces or your factory edge will be on the wrong side. For window cutouts or anything else you need to cutout for instead of measuring to your inch and a quarter you butt your tape into the trim and measure to the bottom edge of the last row of siding. Then subtract your reveal and you have what your keeping below the window. You get 10 1/2 - 7 inch reveal = 3 1/2 keep from the bottom. Do this on both sides of the window. In a perfect world they should be the same but if siding or the window is just a tiny bit out of level they’ll be different. Hopefully this helps anybody looking to tackle some siding on their home. And all in all this is a pretty good install.

Anytime I make a cut, I spray it with primer. Caulking sticks better, it will sometimes peel away from a raw edge.

Man this was really one of the greatest step by step videos I've seen. You broke down every instruction in a way that all can understand thanks brother!

Really like how you're using the tractor front end loader as a table / bench / work holder for materials. Always where you need it, adjustable height, just so. Wish I had one!

What a fn fantastic video. So informative. Answered every damn question that James Hardie, Lowes, and Home Depot don't answer like they're religiously sworn to obfuscate it. Protect this man at all costs.

I didn't want to do it at all, much less do it alone..but..I accept it now. Thanks for this. I've learned quite a bit over the last few years about doing stuff. This is when the silver lining of this medium shines. So many people doing stuff alone. Carry on.

Great! Love seeing the siding go on and windows!👍👍👍

Hi Andrew I think I am as excited as you seeing this siding being installed. It really looks good. Your doing a great job as usual and explain things very well Thank you. Have a great day and will see you Sunday. Take care. 🇨🇦

I appreciate the way you explain the things you are doing and show us all the the gadgets and tricks you are using.

Outstanding the way you describe the details into installing the siding. Great job.

What a difference that siding is making to the look of the house! It looks fantastic.

Love all of the tips and tricks!!! Great job Andrew, you sure make siding look easy!

I've used those shears for cement board 1/2 inch and I love it. Should have bought it years ago. Well worth the money

Good progress and starting to envision the final look. Enjoy the tips and really like watching you work OCD and all. Very informative👍

Great job; I appreciate that you explained everything in a lot of detail. I have to do a project like this in a few weeks and your video was the best I've seen! 👍

I’ve watched many installation videos in preparation for my first large project. This is by far my favorite. It helps give the confidence that it isn’t rocket science-just needs to be done right. The comments are very helpful as well. Thanks for the video.

I love your style, dude! You are clear, sensible, skilled, and informative. I'm relatively new at DIY and tend to work alone, so I truly appreciate your generous spirt.

Andrew this is interesting, you've explained the tips and techniques that are used for it and it is a great job with the siding and even else you've done.

The house is looking amazing. I am so happy for you guys.

Good job on the install and sharing the tips you've learned. You made it easy to understand the process. I might be doing this to my house and never touched Hardie siding before. Thanks for sharing how you did it alone.

Love your one man shows. Thanks for educated a viewer like myself.. appreciated much...

I am looking at doing my first Hardie siding job. You made it look easier. Great job.

The best video for installing hardie. Gave me the confidence I needed to do my daughters small home and being a perfectionist, know that it’s done correctly. Thanks so much!

I've never heard of anyone else doing this, but I used my tile saw to cut my Hardie planks. I couldn't stomach sending toxic dust all over my neighborhood. I built some 2 x 4 tables to support the planks and just slid them through like a table saw. Worked for all of the window cuts too.

I've watched so many siding installation videos on RU-vid and none of them showed the tips and tricks the way you do. Truly the best siding instructional video hands down. Subscribed to your channel!!!! Good job my friend!

Just a generous helping of explanation..... really appreciate all the tool recommendations, and zeroing in on the details!!!

You're a great teacher. Thanks.

LOVIN' the opening sky!

One of the best how-to's on hardy siding I've seen. thanks

You can use a zip tie to the end of your nail gun and cut it from the center of the nail to an inch and a quarter . Just put top of the cut zip tie to the top of the Harding board. Then you can run and have it perfect. It's very important to keep that inch and inch and a quarter I know you know Andrew but just in case somebody else might know that.

Been following this build for a while now, you have done an amazing job brother! Keep up the good work!! Love the channel btw

You are the best one man crew I have ever seen.

What an awesome how-to on hardy siding Andrew! Looking great and saw a glimpse of the real inspector (Bullet) coming around to approve of the progress. Tiffany has him trained well. 🤣

Great job Andrew! I bet Tiffany’s ecstatic! Looks wonderful.

Thank you for all the information you put into this hopefully when I start doing my house it goes that smoothly

One of the best instructional videos I ever seen on youtube!

Great video. Well done on the presentation and detail. I will definitely be using several of your recommendations and tips when I install Hardie on our new home. Thank you!

Great job, thanks for the tips,I will start my first project with the hardieboard installation next I just following your video ,you’re doing amazing job,thanks thanks

Great video Andrew... Thank you!!!

Nice that you have one window on the west side of your house in Fl and main room faces north. Thank you for another great video.

Thank you for a very well done instructional video! You have an amazing ability to teach, nicely done.

As always, GREAT job Andrew!!

Hi, Andrew! Wonderful progress! Excellent commentary! See you Sunday night.

A real mans, man! Thank you for this very informative video

Great video. Very interesting video. That siding is looking great.

Nice sunrise opening. Siding is looking great Andrew.

Wow man, outstanding video. Do it yourselfer attempting this soon. This video is a huge help! Thanks!!

Great video, thanks for the info. I’ll be doing a small backside of a house in the next couple weeks

Looks great!

I was thinking if you cut the slice for the pipe from the bottom, you could put a reverse notched piece of flashing behind the filler piece for extra protection. Would probably be over kill though. The house is really looking good! I wish I had built a one-level barndominium when I moved the last time!

Good instructions, looks great!

Excellent presentation skills! Nice video and easy to follow.

I really liked this video. I'm from Brazil and I'm learning the profession. My English is not good, but I understood a lot.

This was seriously helpful! Tha ks for taking the time to make this video!

Awesome video - very helpful since my contractor left without installing the siding.

Hey I made it out of surgery just fine!! They got my mass removed out of my stomach and stuff so far so good other then I keep crashing now on my sugar lol.. Anyway that's some really cool stuff!! Keep up the great job I have been watching all the videos trust me I haven't missed any of them just been off to the side dealing with all this medical crap lol.. Anyway best wishes from Southern IL keep up the great work!

Looking good Andrew!!

Andrew is a one man band that can do it all... Amazing actually... 😃

Built a solar system just like yours and am about to do this siding. We think a lot alike 😅 thanks

Your doing a wonderful job on the house, not many people could do what you have done, now take a break kiddo, you deserve it SIR

Amazing video

Great job andrew!!! Very informative, looking like a pro! I know the camera speeds it up and doesnt show how hard that is to do by yourself. Attaboy!!!

Looks good

Looking good! You make it look easy. Wouldn't look so easy though if it were July in Florida.

Learning a lot.... Keep it up!!

Great video Thankyou for the details.

Great instruction video. Especially mentioning some products that may work better like shears. N some tricks of the trade. Well done!

Awesome video, tons of info. I’m preparing to do our place soon and haven’t really ever worked with hardie planks. Much appreciation on the info friend. Got a new subscriber.

Your making it look easy Good job. I've worked for diding company and needed a refresher course because I start a new job tomorrow and you showed me those new hold on clips that I never new existed and if I would have had those back in the day! We would shoot a galvanized ring shank nail in place to hold for the next course. Thanks for the tips on that 👍.! I'm nervous when I start with a new company especially when the boss says that the guy I will be working with barely gets 180ft done in a shift 🙃 😵‍💫😵🥴🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

Thanks a million. House is looking like btw

Very good video. Thank you.

Best video ever thanks.

Excellent Andrew, why not use a flashing card where the horizontalm boards meet the vertical trim. Yes caulk it but still have the aluminum card barrier between the elements and the Tyvec. I have never seen the cards used. My sideing is Masonite and 49 years old but still looks good and in good shape. It's been painted and taken care of though.

thank you thats very helpful video.... keep it up Amigo

looking really good bud..

Your home is huuuuge ! Gunna try this my self

Excellent video! I've been looking at many. I have a detached garage that is 67 years old and has cedar shake siding that is that old as well. The previous owner, trying to bring it up to financing specs before selling, decided to shoot it with paint (rather than restain) before I bought the property (23 years ago). Ugh! I painted it once, 10 years ago, but the cedar shakes will not take another proper pre-painting prep (but hey, 67 years is about 37 years more than the average lifespan of cedar shake siding). I'm looking at residing it next summer. I'm looking for something that isn't too complicated to do, not that expensive, will stand up to the elements and time, and will require normal maintenance (paint and caulk). Hardie siding looks like it will fit the bill. Now I have to become a "youtube expert" in doing the job in the next 11 months (LOL). Thanks for the video!

This is really interesting Andrew. Is this type of siding material commonly used throughout the U.S.? What about this type of material made it your choice to go with? I've enjoyed your entire house building series, even all the electrical episodes, as I like to learn about this stuff. I enjoy your channel, so thank you and your wife for sharing with your viewers.

That is very true if it ain't broke don't fix it I've never seen any kind of tools like that you better hang on to those they don't make them like they used 👍🏽

Now I see how thoughtful it was to put that tank away from the house, you wouldn't be able to use that nail gun otherwise:))) Looking great, you've done great job with all that tiny pieces!!!

Love the intro!!!!!

thanks, great video

Absolutely amazing job. I appreciate that you take your time measuring and to make the cuts. Have you tried Bull Frog sun screen? It's the best. Take care and God Bless.

great job thank you for doing this god bless

Great job. We are about to build a house and I’m thinking of doing the siding myself.

Ok Andrew that’s another toy , I mean tool I had to buy. But my husband’s not getting it that’s mine he can have his old clunky tape measure! 🤣 Siding is looking great👍💞

I always learn something from your videos. Great job in talking me through. I am a noob on much of home construction (I have done things before but my Father was the Foremen so to speak lol). I did see either in your video or the James Hardie video that you should block off penetrations such as outlets and seal cocks for faucets. What if you need to put in an external seal cock/faucet in the future? Thanks again from your videos - I always enjoy and learn. All the best from north Texas!

I appreciate some detail info. 👍💯Ummm? I wonder why you did not use strapping on the wall to attach the harding too to allow for air flow behind the harding? Appreciate the time it took to prepare and present this to us to help us prep for our future projects. 🙏🇨🇦🍁

Just when I didn't have anything else to watch, I got a notification about this video! Awesome job. Question for you: will you be starting your gutter when you do the soffets so you don't have to keep going back up and down on the ladder later on?

Fantastic video! Excellent step by step. Your doing a great job too! I have a question for you or anyone else that can answer it. I have an 8 ft window to side under. I’ll have to put nails under to hold it up. Is that ok? Do I just caulk the nails afterwards?

I have a two sets of the fiber cement shears it doesn't give you the clean cut that the circular saw with a fiber cement blade gives you.

Great looking job sir. I myself am a one man crew! About to start residing my house and just watching videos for all the tips and tricks I can learn and tools I need to purchase before I go all out on this project, just wish I was on a slab rather than a two story! What length of nails are you using?

I like that video

I have a question. If your wall is only 10ft and shorter once you add the trim, Do you still stagger the seams? Besides around the window and the dryer vent. The two other sides have nothing on it, and it's also 10 ft wide?

I'm about to tackle this project myself, and was wondering if the sheers would be as good as the saw for something like the cutout you did for the board below the window? Really good job of explaining things…Thanks alot!

Thank you so much! Very informative! I was wondering if we are supposed to have the bottom piece at least 6 inches from the top of the grade. You may have answered that already in the comments. Or maybe that is a code thing that is different in each state?

What software do you use for editing your videos? Great work. I love your attention to detail. I am an electrician and machinist. Much appreciation for your skills.

I started installing this material with the Hardie boys..then I went out on my own

Question about the siding installation gauge, if your previous board is nailed in tight, how does the clip fit behind the nailed siding without digging into you weather barrier some?

Did you use a full size uncut board to start the bottom row or did you cut it? Also what kind of primer would you use for cut edges or the backside of the first row? Thanks