Panel cladding shows every mistake. A joint that drifts a quarter inch over a long elevation reads from the street, and a reveal that doesn't line up with the window heads looks wrong for the life of the building. We lay out your panels from the architectural elevations before the first one goes up. Joints, reveals and openings get checked against the drawings, and questions go to your PM in writing before we cut anything. Your super gets a copy of the same layout our crew hangs from, so everyone checks against one document.
Panels go on over a rainscreen we build ourselves. We install the air barrier, any continuous insulation and the PT furring that forms the drainage cavity, then hang the panels to the fastening schedule in the manufacturer's instructions. Because one crew owns every layer from the plywood out, there is no gap between trades where water gets in. Common systems include James Hardie, Allura and Nichiha. We install the product in your spec. Your super deals with one sub for the whole wall.
Pricing is by the square foot of panel, with trim and flashing by the linear foot, broken out by elevation or building when you need it. We bill bi-weekly by percent complete against your schedule of values. Certificates of insurance go to you before we mobilize. One foreman runs the site, sends a daily progress report and photographs the substrate before panels cover it. Roofing, framing, dumpsters and general site cleanup stay with others. Change orders are priced at the same unit rates in your contract.
What's in our scope
- Large-format fiber cement panels, exposed or concealed fastening
- Panel layout from the architectural elevations
- Reveal, joint and corner trim profiles
- PT furring for a vented drainage cavity
- Head, sill and base flashing at panel transitions
- Openings flashed into the air barrier
- Field cutting, edge sealing and touch-up per the manufacturer
How we hang it
- Panel joints laid out and approved before install
- Fastener type, spacing and edge distance to the manufacturer's schedule
- Cut edges sealed where the manufacturer requires it
- Open joints backed so the cavity stays protected
- Insect screen at the bottom and top of the cavity
- Substrate photographed before it gets covered
What we need to bid
Drawings, specs, the product submittals if you have them, your schedule and the bid due date. You get unit pricing back, line by line.
