Charlie:
Ryan in Pasadena says he’s about to replace his siding, and they’re going with Hardie to replace their old OSB on the second story … One of those ones where it wraps around the back, where it’s not brick. He said one company’s offered a pre-insulated Hardie, the Hardie with foam, says an R3 value for additional $600, as opposed to getting Tyvek ThermaWrap. Which do you think would be a better option for energy savings?
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Tom:
Well, they’re both different. One does not replace the other. If you’re going to … You could do both, for that matter, but ThermaWrap is fine. I don’t know if I’d do the insulated product on just a small portion of the home; so it’s not necessary. A moisture barrier, a rain-driven water barrier, which is the ThermaWrap, which is a good one, I used it a lot, has a good perm rating, it would be a good product, just like a Hardie wrap or something like that. You’re just looking for a moisture barrier.
Charlie:
Under what circumstances would you use the insulated Hardie?
Tom:
If I had an older home that had no insulation at all, one of those shiplap homes, say, in the Heights, or somewhere like that, and you really wanted to get a little extra oomph, and you’re going to re-side it to begin with, I think that would be an ideal situation for a product like that. You still have the air space, then, in the wall, it’ll still breathe. You have the foam that’ll give you a little bit of R value, kick it up a little bit, and you still would use the ThermaWrap or the Hardie wrap on the building before it goes up.