If siding is bad, you may recoup the loss
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The nationwide, class-action lawsuit against Weyerhaeuser over the company's hardboard exterior-siding products was settled this winter, and with few exceptions all Weyerhaeuser lap and panel siding is covered.
Owners of buildings with siding of this type installed between Jan. 1, 1981, and Dec. 31, 1999, are potentially members of the class. The bulk of this hardboard siding was installed on homes in our area in the mid-late 1990s. Chances are, if your house was built in the late 1990s and does not have cedar, cement board, vinyl, stucco, LP (Smart Siding) or brick, it has Weyerhaeuser hardboard siding. Many mobile homes have this material as well.
Similar to other class-action siding settlements, claims are subject to an independent inspection. Payments are based on the cost of replacing or refinishing the damaged siding, including labor, installation, painting and trim, and pro-rated, based on the number of years the siding has been installed on the building.
The time frame for submitting claims is staggered (three, six or nine years) depending on date of installation. Multiple claims may be filed over several years as the damage is discovered.
The criteria for failure include swelling, edge checking, physical degradation, buckling, surface welting, delamination, sponginess, wax bleed and raised or popped fibers. That delamination is included is surprising because hardboard (unlike LP siding) is not a laminated product and does not delaminate in the classical sense, although the paint may appear to be delaminating.
There is no limit on the number and dollar amount of claims in the agreement. As protection, Weyerhaeuser's settlement has specific language protecting it against many common construction errors that could negate numerous claims if enforced strictly.
The many building and maintenance errors that could absolve Weyerhaeuser from liability include: framing misalignment, incorrect stud spacing, substantial nailing problems, permanently installed sprinkler systems directly spraying the affected area, landscaping or plants that grow onto or into a structure, siding in contact with masonry or ground, excessive roof run-off onto the adjacent wall, improper roof/wall flashing, and failure of a chimney cricket or roof/chimney flashing to extend to the edge of the chimney.
Also on the list is damage occurring within 6 inches from the top, bottom and sides of a window assembly (including trim); absence of paint on the drip edge, cut edge or milled grooves of a board; inadequate or improperly installed or missing flashing; damage around the belly band or horizontal trim; improper flashing or missing caulk; lack of ground crawl-space vapor barriers or lack of wall sheathing and vapor barriers (presumably meaning building paper) and damage starting within 12 inches of water-intrusion or runoff points.
The attorneys representing the plaintiffs recommend that homeowners do not try to repair their own siding. However, routine maintenance such as painting and caulking is acceptable. If a sale is pending, an expedited claim procedure is available.
How to identify the siding.
Most Weyerhaeuser hardboard siding is designed with a cedar wood-grain texture. Other textures include stucco, smooth-lap, cedar-shake and cross-sawn wood texture. Knots are spaced 61 inches apart laterally on many of the sidings, while others have a "double-knot" feature with two nonidentical knots spaced 12-1/8 inches apart. Most styles contain the marking "AHA 10" or "AHA 20."
In my experience identifying Weyerhaeuser siding: 1) Measure between the knots and match visually. 2) Look at the thickness (Weyerhaeuser is generally thinner than most products). 3) The caulking will be cracked at butt joints on lap siding (especially in warmer weather) due to lateral movement particular to this siding. 4) The siding feels very dense when tapped. 5) Texture of the hardboard material visible from the back or exposed edges is a light reddish-brown color resembling sawdust visually.
If you are unable to determine whether you have this siding, a home center might be able to identify it from a sample, your builder will have a record, or your neighbors may have similar siding.
You may also submit a siding sample or a check for $150 to the independent-claims administrator who will refund the money if it is indeed Weyerhaeuser siding. The Web site is www.weyerclaims.com. Call 800-365-0697 or write to: Weyerhaeuser Hardboard Siding Class Action Settlement, Independent Claims Administrator, P.O. Box 9443, Garden City, N.Y. 11530-9443.
Darrell Hay answers readers' questions. Call 206-464-8514 to record your question. Or e-mail dhay@seattletimes.com.