Weatherboards between Openings

Started working on placing weatherboards from boundary board down today. This meant having to cut boards to fit between gaps of window and door openings. This is definately less confusing than the angled cuts for joins & corners as these boards all require straight cuts  with the drop saw sitting at 0 degrees.
Measurements first taken from flashing edge to flashing edge, then a measurement from the inside of the frame out to the edge of the flashing is taken.  These two figures are added together & 5mm is subtracted to account for their to be a gap between the weatherboard & the window frame for breathing & movement.
Once cut to length, the board is placed in the gap to make sure that it fits ok, and has space on either end, once alright & it the correct position, the edge of the flashing is marked off & a section is checked out from this point at an approximate 40mm depth so that it can slide underneath the board above & not be affected by the flashing sticking out.
The board should be hard up against the flashing with no gaps.  These boards are lined up with marks previously placed on the cavity battens using a story board road, & once sitting at this area is checked with a level to make sure it is sitting flush.  
It is then fixed into place with the same method used over the past few days.
From this point onwards, the job is very straight forward and easy as no checking out is required, care just has to be taken to make sure that the boards are always lined up to the storyboard rod markings.

Weatherboards from boundary up to soffit lining

As boundaries done yesterday, today we worked on the space from the boundary up towards the soffit lining.  

This was done by measuring 159mm from the bottom of the boundary board at each end of the wall.  A chalk line was then held from each point & used to create a guide line to run the next board to, which would ensure that everything remained level.

This gap presents a gap large enough to allow the ridged section to sit over the weatherboard with a 2mm gap between (as seen in picture).  This is very important as it allows for air to circulate & to stop the boards buckling if water gets in and expands the timber.  

The same nails & methods were used to make the fixings  as we had done for the boundary weatherboards the day prior.  

When attaching the nails along the length of the board, these were only partially nailed in, to allow adjustments to occur if necessary (if they started straying from the chalk line level marked out).  Once all nails had been attached along the board these were then nailed home.  To do this you have to place a firm hand down on the board to push it close to the wall.  Had to make sure not to nail it in too deep, the head of the nail should sit on top of the board.  This is because water can easily penetrate around the nail head if it is pushed too far in.  

I actually found it quite hard to hit the nail, as the head is shaped in such a way that the hammer can slip off easily.  A tip that Richy gave, was to sand your hammer head so that it has grip on it, as we have to try and avoid hitting the board as much as possible as it results in easy damage as the cedar used is very soft.

For the board that ran against the soffit lining, this had to be ripped to the correct size.  This was done by again marking 159mm on the board below.  Once done, the measurement from this point, to the soffit lining indicated the height of the following board above and what thickness it had to be cut at.  This was done by using a skill saw & then attaching as normal.

Weatherboard Boundary

Today we used the stringline we laid out the day prior to put down the first of our weatherboards around the boundary of the building.  As it was our first time putting on, we were in larger groups so that we could be monitored better and shown what to do.

Was pretty confusing, as the different types of cuts needed meant you really had to think about what angle to put the drop saw at.  A good way to do this, was to get to small pieces of weatherboard cut with the different angles & use these as a dummy to help visualize (and also to line up when putting on the wall frames).

Three major cuts are:  

1) Joins (45 degree angle, cut with weatherboard facing down)

2) Corners (45 degree angle, cut with weatherboard facing up)

3) Straight cut (when butting up against wall, or at a 5 degree pitch if butting up against another weatherboard in a corner).

Once cut, we lined the board up with stringline.  In some cases we also had to use a level or compare by sight to flashing, as the stringlines were not done accurately.  Once in place, a fixing is put in on the first cavity batten with a rose head angular grooved stainless steel 75mm

nail.  This was done by pre-drilling a hole that was 45mm from the bottom of the weatherboard & centered in the middle of the cavity batten.  This will result in all the nails being in the same line when all the boards are put on.
Where two boards were joined up, we had to make sure that the joins were very tight, and re-adjust if not (as this can affect weather tightness, & also the aesthetics).
Before fixing on, we had to paint the ends with stain to help seal the board from deterioration, & as we fixed, we constantly re-checked to make sure that each point where nail was, it was still in line with the pre-marked levels done with the string line.

Failed inspection puts a stall on building

We came on site today to find out that we failed the inspection, so we were unable to get started on the weatherboards.  Inspector pulled up on things like holes in the building wrap & missing stop ends on the flashing.

As we couldn't do any building, we concentrated on cleaning the site up & fixing the problems indicated by the inspector.

Once done, some of us fixed up cavity battens (as they were in the wrong place), finished off bits and pieces

Also started to run the string lines for the weatherboards.  We aimed to have it run 6mm off the window flashing but found that when using the level our lines were out a bit.  We will restart on Monday to get the lines right.  This is important to do, as otherwise the weatherboards don't sit in line with each other.

Window & Door Frame Flashing & Meter Box Installation

Today we concentrated on getting the window & door frame flashings up.  First step was to make sure that there was space available for the flashing to sit comfortably in.  There needed to be an overhang of 50mm on each side of the frame with the flashing, so sometimes this required part of the cavity battens to be checked out so that it could sit flush against the wall (as pictured above).

Once the space was cleared correctly, the flashing could be fixed to the wall.  First rubber stops had to be stuck to each end of the flashing with sealant.  Sealant is also run along the top of the frame so that it creates a seal between the frame & the flashing which should sit hard up against each other.  Holes are pre drilled into the flashing & clouts are used to fix it to the wall. 

Additional building wrap is then fixed onto the wall so that it overhangs over the flashing & then vermin strip is stuck on 

10mm above the flashing.  Cavity battens are then attached (as done on the rest of the house) with a section chiseled out so that it sits comfortably in the vermin strip.

This process was repeated on all openings, with the only difference being for the large bifold doors.

The flashings for these were attached 5mm above the frame work, as this was specified in the manufacturers notes.

This was done to account for the movement in the door when it is being opened & closed, as it can cause the frame to move.

We also inserted the meter box today.  Metal flashing was pre attached to the unit using rivets & was then placed into the opening & attached with clouts.

Window & Door Frames Locked In...

We started on putting the frames into the openings today.  In order to do, we first had to work out the heights of the openings so that all of the frames will be at the same location around the house.  This is important so that when the weatherboards are put on, they will all sit straight & flush with each other.

The same height is taken from the floor & marked out on the side of the opening.  From here, the height of the actual frame itself is taken & run from this marked point down.  This will be where the frame will sit in the opening. In order to get the frame to sit at this level, packers are placed under the frame to hold it.  

The frame is also adjusted so that it has an equal gap on either side of the length of the frame as well.  

To work out how deep the frame sits in the opening, two bits of gib are temporarily tacked to the wall in the corners of the opening & a piece of wood is run over the length (as pictured).  The frame is then pushed hard up against this surface, which will ensure it sits the width of the gib board in (which will guarantee that when the wall sheets are put in, the frames will sit flush with them).

When the frame is sitting in the correct position, it is tacked into place using bright nails on all surfaces.  Packs are then put in along the lengths to ensure that it doesn't move from side to side & to make it more secure.  The frame is checked to make sure it is square.  This can be done by sitting a level on the top of the frame, & also to check the inside frame of the windows.  If these measurements are out, it indicates that the frame is not sitting straight.

The temporary tacks are adjusted till correct & then the nails can be driven home.

A hole punch is used to ensure the nail heads are recessed into the frame.

Finishing Off Cavity Battens & Prepping Opening For Meter Box

Had to finish off the last of the vertical cavity battens today.  These run along the length of every full length stud on the building.  When attaching, these battens can be no greater than 600mm apart with their spacings.  Where full length studs fell further than 600mm in spacing, additional nogging had to be added to support another length of battens.

 When nailing the fixings on, it was important that these were put in a zig zag pattern with 300mm spacings - not only is this a requirement for passing the inspection, but it also helps in the future when you are attaching the weatherboards as it creates a clear space in the middle of the batten to drive nails into.  When attaching the battens, they need to run the length of the stud & sit inside the vermin trap along the boundary joist of the building.  In order to achieve this, a section is cut out at the end of the timber so it is the thickness of the vermin trap (otherwise it would bulge out).

On the corners, the battens need to be planed down thinner, in order to support a flashing.  If this wasn't done it would cause this section of the wall to no longer be flush with the rest of the battens.  This would result in the weatherboards not sitting properly when attached later on.
One of the final steps with the cavity battens, is to attach small blocks at the bottom of all of the openings.  These must be no less than 100mm in length and be a maximum of 50mm apart.  When fixed on they are put at an angle, which will act as an effective means as a water run off.


Today we also cut out a space in the wall for the meter box of the house.  Additional nogging had to be inserted in to support it, with a minimum clearance of 5mm calculated in.  This is to account for the metal flashing that will be inserted for the meter box.  Once done, the opening is prepped by cutting & stapling back the building wrap & then attaching alu band (as done with all the other openings.

Cavity Battens

A few people were finishing off the soffit lining today, and the rest of us made a start on doing the cavity battens.  These will form the fixing point for the wall cladding (weatherboards) that we will be attaching at a later date.  

Before attaching, we had to double check that the building wrap covered all of the appropriate areas, as this had to reach further enough to be able to sit under the battens.  

Timber used was a 18mm thickness, and our first step today was to attach around the boundary of the house (under the soffit).  This had to go hard up against the soffit (as this allows to keep the roof cavity as air tight as possible & to combat against moisture getting up into this area).  These had to be nailed on at even intervals of approximately 500mm spacings with 75mm galvanised flat heads.

Found it particularly hard to nail in the battens under the shorter eaves, as it didn't allow much swing space for the hammer (as you could possibly hit the finished fascia work that has been attached).

It is important to keep all of this area flush & the same thickness as otherwise it creates an uneven surface for attaching the weather boards on.  In some areas we had to rout out sections of the batten so it sat flush on the wall.  This was because some of the roof trusses protruded out a bit.

Openings Done With Alu Band & Vermin Strips

Some of the boys are still doing the soffit lining, so I concentrated on putting the Alu Band  Window Sealing Tape on to all of the opening's for the house.  This is used in order to create a moisture barrier to the openings (which are most likely to have issues with outside elements).  

Yesterday we had prepped these openings by cutting them out from the buidling wrap with trianglular cuts at 45 degree angles.  This building wrap was then stapled down on the inside of the opening framework & trimmed 

 accordingly.  The orange corner moulds were then stapled down along the bottoms of the openings (as pictured above left).

The Alu band was then cut to length for the opening.  Each top corner had to run at 200mm along top & length (400mm total length), with an additional 200mm half strip to seal the corners (as corner moulds are not present here.  Along the bottom, the alu band had to run the whole length of the opening & up 200mm on each side.  To attach the backing of the thermakraft sealing tape was removed & stuck down.  It is best for this tape to be warm so that sticky substance sticks better.  

Vermin strips were also added to the house today.  This was fixed on with clouts so that it was flush with the boundary joist of the house.  Where needed the vermin strip was cut to length using a coping saw.

Soffit Lining

Today we started on doing the soffit lining for the eaves of the house.  Firstly we measured from the facia through to the wall.  Off this measurement is approximately 70mm of other material such as 10mm cavity battens, 10-18mm for the weather board & additional 40mm for the soffit finishing.  As a result, the width of the soffit lining doesn't need to be exactly this amount and can be shortened by 20mm or so.  This will help later on as well, because it will give space to maneuver it into the fascia gap for this.

Once this width is marked out, it is cut out along the line.  It is important to handle this material as carefully as possible, as it is a finished surface. 

The cut edge is then sanded back to smooth.  When doing it is important to sand up (rather than down) as it will reduce the likelihood of the edge chipping away.  The ends of the soffit are also sanded back (& at an angle... so it can fit into the joiners, as they are angled down at the top).

Joiners are then cut to length, and will act as the mechanism so that the following soffit lining can be inserted up against it.  It is a good idea to make sure it is clean (by using alcohol) before attaching under the eave as easier to clean.

When attaching it is slid up into the recess present in the fascia for it.  It is run from the middle of the eave down, & clouts are then put in to hold it in place.  Before putting this up, the location & thickness of the nogs are marked out on the wall for 'christmas tree' fastenings (which are plastic screw like nails that are secured into the nogs to add additional fixing.  These are spaced around the middle of eave.  

The following lining is then inserted into the joiner for the previously fixed soffit lining & of course under the fascia & so on.