fiber cement on barn

[jahnzee]

hello, i'm new here. a google search brought me here. i'm about to build a barn, and i'm thinking about fiber cement siding (4x10 hardipanel).

anyone have any pictures of their fiber cement sided barns they'd be willing to share?

i hear it is a great material, but there seems to be few or no pictures of barns and garages sided with it. i'm hoping to have a t-111 look to my barn but use fiber cement to make it last forever.

hoping for success stories, regrets, and suggestions. thank you very much!

[Bird]

I've not seen it on barns yet, but I've seen it on houses and mobile homes. In fact, one of our daughters used to have a mobile home with it and I first though it was T-111 siding which, personally, I'd avoid if at all possible.

[egon]

Up here Hardi Plank is considered one of the high end sidings and is quite expensive both for initial purchase and then for installation.

It may have a much better fire rating than vinyl.

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Never seen it on an honest to goodness barn. Pretty sure I'd avoid it where stock handling takes place as it would get messed up. If there are no animals in the picture then except for cost it is a fine idea. Save ourself considerable time and hassle in the future and paint it with a GOOD QUALITY paint. Also keep vines away from it as they will get into the material and make removal difficult as well as unsightly after removal.

Pat

[Handyman]

In both cases you it will require maint such as painting. You will be subjected to termite and wood rot with T-111 ... I know this because my 12 yr old shed is now infested with them and I'm facing the decision of building my pole barn within the next couple months or rebuilding the whole from of my shed which I have totally out grown long ago until I this recession eases up... however I feel that will be a couple hundred dollars wasted since I will be building this shop soon by next yr if not this summer.

Why not metal siding ?

[egon]

http://jimwaters.com/index.php?optio...amp;Itemid=191

If this is the product the original poster is talking about it comes precoloured and does not require painting. It will also come as regular siding and there are some options as to style[img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

If I were building and could afford it this is the product I would use for durability and fire safety.

I have no idea how it would stand up to animal abuse on a barn.

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[JazzDad]

Here

[JazzDad]

Pat is correct; if anything other than hamsters is in your livestock plan, think twice. The panels we used (4' X 8') are about 5/32" thick. It doesn't take much to knock a hole in the stuff.

It was quite difficult for my wife and me to lift the panels to the second floor level. (We rigged a block and tackle because this stuff is HEAVY.) The panels and trim we bought were pre-primed, but still soaked up the paint. It must have taken 4 good coats with the sprayer. We bought a top-quality brand of paint and it has adhered very well.

If I had to build it again, I would use the same material. (A year after the "barn" we had the house built, sheathed in cement fibre lap siding.)

[jahnzee]

thank you to everyone for your suggestions. especially jazzdad for his writeup on his experience!

it's not a livestock barn -- a garage and workshop only. i just like the gambrel look, which is why i call it a 'barn' instead of a 'garage.'

it will have osb underneath the hardipanel, so i think that should be strong.

thanks again!

[JazzDad]

"it will have osb underneath the hardipanel, so i think that should be strong."

Yes indeed, Jahn! We hung our CF panels directly over the wrap-poly sheathing, which was stapled to the studs. Spacing on the studs was 16" OC, and hitting them with the galvanized nails was tricky at times. Your project, with the OSB sheathing, will be much easier to nail up.

Oh, and don't forget to fill out your profile info. We at CBN are a curious lot. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]