Several Stanwood home- owners who purchased new homes with siding that began cracking and warping will get some relief.
MaxiTile, the company that manufactured the siding, is leading an effort to repair portions of the siding and paint at no cost to the homeowners, even though a company representative maintains the builder, Alan Thomas, is at fault, not the product.
Thomas, who initially installed the siding, has agreed to provide the labor, according to a MaxiTile representative.
Nine months after moving into their new $323,000 home, Jay and Kathy Slack noticed cracks, warping and splits on the home’s lapboard siding, a fiber-cement product called MaxiPlank.
It would cost nearly $20,000 to replace all the siding on the Slack’s home, according to a bid by a Marysville general contractor. Both of their neighbors’ homes, built with the same siding by the same contractor, had similar damage.
Months of frustration and worry followed for the Slacks, who were concerned about paying for repairs and the effect on their home’s resale value.
They said they filed a complaint through the manufacturer’s Web site and heard nothing. They asked Thomas to replace the siding, and he refused. They filed complaints against the him with the Better Business Bureau and the state Attorney General’s Office. The couple considered suing until they learned it would cost just as much as residing their house.
In July The Herald published a story about the Slacks’ situation. The next day, Jeff Konek, a representative of MaxiTile, contacted the Slacks and their neighbors. None of the homeowners filled out warranties for the siding, and the company had no record of a complaint filed by any of the homeowners, he said. The company responds quickly to complaints, he added.
“We were never contacted by the Slacks or any of the other homeowners,” Konek said. “He said he tried to contact us through the Internet but that’s not the same as calling the 800-number and talking to someone.”
Konek said the initial story gave consumers an unfair picture of the company’s product. MaxiTile products are decades old and the company is a leader in fiber-cement technology, he said. If installed and maintained according to instructions, the siding should last 50 years in all climates from Florida to Alaska, Konek said. The company’s warranty is similar to those offered by competitors, he said.
Konek said most manufacturers of siding, including his company’s competitors, have been the subject of class-action lawsuits. He was employed by another maker of fiber-cement siding, James Hardie, for 11 years and handled many claims for that company’s products. As a whole, homeowners make few claims, about one for every 10,000 installations, according to the company.
After inspecting the siding on the homes, Konek said he believed the damage was caused by improper storage and installation. One homeowner showed him photos of siding left outside. That’s a problem, he said, since the siding can absorb up to 30 percent of its weight in moisture. MaxiPlank siding should be stored under cover, such as in a garage or under eaves, until installation, he said.
“If a product is installed wet the chances of the product shrinking are greatly increased,” Konek stated in an e-mail.
He also found that some of the siding in the Slacks’ home butted up against the home’s wood trim instead of allowing the necessary clearance of at least 1/8 inch for expansion in wet environments.
Konek said every manufacturer of fiber cement siding makes clear in the installation instructions that the products must be installed dry. “You do have to baby it,” he said.
Even though the company said the siding problems were caused by Thomas, they are helping the Slacks and their neighbors as a goodwill gesture and as a professional courtesy to Thomas, Konek wrote.
Thomas, owner of Thomas General Contracting, did not return several calls from The Herald requesting comment. His attorney, Bruce Galloway, said Thomas was on vacation and unavailable for comment.
The siding company representative said he invited Thomas to the site to inspect the siding and that Thomas agreed to provide the labor to repair the siding on all three homes.
“The builder agreed there were some mistakes made on his part and he is willing to try to remedy the situation to the homeowners’ expectations,” Konek wrote.
Meanwhile the homeowners are just pleased someone is helping. Homeowner Jay Slack said the company is stepping up and doing the right thing.
“If they follow through, kudos to this company,” he said.
Slack also said he is unhappy the builder isn’t taking more responsibility and that there isn’t a way to hold the builder accountable short of an expensive lawsuit.
“Things happen, mistakes are made,” Jay Slack said. “The important thing is what you do about it.”
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