Fiber cement manufacturer experience...

[MikeT]

Greetings,

A historic property on the Reed College campus where I work might be resided with this fiber cement product  (I am trying to evaluate from a historic resource perspective if this is appropriate or not, but that is another issue) .  I was wondering if any of you are familiar with it and have any feedback.  If positive, I may look to using it on my house as well.

http://www.nichiha.com/

Thanks,
mt

[Okie_Bob]

A quick glance at the website leads me to believe this is very similar to Hardiboard siding panels.
I used them on my new house and garage and am completely satisfied in all respects.
When I installed my siding I used a regular skil saw with a carbide blade but, I saw a new scoring/breaker
device on This Old House the other night that looks great and I would definately buy one if I was planning on installing any additional Hardiboard.
When I bought my material (from Home Depot) it was slightly higher than wood. I suspect that it is actually cheaper now. I really like the fact that it is primed on all sides from the factory, it does not rot, insects leave it alone and termites don't touch it. It's fireproof and doesn't expand with temperature...at least not that I can tell in E Tx climate.
What more can I say, it's super and I highly recomend it.
Okie Bob

[hobbiest]

Ah yes, cementitous siding...the asbestos shingles of the future.  You will probably find if my make enough posts that I am a very opinionated person, IMO, if it wasn't available when the building was built, it doesn't belong on a historic restoration.  Yeah, opinions are like A##%%les, everyone has one, and they all stink.  The stuff does have nice qualities, I have just come to dislike it.

[MountainDon]

(I am trying to evaluate from a historic resource perspective if this is appropriate or not, but that is another issue)

I'm not familiar with whatever rules there must be for preserving historic buildings. There must be some; I check there to see if a look alike product is suitable.

Where do you draw the line? For example, IMHO, it's perfectly reasonable to substitute modern paints for milk or lead based paints. How about interior walls; is it okay to use drywall or how about using plaster over drywall in place of plaster over lath if the original was old fashioned real plaster?

I also believe that when dealing with public monies some responsible financial decisions have to be made as long as the overall effect is retained. The same thing should apply to private colleges as well... after all a great deal of that money comes from parents of students, present and past, as well as the students themselves. I am continually being asked to donate to this fund and that fund and when I contribute I'd like the funds used in the wisest fashion. Enough said; Just my opinion.  

[glenn-k]

also believe that when dealing with public monies some responsible financial decisions have to be made as long as the overall effect is retained. The same thing should apply to private colleges as well... after all a great deal of that money comes from parents of students, present and past, as well as the students themselves. I am continually being asked to donate to this fund and that fund and when I contribute I'd like the funds used in the wisest fashion. Enough said; Just my opinion.

I agree that public monies should be spent wisely but such is never the case and in fact it is illegal to spend it wisely with tons of paperwork and watchdog agencies to be sure that it iis not spent wisely.

The public money projects come under prevailing wage rules which does not mean just fair wages but actually it means union wages or more with the public money flowing like water.  Low bidders are not even allowed to bid as it is set up at minimum prices of union wage per hour.  Watch dogs make sure that you are fairly ripping the public off.

I guess I don't mind as long as I'm on the collecting end but the taxpayer end could use the help.

Open bidding to all could easily cut the cost of public construction in half.

[glenn-k]

Another point - the funds that constantly ask you to contribute to  their charity etc.  almost without exception never get over 20% of the money you give and some have it rigged to where cost of canvassing and collecting the money leaves nearly nothing.  This involves nearly all claiming to be from sheriffs associations and similar charities.

Also -- if you are ever asked to buy tickets to the policemen's ball, Don't do it .  It is an obvious ripoff.  In the old days it may have been legit, but my understanding is that nowadays policemen no longer have balls.

[jraabe]

You can use cement siding, it is hard working and takes paint well. It is, of course, a man made material with simulated wood grain, brick or what-have-you. If you trim it out with pre-primed composite material and paint it you can have a very clean and bland simulation of a historic building. Disney turns these buildings out by the boatload.

If, on the other hand, you want to extend the life and soul of a historic building, then you not only have to use the same materials cut to the same shapes as the original building had, but you should reclaim, recycle and reuse as much material as possible from this building and others of the same period that might be being torn down.

If you are really successful at this remodeling or restoration work nobody will notice! It will feel as historic and soulful as it did before you started. This test of invisibility is the true measure of success but is very hard on the egos of the architects, engineers and builders, who, after all, want something shiny and new to point to.

Doing this kind of unrewarded and unrecognized work is slightly zen and almost certainly unAmerican.  

[MountainDon]

Another point - the funds that constantly ask you to contribute ........   nearly nothing.  This involves nearly all claiming to be from sheriffs associations and similar charities.

You are right on the money!  One other fact is that once you do give to some fund or another that info will get around and you find yourself getting more and more calls from other charities as well. There are some good ones out there, the trick is to make a wise selection.

Quite a number of years ago we made the decision to turn down all telephone solicitations. The calls seemed to be a weekly occurance. What really got me was I began recognizing the voice of one particular caller who called for a whole variety of charities! I got rid of him for a while when I told him I didn't live there anymore.

Now don't get me wrong. We're not ogres (that would an ogre and an ogress, actually)  (relative of a troglodyte I think). We do give to charity, we've just become very selective. Our main support goes to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (pediatric cancer hospital)    http://www.stjude.org/    The last time I checked, over 75% of donations went to actual work, not administration. We donate there both personally and thru the preschool. St. Jude's has an annual Trike-A-Thon, which we turn into a Jog-A-Thon, and the kids do laps around the play ground for pledges they get from Mom, Dad, Uncles, Aunts, etc. The kids get a little indoctrination about helping others, receive a t-shirt or other rewards and we raise several thousand dollars for St. Jude's.

We also turn over our emergency food reserve once a year before Thanksgiving and give the still good, but nearing the use by date, stock of canned and dry goods to a local foodbank. Just an idea to toss out there.

[Sassy]

That's a good idea about giving the emergency food each year - we have a food drive every year at work.

Years ago I did telemarketing for approx a month - hated every minute of it.  We were raising funds for United Cerebal Palsy - anyway, only about 15-20% of the funds went to the charity.  

I'd be calling up these people, asking for money, knowing that most of it would not go where it was supposed to go - it especially bothered me when I was speaking to elderly people.  Back then, there weren't as many telemarketers & people were pretty nice & receptive - but I did lousy - I actually almost told them not to donate because it would be a waste of their money - I was not very persuasive  :-/ .  

Now how'd we go from fiber cement to this  :-?

[Amanda_931]

Reed College, that's how.  A couple of old friends and the poet Gary Snyder were drop-outs from there.

We are the royalty of thread drift.  

For better or worse.

Sometimes one, sometimes the other.

[PEG688]

We are the royalty of thread drift.  

For better or worse.

Sometimes one, sometimes the other.

You ladies better watch out the ole mean adminstrator man might get after ya , course he's as drifty as they come,  so you're  MTL good to go

[glenn kangiser]

OK PEG -- I talked to Sassy about it --- she said she checked it out and Mountain Don was the one who started the drift. :-/

I guess that's OK then.

[MikeT]

My first thread drift posting:

Gary Snyder '51 earned a degree in Anthropology from Reed College.  He did not drop out.  Other noted writers and poets from this time at Reed included Philip Whalen, Lew Welch, and Don Berry.  Of these, only Berry did not take his degree from Reed.

mt

[glenn kangiser]

Good Job, Mike.

As long as the answer is taken care of in the first part of the thread, we just as well use the rest for related continuing education.  

If there are more questions or answers related to the original question I'll bet we are capable of drifting back that way.  Seems we can steer these topics which ever direction we want to -- we are at least, pros at that.

[Amanda_931]

Hmm. I looked up a for sure Reed drop-out's email.  The subject had come up because he'd forwarded me this May Day bit by Snyder.  Part of longer poem.  This hit me hard because we may have lost a fair proportion of our forests to some serious freezing weather over Easter.  18 degrees F for a couple of nights after the trees had leafed out and in a lot of cases bloomed.  We need rain to plump up their roots.

MayDay of the Old Ways


Om Namo Maia!
Eldest sister of the Pleiades,
Mother of Hermes,
Maia Majesta,
Goddess of newborn fawns,
Lady of wildflowers,
Mistress of wildfire,
Mother of springs,
Protect our forest,
Be kind to our crops.