NOAA's listing for Grand Forks Air Force Base
NOAA's engineering weather data includes a station named Grand Forks Air Force Base, about 15 miles west of Grand Forks. For it, NOAA lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.0 inches per hour and about 58 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year.
The four classes of North Dakota contractor license
North Dakota issues class A, B, C and D contractor licenses: class A has no limit on the value of a single contract project, while classes B, C and D are limited to projects of $500,000, $300,000 and $100,000.
Roof, windows or siding: which goes first
The siding on your Grand Forks house meets the roof at the eaves and rakes, and it wraps around every window and door. If new windows or a new roof are on your list for the next few years too, the order of the jobs is worth settling now. Window flashing and the water-resistive barrier behind siding are meant to lap over one another, and replacing windows after the siding is up can mean cutting into new work.
Ask each siding company how they would sequence the jobs if you plan to do more than one, whether they can coordinate with a window installer or roofer, and who is responsible for the joints where one trade's work meets another's.
Exposure, direction and the look of the walls
Lap siding can be ordered with different exposures, meaning how much of each board shows. A narrow exposure gives a wall more lines; a wide one gives fewer. Vertical board-and-batten, shingle-style panels and lap siding can also be mixed, with one style on the gables and another on the main walls.
Ask each bidder for a photo of a house where they installed the exposure and profile you are considering, and ask what changing the style on a gable does to the trim and the price. If you are matching an addition to the main house, ask how closely the new exposure can follow the old.
What is mounted on the wall
A siding wall can carry a lot of hardware: house numbers, a mailbox, shutters, porch lights, a doorbell, a hose reel, a satellite dish or antenna bracket, an awning, a flag holder, a dryer vent hood, a meter and its wiring. Walk each wall and list them.
Then ask each bidder, item by item, who takes it down, where it is stored during the job, and who puts it back. Ask whether mounting blocks are in the price for lights, faucets and vents, and whether any item will be replaced instead of reinstalled. Ask, too, how the crew plans to work around the electric meter and anything else connected to the utility.
The garage and the outbuildings
A detached garage, shed or other building on the lot may have the same siding as the house. Decide before the bids whether those buildings are in the job. Ask each bidder to price them as separate lines, so you can see the cost of including them now against matching them later, when the color or profile may no longer be sold.
Factory finish or paint on site
Some siding comes from the maker already painted, and some is primed and painted after installation. Ask each bidder which finish the product they propose carries, what its warranty says about fading or peeling, and whether touch-up paint for cut ends and nail heads comes with the job. If the product will be painted on site, ask which coating is in the price, how many coats are planned, and what conditions the paint label allows for application.
Ladders near the lot line
A wall that sits close to a property line, a fence or a neighbor's driveway can be awkward to reach. Staging and ladders may need to stand on the neighbor's side. Ask each bidder how they plan to reach every wall, whether they will need a neighbor's permission, and how they will protect the fence, plantings and anything else along that strip. Talk to your neighbor before the job starts.
What the signed contract names
Ask that the contract you sign name, in writing:
- the product's maker, line, profile, exposure and color;
- the water-resistive barrier and the flashing at windows, doors and roof edges;
- every piece of trim in the job, including corners, soffit, fascia and window casings;
- how damaged sheathing found under the old siding will be priced, and that you will be shown it before it is covered;
- the removal and disposal of the old siding, and daily cleanup of nails and scraps;
- the start date, an estimated finish date and the payment schedule.
Questions for each siding company
- Does this job's value call for a North Dakota contractor license, and if so, which class do you hold and what is the number?
- Which city permits does the job need, who applies for them, and will an inspector visit?
- Can you provide proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation? Your insurer can help you read the certificate.
- Will your own employees install the siding, or a subcontractor, and who is the lead on site each day?
- What written warranty covers your workmanship, and how does it sit alongside the product maker's warranty?
The day the crew leaves
Walk every wall with the lead installer before the last payment. Look for loose pieces, gaps at trim, missing caulk and dents. Check that everything taken off the walls is back in place and working. Ask for leftover pieces of siding and trim, the product labels and the warranty paperwork, and store them together somewhere dry.