
PAST SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS: THE 2001 and 2002 NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF INSPECTORS AND PROJECT MANAGERS. *THIS PRESTIGIOUS GROUP CONFERENCE COMBINED HOME INSPECTORS, CONSTRUCTION INSPECTORS, AND PROJECT MANAGERS WITH SEPARATE ITINERARIES.* *SIDING SOLUTIONS AND N.E.F.S.I. JOURNEYED SOUTH TO LAS VEGAS TO PARTICIPATE FOR OUR THIRD YEAR AND PUT ON PRESENTATIONS FOR TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS OF INSPECTORS.* THE TOPIC OF THE PRESENTATION WAS "WHAT THE INSPECTOR SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COMPOSITE SIDING" AFTER A NERVOUS BEGINNING THE SHOW WENT OFF all right. CONSIDERABLE INTEREST IN THE PROCESS OF INSPECTING COMPOSITE SIDING WAS EXPRESSED. THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF EXTERIOR FINISH SYSTEM INSPECTORS EXPRESSED THE NEED FOR MORE THIRD PARTY NON-BIASED CERTIFIED SIDING SPECIALISTS. Contact ACI E-mail aci@iami.org	HARDIE NOTES, continued from column 1, sec.2 Given the intricate, detailed installation instructions and warranty limitations tied to correct shipment, storage, handling, cutting , nailing, screwing, installing, caulking, priming, and painting, there appears to be a very high probability that the product warranty will be rendered useless during construction. (4) Has Weyerhaeuser James Hardie settled class action law suits for warped leaky rotten product? James Hardie products contain wood fibres which can absorb moisture and expand, leaking to warps, leaks, and rot. COLCO members want to know if Weyerhaeuser and James Hardie products have been involved in class action lawsuits. Go to www.4w.com/siding/index.htm and to www.seattletimes.com for “Why home sidings can’t take the damp” for more info. Signed Dr. James Balderson Copied to the world on http://www.myleakycondo.com Updated Sept 09, 2000	HELPFULL LINKS: KINSELLA NEWS SIDING SOLUTIONS MOLD NEFSI NEEDS HELP RECRUITING MORE MEMBERS PLEASE NOTIFY ANY INSPECTORS THAT YOU FEEL WOULD BENIFIT JOINING UP AND GETTING THE CERTIFICATION TRAINING THAT WILL INCREASE THIER CLIENT LOAD AND INCOME. WE ARE RECIEVING E-MAIL AND PHONE CALLS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY FOR INSPECTORS THAT CAN PROVIDE THE LEVEL OF COMPENTENCE IN A SIDING INSPECTION AS OUR MEMBER INSPECTORS CAN PROVIDE. *THERE JUST IS NOT ENOUGH OF US OUT THERE.* Home owners, realtors and home buyers must have this service for a fair understanding of the condition of thier siding. Direct any interested parties to the NEFSI site. http://www.nefsi.org
HARDIE NOTES Re: Weyerhaeuser & James Hardie Building Products Hardiplank, Hardipanel, Hardie shingle side, etc. Thank you for meeting with me and providing an excellent presentation with detailed information regarding James Hardie Building Products used in BC. Thousands of leaky rotten condos in British Columbia require approximately $1 billion in repairs due to premature building envelope failure. James Hardie products (Won't crack, rot, or delaminate”) are being utilized on some leaky rotten condo repairs and on new condo construction. COLCO members were therefore disturbed to find James Hardie products that were delaminating. (1) Does the 50 year warranty for plank lap siding, panel vertical siding, and panel shiplap siding apply in Canada? The warranty certificate indicates a limitation to “installation within the US and Puerto Rico.” (2) Does the third owner of a condo clad with James Hardie Shingleside products covered by a “30-Year Express Limited Transferable Product Warranty” actually have no James Hardie warranty? Given the way condos are built and sold in British Columbia, the third owner could actually be the first owner-occupant. (3) What is the warranty claims experience for Weyerhaeuser James Hardie Products? CONTINUED— COLUMN 2 top CURRENT STATUS OF THE L-P CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT: The settlement requires LP to contribute $275 million to the settlement fund. Approximately $273 million of that obligation had been satisfied at June 30, 2001 through cash payments on a discounted basis of approximately $263 million. LP's remaining mandatory contribution to the settlement fund, approximately $2 million, was due in June 2002. In addition to its mandatory contributions, as of March 31, 2001, LP had paid, on a discounted basis, approximately $97 million of its two $50 million optional contributions, at a cost to LP of approximately $66 million, and LP has committed to the court that it would make the balance of these two optional contributions when they became due in August 2001 and August 2002.LP was entitled to make its mandatory and optional contributions to the settlement fund on a discounted basis as a result of early payments pursuant to a court-approved early payment program (the "Early Payment Program"). During 2000, LP offered eligible claimants the opportunity to receive a pro rata share of the court-approved second settlement fund (the "Second Settlement Fund") in satisfaction of their claims. Pursuant to this offer, LP paid approximately $114 million from the Second Settlement Fund in satisfaction of approximately $319 million in claims. Most of the payments under the Second Settlement Fund were completed during 2000. Claimants who accepted payment from the Second Settlement Fund may not file additional claims under the settlement. Claimants who elected not to participate in the Second Settlement Fund remain bound by the terms of the original settlement. THE SECOND SETTLEMENT FUND IS CLOSED. At June 30, 2001, the estimated amount of approved but unpaid claims under the settlement agreement exceeded the sum of the then-current balance of the settlement fund and LP's remaining mandatory contributions to the settlement fund by approximately $108 million. Approximately 2,200 new claims were filed during the second quarter of 2001. Based upon the payments that LP has made and committed to make, the settlement will continue in effect until at least August 2003. Within 60 days after June 7, 2003, the Claims Administrator shall notify LP of the dollar value of all remaining unfunded and approved claims. LP shall then have 60 days to notify the Claims Administrator whether LP elects to fund all such remaining claims. If LP elects to fund those claims, then LP will pay by the end of the next 12-month period (2004) the greater of: (i) 50% of the aggregate sum of those claims (with the remaining 50% to be paid by 12 months thereafter in 2005); or (ii) 100% of the aggregate sum of those claims, up to a maximum of $50 million (with all remaining claims paid 12 months thereafter in 2005). continued in column 2 section 3	FIBER CEMENT SIDINGS FIBER CEMENT SIDING IS BEING MANUFACTURED BY MORE AND MORE MAJOR PLAYERS. Todays siding market offers a wider variety of fiber cement siding than ever before. Not only are there several patterns offered there is also several manufacturers with thier "improved" systems of manufacture. James Hardie Products"Hardi-plank" Maxtile "Maxiplank" Certainteed "Weatherboards" Cem-plank (G-P sole distr.) Temple-Inland continued from column 1 section 3 CURRENT STATUS OF THE L-P CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT If LP elects not to pay the unpaid claims pursuant to the settlement, the settlement will terminate with respect to such unpaid claims and all unpaid claimants will be free to pursue whatever remedies may be available from and after the date of LP's election. If LP makes all contributions to the original settlement fund required under the settlement agreement, including all additional optional contributions as specified above, class members will be deemed to have released LP from all claims for damaged OSB siding, except for claims arising under their existing 25-year limited warranty after termination of the settlement agreement. Source: LP SEC Form 10-Q, filed August 14, 2001 HOMEOWNER'S COMMENTS When the 1996 pact was reached, lawyers for both sides praised it as an example of how the legal system can redress economic harm to huge numbers of consumers whose individual losses are too small to make separate suits feasible. But today, many homeowners aren't happy. "It is almost a joke," says Janet Livingston. "We've just about written it off." She and her husband built a retirement home near Seattle about five years ago and sheathed it in Louisiana-Pacific siding. A neutral inspector, who reports to the court, determined that roughly 70% of their siding has turned bad and needs to be replaced. That would have entitled the couple to about $6,500 under the 1996 pact. L-P's recent offer was for about $2,300, Ms. Livingston says. Replacing the siding will cost at least $18,000, she figures. Ms. Livingston says she is inclined to accept the offer, but her husband wants to keep fighting. "Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my house is going to have this [mold and fungus] growing on it," she says. They are also angry with their own lawyers (class council), who are receiving $26 million in fees for representing the claimant class. A few plaintiffs have gone so far as to consult with a new round of lawyers about the possibility of suing the class-action attorneys for malpractice, according to David O'Doherty, a Lincoln, Neb., lawyer who runs the DEFECTIVE HARDBOARD SIDING INFORMATION CENTER, a Web site on building-product litigation. For a fee, Mr. O'Doherty has referred some homeowners to plaintiffs' attorneys. But the malpractice idea has been shelved, Mr. O'Doherty says, partly because plaintiffs couldn't find attorneys willing to finance such a suit. Another obstacle was that the settlement had been vetted and approved by a federal judge, in Portland, Ore., where L-P is based. Uncompensated homeowners, he says, are "giving up hope of receiving any money." The homeowners' lawyers (class council) say they were justified in giving L-P some flexibility in light of the company's financial problems back in the mid-1990s. L-P "could have easily ended up in bankruptcy, and nobody would have received anything," says Jonathan Selbin, a lawyer with Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, a San Francisco firm that helped negotiate the settlement.	NEWS RELEASE Editorial Contact: Hillary Hufford, Communications Manager Masonite Corporation Phone: 312/634-2860 Fax: 312/634-2785 E-mail: hillary.hufford@ipaper.com MASONITE ANNOUNCES INTENTION TO PHASE OUT HARDBOARD SIDING CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- MARCH 6, 2001 -- Masonite Corporation announced today its decision to phase out production of all hardboard siding products. This will result in the closure of the Ukiah, Calif. mill, and the shutdown of two siding production lines at the Laurel, Miss. mill. The other products manufactured at the Laurel mill will not be impacted. The company will phase out production of all siding products including Colorlok®, Woodsman® Lap & Panel, SuperSide®, and HiddenRidge® siding, and Modulux® industrial board. Other Masonite industrial fiberboard products will continue to be available from the company's Lisbon Falls, Maine, mill. Both manufacturing locations expect to operate the affected production lines for the next 60 to 90 days to fulfill outstanding orders and facilitate a smooth market transition for customers. Although Masonite is phasing out production of hardboard siding products, International Paper will continue to make these products available to qualified claimants for repair and replacement purposes under the terms of a 1998 legal settlement. "This was a very difficult decision to make," said Jim Morrison, General Manager, Masonite Building and Industrial Products. "We will be working very closely with employees and their families during the transition to assist them in pursuing other employment opportunities." Masonite will be providing severance, job placement and counseling assistance to a total of 620 affected employees throughout the Masonite organization. Masonite has manufactured hardboard siding since the mid-1950s. Over the past five years, the hardboard siding market has declined significantly. "The continued decline of this market segment will not support continued production of this product," said Morrison. Masonite Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, Ill., designs and manufactures wood composite materials for residential and commercial construction and industrial applications. L-P smart Lap: Introduced in September 1997 This siding still has the L-P signature knot. The back has distinctive screen pattern texture. An improved product with better adhesives, binders and an Borite based fungicide. Fungus has infested the studs and wall cavity. This structure had L-P Innerseal on it. It is very important that the building paper or wrap be removed for a re-side job. One never knows without looking what is growing on the sheathing. Most problems we have found is benieth windows at the king stud assembly as seen in the photo on the left. Some home owners scrape off the mushrooms and paint over the place they grew hoping to twart the fungus or the buyer? Accurate assessment of any possible fungal infestation is paramount while inspecting composite sidings.

PAST SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:

THE 2001 and 2002 NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF INSPECTORS AND PROJECT MANAGERS.

THIS PRESTIGIOUS GROUP CONFERENCE COMBINED HOME INSPECTORS, CONSTRUCTION INSPECTORS, AND PROJECT MANAGERS WITH SEPARATE ITINERARIES.

SIDING SOLUTIONS AND N.E.F.S.I. JOURNEYED SOUTH TO LAS VEGAS TO PARTICIPATE FOR OUR THIRD YEAR AND PUT ON PRESENTATIONS FOR TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS OF INSPECTORS.

THE TOPIC OF THE PRESENTATION WAS "WHAT THE INSPECTOR SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COMPOSITE SIDING"

AFTER A NERVOUS BEGINNING THE SHOW WENT OFF all right. CONSIDERABLE INTEREST IN THE PROCESS OF INSPECTING COMPOSITE SIDING WAS EXPRESSED.

THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF EXTERIOR FINISH SYSTEM INSPECTORS EXPRESSED THE NEED FOR MORE THIRD PARTY NON-BIASED CERTIFIED SIDING SPECIALISTS.

Contact ACI E-mail aci@iami.org

HARDIE NOTES, continued from column 1, sec.2

Given the intricate, detailed installation instructions and warranty limitations tied to correct shipment, storage, handling, cutting , nailing, screwing, installing, caulking, priming, and painting, there appears to be a very high probability that the product warranty will be rendered useless during construction. (4) Has Weyerhaeuser James Hardie settled class action law suits for warped leaky rotten product? James Hardie products contain wood fibres which can absorb moisture and expand, leaking to warps, leaks, and rot.

COLCO members want to know if Weyerhaeuser and James Hardie products have been involved in class action lawsuits. Go to www.4w.com/siding/index.htm and to www.seattletimes.com for “Why home sidings can’t take the damp” for more info.

Signed Dr. James Balderson Copied to the world on http://www.myleakycondo.com Updated Sept 09, 2000

HELPFULL LINKS:

KINSELLA NEWS

SIDING SOLUTIONS

MOLD

NEFSI NEEDS HELP RECRUITING MORE MEMBERS

PLEASE NOTIFY ANY INSPECTORS THAT YOU FEEL WOULD BENIFIT JOINING UP AND GETTING THE CERTIFICATION TRAINING THAT WILL INCREASE THIER CLIENT LOAD AND INCOME.

WE ARE RECIEVING E-MAIL AND PHONE CALLS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY FOR INSPECTORS THAT CAN PROVIDE THE LEVEL OF COMPENTENCE IN A SIDING INSPECTION AS OUR MEMBER INSPECTORS CAN PROVIDE.

THERE JUST IS NOT ENOUGH OF US OUT THERE. Home owners, realtors and home buyers must have this service for a fair understanding of the condition of thier siding.

Direct any interested parties to the NEFSI site. http://www.nefsi.org

HARDIE NOTES

Re: Weyerhaeuser & James Hardie Building Products Hardiplank, Hardipanel, Hardie shingle side, etc.

Thank you for meeting with me and providing an excellent presentation with detailed information regarding James Hardie Building Products used in BC. Thousands of leaky rotten condos in British Columbia require approximately $1 billion in repairs due to premature building envelope failure. James Hardie products (Won't crack, rot, or delaminate”) are being utilized on some leaky rotten condo repairs and on new condo construction. COLCO members were therefore disturbed to find James Hardie products that were delaminating. (1) Does the 50 year warranty for plank lap siding, panel vertical siding, and panel shiplap siding apply in Canada? The warranty certificate indicates a limitation to “installation within the US and Puerto Rico.” (2) Does the third owner of a condo clad with James Hardie Shingleside products covered by a “30-Year Express Limited Transferable Product Warranty” actually have no James Hardie warranty? Given the way condos are built and sold in British Columbia, the third owner could actually be the first owner-occupant. (3) What is the warranty claims experience for Weyerhaeuser James Hardie Products?

CONTINUED— COLUMN 2 top

CURRENT STATUS OF THE
L-P CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT: The settlement requires LP to contribute $275 million to the settlement fund. Approximately $273 million of that obligation had been satisfied at June 30, 2001 through cash payments on a discounted basis of approximately $263 million. LP's remaining mandatory contribution to the settlement fund, approximately $2 million, was due in June 2002. In addition to its mandatory contributions, as of March 31, 2001, LP had paid, on a discounted basis, approximately $97 million of its two $50 million optional contributions, at a cost to LP of approximately $66 million, and LP has committed to the court that it would make the balance of these two optional contributions when they became due in August 2001 and August 2002.LP was entitled to make its mandatory and optional contributions to the settlement fund on a discounted basis as a result of early payments pursuant to a court-approved early payment program (the "Early Payment Program"). During 2000, LP offered eligible claimants the opportunity to receive a pro rata share of the court-approved second settlement fund (the "Second Settlement Fund") in satisfaction of their claims. Pursuant to this offer, LP paid approximately $114 million from the Second Settlement Fund in satisfaction of approximately $319 million in claims. Most of the payments under the Second Settlement Fund were completed during 2000. Claimants who accepted payment from the Second Settlement Fund may not file additional claims under the settlement. Claimants who elected not to participate in the Second Settlement Fund remain bound by the terms of the original settlement. THE SECOND SETTLEMENT FUND IS CLOSED. At June 30, 2001, the estimated amount of approved but unpaid claims under the settlement agreement exceeded the sum of the then-current balance of the settlement fund and LP's remaining mandatory contributions to the settlement fund by approximately $108 million. Approximately 2,200 new claims were filed during the second quarter of 2001. Based upon the payments that LP has made and committed to make, the settlement will continue in effect until at least August 2003. Within 60 days after June 7, 2003, the Claims Administrator shall notify LP of the dollar value of all remaining unfunded and approved claims. LP shall then have 60 days to notify the Claims Administrator whether LP elects to fund all such remaining claims. If LP elects to fund those claims, then LP will pay by the end of the next 12-month period (2004) the greater of: (i) 50% of the aggregate sum of those claims (with the remaining 50% to be paid by 12 months thereafter in 2005); or (ii) 100% of the aggregate sum of those claims, up to a maximum of $50 million (with all remaining claims paid 12 months thereafter in 2005).

continued in column 2 section 3

FIBER CEMENT SIDINGS
FIBER CEMENT SIDING IS BEING MANUFACTURED BY MORE AND MORE
MAJOR PLAYERS.

Todays siding market offers a wider variety of fiber cement siding than ever before. Not only are there several patterns offered there is also several manufacturers with thier "improved" systems of manufacture.

James Hardie Products"Hardi-plank"
Maxtile "Maxiplank"
Certainteed "Weatherboards"
Cem-plank (G-P sole distr.)
Temple-Inland

continued from column 1 section 3

CURRENT STATUS OF THE L-P CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT

If LP elects not to pay the unpaid claims pursuant to the settlement, the settlement will terminate with respect to such unpaid claims and all unpaid claimants will be free to pursue whatever remedies may be available from and after the date of LP's election. If LP makes all contributions to the original settlement fund required under the settlement agreement, including all additional optional contributions as specified above, class members will be deemed to have released LP from all claims for damaged OSB siding, except for claims arising under their existing 25-year limited warranty after termination of the settlement agreement. Source: LP SEC Form 10-Q, filed August 14, 2001 HOMEOWNER'S COMMENTS When the 1996 pact was reached, lawyers for both sides praised it as an example of how the legal system can redress economic harm to huge numbers of consumers whose individual losses are too small to make separate suits feasible. But today, many homeowners aren't happy. "It is almost a joke," says Janet Livingston. "We've just about written it off." She and her husband built a retirement home near Seattle about five years ago and sheathed it in Louisiana-Pacific siding. A neutral inspector, who reports to the court, determined that roughly 70% of their siding has turned bad and needs to be replaced. That would have entitled the couple to about $6,500 under the 1996 pact. L-P's recent offer was for about $2,300, Ms. Livingston says. Replacing the siding will cost at least $18,000, she figures. Ms. Livingston says she is inclined to accept the offer, but her husband wants to keep fighting. "Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my house is going to have this [mold and fungus] growing on it," she says. They are also angry with their own lawyers (class council), who are receiving $26 million in fees for representing the claimant class. A few plaintiffs have gone so far as to consult with a new round of lawyers about the possibility of suing the class-action attorneys for malpractice, according to David O'Doherty, a Lincoln, Neb., lawyer who runs the DEFECTIVE HARDBOARD SIDING INFORMATION CENTER, a Web site on building-product litigation. For a fee, Mr. O'Doherty has referred some homeowners to plaintiffs' attorneys. But the malpractice idea has been shelved, Mr. O'Doherty says, partly because plaintiffs couldn't find attorneys willing to finance such a suit. Another obstacle was that the settlement had been vetted and approved by a federal judge, in Portland, Ore., where L-P is based. Uncompensated homeowners, he says, are "giving up hope of receiving any money." The homeowners' lawyers (class council) say they were justified in giving L-P some flexibility in light of the company's financial problems back in the mid-1990s. L-P "could have easily ended up in bankruptcy, and nobody would have received anything," says Jonathan Selbin, a lawyer with Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, a San Francisco firm that helped negotiate the settlement.

NEWS RELEASE Editorial Contact: Hillary Hufford, Communications Manager Masonite Corporation Phone: 312/634-2860 Fax: 312/634-2785 E-mail: hillary.hufford@ipaper.com MASONITE ANNOUNCES INTENTION TO PHASE OUT HARDBOARD SIDING CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- MARCH 6, 2001 -- Masonite Corporation announced today its decision to phase out production of all hardboard siding products. This will result in the closure of the Ukiah, Calif. mill, and the shutdown of two siding production lines at the Laurel, Miss. mill. The other products manufactured at the Laurel mill will not be impacted. The company will phase out production of all siding products including Colorlok®, Woodsman® Lap & Panel, SuperSide®, and HiddenRidge® siding, and Modulux® industrial board. Other Masonite industrial fiberboard products will continue to be available from the company's Lisbon Falls, Maine, mill. Both manufacturing locations expect to operate the affected production lines for the next 60 to 90 days to fulfill outstanding orders and facilitate a smooth market transition for customers. Although Masonite is phasing out production of hardboard siding products, International Paper will continue to make these products available to qualified claimants for repair and replacement purposes under the terms of a 1998 legal settlement. "This was a very difficult decision to make," said Jim Morrison, General Manager, Masonite Building and Industrial Products. "We will be working very closely with employees and their families during the transition to assist them in pursuing other employment opportunities." Masonite will be providing severance, job placement and counseling assistance to a total of 620 affected employees throughout the Masonite organization. Masonite has manufactured hardboard siding since the mid-1950s. Over the past five years, the hardboard siding market has declined significantly. "The continued decline of this market segment will not support continued production of this product," said Morrison. Masonite Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, Ill., designs and manufactures wood composite materials for residential and commercial construction and industrial applications.

L-P smart Lap: Introduced in September 1997

This siding still has the L-P signature knot. The back has distinctive screen pattern texture.

An improved product with better adhesives, binders and an Borite based fungicide.

Fungus has infested the studs and wall cavity. This structure had L-P Innerseal on it.

It is very important that the building paper or wrap be removed for a re-side job. One never knows without looking what is growing on the sheathing.

Most problems we have found is benieth windows at the king stud assembly as seen in the photo on the left.

Some home owners scrape off the mushrooms and paint over the place they grew hoping to twart the fungus or the buyer?

Accurate assessment of any possible fungal infestation is paramount while inspecting composite sidings.