We have sent several notices over the years that when the Association removed all wood siding, trim and soffit and replaced it with masonry Hardie product, that no owner and no owner’s contractor performing work on their home may allow or permit any penetration of the surface of their home to be performed without the express permission of the Association – and that permission must be in writing. Since 2011, the only approved siding penetrations have been performed by the Association itself and by the contractors hired by the Association operating under the direction of the Association following the specific manufacturer instructions published by James Hardie Corp to prevent voiding the siding warranty.
Since the Association owns the exteriors of all buildings, any work that an Owner contracts that may involve penetration of the building, whether Hardie siding, brick or rock, must be approved by the Association in advance in writing. This is for the individual owner’s protection as well as the community at large, as Hardie siding repairs due to damage are costly. The Hardie masonry siding material installed by the Association bears a 30 year warranty that remains in force for another decade and half, provided no one permits anyone to drill or nail into their siding. James Hardie Corp states that any nailing, drilling or improper caulking performed by a contractor not certified to install their product will void their 30 year warranty.
PLEASE NOTE: Drilling new holes that were not part of the original installation makes the individual owner responsible for siding replacement on their home, not the Association, should the siding fail due to water intrusion, stress fracture, improper caulking or other cause related to unauthorized work on the surface.
It is therefore critical that you clearly communicate with anyone that you authorize to perform work that may involve the exterior of your home, including any contractor that may be installing or updating a utility in your home, they may only access the interior of your home and run lines to your home through the EXISTING portal that was attached to you home at the time the siding was installed. If you discover that a subsequent unauthorized installation has occurred, then you should discuss how to repair and properly relocate those lines to help prevent your being liable for more costly repairs from future damage due to any existing, unauthorized siding penetration.
Kinetic, Spectrum and Google appear to be in overdrive contacting people to run fiber into their homes since they have replaced hubs and run new lines through the grounds in the community. The community is required to grant easement access for their underground lines, but there is no such requirement that they must be able to drill new holes into the surface of any home into the community. Please make them aware, they do not have such permission and must use only the original cable and phone portals that were attached when the original contractor built the structures.
If you see a contractor getting ready to drill into a neighbor’s home, please ask them to stop and assure that the neighbor has properly communicated this warranty issue as a courtesy to prevent them from future exposure to a costly repair.
Thanks to all for your help protecting our mutual investment in the exteriors of our buildings.