In addition to causing destruction, water damage also has an adverse affect to indoor air quality of your home.

Damage from water can cause wood rot, insect infestation and mold .

The obvious causes of water damage are leaking roofs, windows, doors, foundation cracks and visible plumbing leaks.

These are fairly easy to detect, enabling a quick repair before maximum damage occurs.

The not-so-obvious culprits are moisture behind finished basement walls that are insulated with fiberglass; poor grading around foundation walls and air leaks that occur between living space and attic.

Insulating finished basement walls with fiberglass is not a good idea.

Fiberglass will absorb water and not allow it to travel through wall, preventing a drying effect. Some people think installing a plastic barrier in wall is answer, but this approach only traps moisture.

A better way is to use rigid insulation (also known as blue board). This insulation is semi-permeable and allows moisture to travel through wall, allowing it to dry.

Water can also enter basement if grade of land is pitched toward house.

Grading soil away from house and adding rain gutters will guide rainwater away from house.

Openings from house to attic and poor ceiling insulation in houses located in colder climates can lead to ice dams that cause water to back up into house.

Air leakage from house to attic will carry moisture in form of humidity into attic that can form water on underside of roof leading to rotting and mold.

Typical leakage points between house and attic are:

Installing vinyl siding can be a very rewarding process that could dramatically change appearance of your home. For most part, if you plan your job well and adhere to some simple guide lines, anyone could learn how to install siding to there home.

The first thing to consider when installing vinyl siding is what tools will be needed for job. Basically with some common carpenter tools, like a, hammer, level, chalk line, screw driver set, tin snips and a good circular saw you can pretty much achieve what it is you need to do. But if you plan on making a profession out of it, expect to pay in thousands for a properly equipped truck.

After you have gathered your tools, you will need to collect your materials to prepare job. Below you will find a list of some fundamental items needed to start your siding project.

Sheathing/Backerboard

Vinyl siding should be applied over a sheathing that provides a smooth, flat surface. Since every district has different code requirements you may want to consult local building codes for sheathing requirements. Vinyl siding should never be applied directly to framing studs without sheathing. As an alternative to backer board, there is a variety of specific types of contoured foam under lays available for various styles of vinyl siding.

Weather Resistant Barrier

Vinyl siding should be installed over a continuous weather resistant barrier to stop intrusion of incidental water. Weather resistant barrier systems commonly consist of a combination of exterior cladding, flashed wall openings and penetrations, weather resistant barrier material, and sheathing. Commonly used is black carpentry felt. When using felt be sure to check thickness requirements.