Lumber and Siding - Partial replacement of T-111?

The back wall of my garage has T-111 siding. When the house was built (25 yrs ago), it seems the drywall contractor stuffed scrap drywall behind the garage drywall and the siding. Too lazy to haul, I guess. The siding is now bowed out and may well be an entry point for wood rats. (Cute little critters, but I don' want them to spend the winter in my house.)

My thought is to cut out the lower 2 feet or so, remove the drywall and assorted other junk, and replace with new siding. Some questions:

What to do with the horizontal seam?
Does anyone sell small quantities of moisture barrier, assuming the existing tar paper won't be salvaged?
Alternative solutions?


Thanks.

George

Welcome to the forums! Wouldn't it be easier to remove the interior wall covering (sheetrock) and remove the trash and replace/repair the wall that way? To answer your question, horizontal joints of T1-11 must be z-barred. Install z-bar flashing under the top piece and then install the lower piece. that way any water that enters the crack can't go down and ruin the rest of it.

Thanks for the very quick reply. And the advice.

Turns out the outside is substantially easier to get to than the inside. My guess is it'll be easier in the long run, with less disruption of routine, working from the back. But not necessarily cheaper. Plus, I'm quite comfortable tackling the job while the weather holds.

George

Glad yours is holding, ours sucks. The best way to do it would be to snap a perfectly level line across the back or side and set your circular saw to 5/8" depth and run it along the line. This will allow you to remove the bottom and do your thing. Placing the zbar under the top and reinstalling the bottom and you're done.

Thanks. I doubt myability to follow a horizontal line on vertical plane. My plan is to affix a level guide below the cut.

G

That would be easier, why didn't I think of that??!!

'Cuz you're a pro. You know what you're doing.

I'm an unranked amateur - I go for the aids every time.

g

Oh no......my motto is "levers and fulcrums". Work smart, not hard.