Recently Oregon Building Codes Division made yet another revision for  siding installers.  Code R703.1 and R703.2 now state that their must be a 1/8 inch minimum gap between siding and  the moisture barrier so rain can drain out. Heres the CRAZY part - does it rain LESS in southern washington?  What about the hundreds of thousands of homes done over all the years that don’t have this gap?  What happens to them?  Doesn’t it rain on those homes too?  Heres something even more ridiculous - oregon state building code for “panel” siding, commonly called T1-11,  has never even required ANY moisture barrier between the siding and the studs.   Since we specialize in siding with almost 2 decades experience, Superior Siding Solutions installs a moisture barrier when we replace panel siding because it ads another level of moisture protection for the studs even though it has never been code. So has oregon state building codes division never thought your studs should be protected?  Endless homes in the portland metro area and southern washington have T1-11 panel siding, often on 3 sides of the home, with NO moisture barrier protecting the studs. So heres how this new “rain screen” idea affects you. If you live in oregon, need a siding contractor and  are buying Hardie Plank, Weatherboards or cedar, this new code states their must be a rain screen gap and that will raise your cost simply because there is considerably more labor and more materials. The word rain screen definitely makes any homeowner “feel’ good and protected but it will raise other potential problems. For instance, most people don’t know that Hardie Plank is breakable especially if their is a spacial cavity behind it.  Also, most sidings will  likely look MORE wavy on the walls.  These are only a few potential problems. Building codes division doesn’t care how your siding looks. They need to scramble for more money for the state in the form of fines and this is pure evil genius.   Siding contractors in the northwest are frantically working on carrying different product options but we’ll see what becomes available.   By the way, shouldn’t siding contractors fix the siding problem so that rain DOESN’T get in?  And if wind driven rain did get thru, it would only be a very very minor amount isolated in a very small area.  I’m sure the pencil pushing bureaucrats who came up with this idea have never installed ANY siding and are not seeing the practical downside in final looks. Did they even think this thru?  Think about it. Why are they doing this now?  Why during a horrendous economy where everybody is struggling? I’m glad you asked. So the state  can give very hefty fines to siding contractors AND homeowners since they are desperate for revenue in this economy too. Bottom line - its going to cost the homeowners and siding installers more. One tiny bit of good news though. Although vinyl siding  was more popular years ago than it is now, it’s excluded from this because there is already a gap since it is never nailed tight so that it can contract and expand.  Vinyl siding also has tiny weep holes every few feet in the bottom of each panel for potential water drainage when hosing off.  BUYER BEWARE: most contractors will NOT know about this new code so they will naturally be giving you a much cheaper enticing cost but will cost you MORE in the form of state regulated fines. I dont like this state run scam called “rain screen”  because of the obvious  cost to homeowners AND the potential damage to allowing more water to run down your subwall and giving homeowners a false security with a pretty name like rain screen.  Don’t let rain get in and you wont have any of these problems, costs or fines.  I must say though that I also don’t like giving into my  wife but I know I need to and therefore I do, but only when the powers that be demand it. And ‘big brother” is now demanding it because they are also hurting for money and want yours. Please go to  http://superiorsidingsolutions.com/ for more info and pictures. thanks for listening.