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How Much Does HardieWrap Weather Barrier Cost and Is It Worth It?

Published on: May 18, 2022

James Hardie offers many outstanding products that aid in making your home or building more energy efficient. One such product is HardieWrap Weather Barrier. In your search to find the most energy-efficient, yet beautiful, products for your home you might be wondering how much does HardieWrap Weather Barrier cost and is the expense really worth it?

As you learn more about how HardieWrap helps insulate your home, you’ll likely begin your search for an outstanding siding contractor who is a preferred vendor for James Hardie. We’ll explain what HardieWrap is and why it is worth every penny when you weigh the pros and cons of paying more for it than you would other house wraps.

HardieWrap
HardieWrap Weather Barrier

What is House Wrap?

Before you can understand the benefits of a specific house wrap and weigh the cost of a specific manufacturer, you need to understand the role house wrap plays in protecting your home.

House wrap offers a protective barrier around your home’s infrastructure. It is not very thick, but it is quite impactful in blanketing your home to keep energy costs down and avoid moisture from infiltration your home.

One of the most important roles that house wraps play is in protecting the elements of your walls from moisture while keeping treated air (either heated or cooled) inside your house no matter the outside temperature.

When you have new siding installed, you should replace your house wrap to ensure that this protective barrier is as strong and modern as possible. This will help you get the most out of your new siding. Plus, with time your house wrap will wear down and deteriorate, decreasing its energy efficiency and ability to prevent moisture in your home. 

After replacing your home’s old, worn-out house wrap, you’ll likely see a significant reduction in your energy bills if you hire the best contractor who installs your new house wrap and siding correctly. And if you had drafty areas in your home, the best house wrap, siding and insulated replacement windows can eliminate those drafts no matter how old your home is. 

Depending on the age of your home and its siding, you might have minimal protection because contractors did not begin routinely using house wrap until the late 70s or early 80s. Check the age of your home and when the last replacement for the siding took place to better understand how impactful a siding replacement project might be for your home.

What Is HardieWrap Weather Barrier?

James Hardie is a leading manufacturer of fiber cement siding, which you can use on homes or commercial buildings. Engineers created the siding for any climate. 

HardieWrap complements the fiber cement siding in protecting the building. The house wrap is far and above other standard house wraps when it comes to its strength and the protection it offers the building. It is 11 mills thick, which is a little more than 1/64th of an inch. 

House wrap offers a weather barrier that goes underneath all types of siding on a home. HardieWrap is incredibly durable. It is breathable and non-perforated. The house wrap is made with reflective safe-glare foil.

This element of your siding project helps provide the following protection aspects for your home.

  • Water resistance to prevent water intrusion into your home’s walls
  • Water vapor permeability to release moisture vapors from inside so the walls can dry out

Allow the Professionals to Do It

How Much Does HardieWrap Weather Barrier Cost?

HardieWrap Weather Barrier is not the cheapest house wrap on the market. For a 30-meter roll, you can expect to pay $243.50. In contrast, that same size house wrap from Tyvek would likely cost about $150. 

But when you think about the cost of your house wrap over the lifetime of your siding and how it can extend the life of your home while avoiding major headaches, the expense difference is much less. 

While there is a significant cost difference per roll of house wrap, the total expense to cover your home will only be a few hundred dollars more. Throughout the 20-40-year life expectancy of your home’s siding, those few hundred dollars are insignificant. 

What Are the Benefits of HardieWrap Weather Barrier?

HardieWrap Weather Barrier offers many outstanding benefits for your home. Here’s a look at a few of those James Hardie benefits to guide you in selecting the best house wrap in conjunction with your siding contractor.

1. Water Resistance

The polyolefin barrier prevents the elements from getting into your home. And when you use the house wrap in conjunction with other James Hardie materials, such as the pro-flashing, the house wrap and flashing provide tight seals around elements like windows and doors.

Siding manufacturers strive to ensure moisture doesn’t make it past your siding. But extreme weather conditions, such as driving rain, present unique challenges for even the highest quality siding. That’s why you want a strong protective barrier beneath your siding.

HardieWrap
HardieWrap Weather Barrier

2. Expels Indoor Moisture

Many homeowners are not aware that their home experiences some condensation. Scientifically, it’s just what happens when indoor temperatures are drastically different from outdoor temperatures. The proper house wrap helps allow that moisture to escape instead of building up within your walls and creating mold and mildew. 

3. Thermal Transfer Reduction

The way James Hardie Weather Barrier protects your home’s energy efficiency is by preventing unwanted heat loss and keeping your cool air in. Proper installation makes a big difference though, so make sure you select a James Hardie partner contractor who knows what they are doing.

When you replace your siding, you should experience a more comfortable indoor temperature while reducing how often your heating and air conditioning run.

4. Mildew Growth Prevention

HardieWrap helps prevent mildew growth first by preventing moisture from getting into your home and allowing vapors out so that condensation doesn’t build up. But it also features a MicroTech Coating that creates an unfavorable environment for mildew. 

5. Designed for Your Climate

HardieWrap comes in two versions: HZ5 and HZ10. The versions are for different climates and offer unique protection based on the weather elements that the climate experiences.

HZ5 is for cold and wet climates and is what 2FL Windows, Siding and Roofing uses for Seattle-area homes and commercial buildings. The product is 25-perm to provide superior water resistance while allowing water vapor to escape.

HZ10 is for hot and humid climates, generally in the southern part of the US. This is a 15-perm product known for keeping humid air away from your home. It still allows the water vapors to leave your home though.

6. Cost Savings

Although you’re investing in the front end of installing your home’s house wrap when you choose HardieWrap, you’ll likely see ample cost savings in energy bills to offset the cost of replacing your home’s wrap. Not only will you experience outstanding savings from energy expenses, but you’ll get whole-house protection that avoids moisture breaking down your walls. And by protecting your home correctly, you might extend the life of your siding too. 

2FL Windows, Siding and Roofing partners with James Hardie to provide superior home protection. When you bring together the outstanding installation work from the 2FL team with the quality engineering and manufacturing from James Hardie, you have a winning combination that protects your home for decades.

Schedule your free consultation and estimate now for more information about James Hardie products. 

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