A way to start vinyl siding when the home is not level or if the siding has different heights and you want to make it look one height and level  

  I go to home depot or the local lumber yard and buy the cheapest ½’’ plywood they have available and in this state of NJ it is called aspenite. Before I install the starter strip or the foam backer I level the home. I have a laser level transit but years ago I used an old timers level my dad showed me how and it is great.

Go and buy a 50’ ½ hose tube it is a clear hose line you will find it in the hardware area of the store like Home Depot and 2 small corks that fit inside the line. So if the the outside OSD of the line measures ½ ‘’ the inside ISD will measure 3/8 so that will be the size of the corks.

You need to put water in the tube so what you will do is take the 2 ends of the line and put it together side by side and fill the tube up with water leave about 2’ with no water on each end of the tube and make sure there are no air pockets in the line it can be hard just put your thomb on the end of the line and move the hose around till the air bubbles come out . When filled go to the low end of the home and measure up 24’’ and make a mark. Oh forgot before you put the line down or move it around put the corks in or the water will come out.

After you make the mark have your partner with the other end of the line and a pencil with him or her and move down the wall about 40’ or less and it is ok for the line to sit on the ground. Take the corks out but make sure the ends of the line are the same height as the other or the water will come out on the lower end so be careful. Have your partner move the line up or down as you watch the water go to your mark on the wall you made or go down. Make sure you have the line against the wall when he or she move it, you have to tell them up or down for you to get the water to get even with your mark on the wall. When you get it right on your mark you tell your partner to stop and take his pencil and mark where ever his water has stopped in the line and mark the wall. Then put your thombs on the end of the line and move down the wall or you can even go around the corner and it will still work. But make sure you make your marks on each side of the corners of the home so you can get measurements and use a chaulk line to snap your lines.

To make sure you have to low end of the home put a 4’ or 6’ level on the siding to find out how the home is laying.

Then let the water out of the line or cork it off for your next job. This works inside a home for leveling floors or cabinets. See you can be 40’ away or 2’ away from each other and leave the line sit on the floor or ground in a mess all coiled up it does not matter just make sure the 2 ends stay at about the same height or the water will come out the low end of the line.

See water will find its own level you can be in a different room or around a corner and the water will find its own level it is great. So if you need a fast way to level something use a line water level it is perfect.

So lets get back to lay out, go to the highest part of the home now and measure from the bottom of the home to your mark you made. If the difference is over 6’’ then you will have to cut the plywood or aspenite accordenly. So if the difference is 8’’ then you will rip the plywood at 8’’ . Most of the time the homes are only about 2 to 4’’ different depending on the lenghth of the home. So what I like to do is rip the plywood at 5 7/8 x 8’ The reason for 7/8 and not at 6’’ even so you will get even cuts and no scraps out of the 4’ side of the plywood. See you will get 8 even pieces 5 7/8 x 8’ see its 6’’- the saw blade is 1/8 thick.

So then you will go to your marks on the walls at the corners or where ever you made the marks on the walls and measure down 18 1/8.  See you started at the low end of the home and made a mark 24’’ from the bottom up so at the mark you will measure down 18 1/8   (24’’– 5 7/8 = 18 1/8) do that on all your marks and then take a chaulk line and snap your lines all around the home in each corner to corner inside or outside corners so you have a line all around your home. On your first chaulk line mark take a level 4’ 6’ what ever and check to make sure it is level. I’m it will be if you listen to me and my instruction.  

Then take a hand full of 8 penny common framing nails or a nail gun and place the plywood or aspenite that you ripped with a table saw or regular saw be careful you stay with the line when you use a power hand held saw and start installing the strips. The top of the plywood with your line. Now you have something solid to nail your starter strip on and you don’t have to worry about over nailing the strip on foam and putting a kink in the starter strip. Now you have something solid to set you backer foam on and nail away. Man I should patten this technic it is so easy and it is my idea I have been doing for years.

When you install your corners or j Channel on the home make sure you add an inch below the plywood and when you install the starter strip let it hang down about a ¼ inch so it is easy to snap on the 1^st piece of siding. This technic will work great and save a lot of time. If the home is out of level make sure you remember the difference because so you can snap the last piece all the way up top of the home even just start to lift the siding a little to make up the difference so you will have a straight cut. It will not hurt the siding if you lift it, as it is snapped in to lift it about a ¼ inch no more than that and if you do that to every piece by the time you get half up the wall and you take a measurment from the top of the nail strip to the soft or facia of the home the measurement should be the same just keep checking it as you go up its easy. It will make the job look beautiful. Oh Nail one end then go to the other that is down a little or a lot and press up then nail it. Then go to the middle of the side and press in to the foam then nail it you should not have to lift it in the middle because you already lifted the other end. The siding will stay straight.   

If anyone has any question just message me and I will be glaad to help. Thank Crystal for this blog. She needed some advise on the home that burned on her, she is siding it with vinyl and the home is up and down in areas and needed some advise on how to make it level. Glad to help out Crystal any time.