Allura, Plycem, Elementia Defective Fiber Cement Siding Iowa Class Action

When you install fiber cement siding on your home, you expect it to last a good many years. The complaint for this class action brings suit against several related companies—Allura, Plycem, and Elementia—alleging that their fiber cement siding is defective. The complaint claims it is prone to cracking, chipping, flaking, breaking, and splitting, in as little as two years after installation.

The class for this action is all persons and entities who own structures in Iowa on which the fiber siding in question is installed.

The contractor who built a home for plaintiff Brian DeVries in 2014 installed Allura siding on the house. A mere two years later, in 2016, DeVries noticed that one piece of it had cracked in half. He had the board replaced, but two years later, he noticed that more of the boards were cracking. 

He made a warranty claim to Allura, but the company responded that “there is no warrantable condition or manufacturing defect with the Allura siding material installed at your home.” The company claimed that the problem was “caused by flex in the handling of the boards during installation which created microfractures” that later expanded to breaks. As a “gesture of goodwill,” Allura offered him a paltry $32.16.

As more boards cracked, DeVries again contacted Allura, but the company again refused to honor its warranty and provide any compensation or offer of repair or replacement.

The makers of the fiber cement siding advertise it as lasting for fifty years, but the complaint alleges that it begins to fail within five years after installation. 

What’s the problem with it? The complaint alleges that the makers use “excessive fly ash in their formula instead of the more common grain and silica used by other manufacturers…” This allegedly leads to “water absorption and porosity problems” and brittleness. “As the siding goes through typical weather cycles, including heat and cold, it experiences increased expansion and contraction as a result of excess moisture in the product,” the complaint says, “and begins to crack and break.”

The complaint claims that the makers are aware of the problems with its siding because they have been told of it by other buyers. Also, the defects, the complaint says, “are due to fundamental design, engineering, and manufacturing errors within Defendants’ area of expertise.” But the companies have continued to make and sell the siding, concealing the problem, the complaint claims, and when problems arise, they say it is due to poor installation techniques. 

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Consumer
Tags: Defective Product, Fiber Cement Siding