Patent ID: 8448401

Claim:
A combined insulation and installation guide apparatus for attaching fiber cement boards to a building surface to form an installed fiber cement siding, comprising: at least two shaped insulating boards to be installed on a building surface horizontally or vertically adjacent to each other and leaving a vertical or horizontal gap between the boards, said boards comprised of a thermally insulating material and comprising: a substantially flat, rectangular back surface; a cross-section, taken substantially parallel to a first edge of said shaped insulating board, having a substantially saw-tooth shape; a plurality of substantially flat-faced, protruding ridges on a front surface, said protruding ridges being aligned substantially orthogonal to said first edge, said ridges being shaped and sized such that when a first fiber cement board of a standard size is placed face-down on a long face of a first protruding ridge with a long edge of said first fiber cement board abutting a short face of an adjacent protruding ridge, a second fiber cement board of said same standard size placed face-down on a long face of said adjacent protruding ridge will overlap said first fiber cement board, with the underside face of the overlap of said second fiber cement board lying substantially flat on the upper face of said first fiber cement board; and a multitude of shaped flashing elements for covering the vertical or horizontal gap between the insulating boards and being made of a waterproof material and consisting of a first rectangle having a short edge substantially equal in length to the width of said short face of said protruding ridge of said shaped insulating board; a second rectangle having a long edge substantially equal in length to the width of said long face of said protruding ridge of said shaped insulating board, and a short edge having a length substantially equal to a long edge of said first rectangle; and wherein said long edge of said first rectangle forms a substantially contiguous join with said short edge of said second rectangle, and the faces of said rectangles are angled to match an angle between adjacent protruding ridges of said shaped insulating boards, such that said flashing is sandwiched between said fiber cement board and said shaped insulating board and held in place without fastening material or overhanging elements and said multitude of flashing elements covers the gap between the insulating boards.