One approach is to use a panel (think: a 6"x6" piece of paintable wood)
fitted to the pipe penetrations. Make the panel up with the required
penetrations and cut through them afterwards to allow the piece to be
reassembled in place. Flash/glue/caulk as needed and butt the siding to the
panel. A similar method can be used for exterior lights, sillcocks, etc...
if the equipment isn't demountable.

"Dave" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm thinking of putting Hardie or Certainteed fiber/cement lap siding
on my house. I'm pretty handy, but I've never installed siding before.

On the side of the house where the pipes from the gas and electric
meters pass through the wall, am I correct in assuming that I'll have
to have a plumber and electrician come and disconnect the service(s),
so that I can pass the aforementioned pipes through holes drilled
through the siding? Or is there some other magical way to fit the
siding around the pipes? How do professional installers handle this?

I'm assuming worst-case scenario where the pipe will have to pass right
through the middle of a piece of siding, and not close to a siding edge
where I can just cut a notch in the siding.

Tnx,
dave