Siding services

The single most important thing a siding crew does is not visible when they leave. Siding is a rain screen, not a waterproof shell. Water gets behind it. What keeps your walls dry is the water-resistive barrier, flashing, and drainage details underneath. A crew that tears off old siding, finds soft sheathing, and covers it back up has sold you a paint job over a rotting wall.

That is why tear-off matters. Re-siding over existing siding is cheaper and faster, and some products allow it, but it hides the wall from inspection and can trap moisture. If your existing siding is failing because water got behind it, going over the top is a genuinely bad idea. Ask any contractor who proposes it to explain, in writing, how they know the sheathing underneath is sound.

Repair versus replacement is usually decided by availability and match. A handful of cracked vinyl panels can be swapped. But discontinued colors and profiles are common, and sun-faded siding will never match a new panel. If more than a wall or two is affected, or if the damage is from water rather than impact, price the full job.

How to choose

Full replacement

Tear off to the sheathing, repair what's rotten, install a new water-resistive barrier and flashing, then new siding. The only option that lets anyone see the condition of your walls.

Spot repair

Fine for impact damage on a few panels. Expect a color mismatch on siding older than a few years. Cheap and correct when the rest of the wall is sound.

Re-siding over existing

Faster and cheaper, but the old wall never gets inspected. Only reasonable when the existing siding is intact and dry, and the manufacturer's instructions permit it.

Trim, soffit, and fascia

Often quoted separately. Fiber-cement fascia has a listed life expectancy of about 50 years; general exterior trim about 25 years, per the NAHB life-expectancy study.

Insulation added during re-siding

A tear-off is the cheapest time you will ever have to add exterior insulative sheathing. ENERGY STAR's retrofit guidance suggests R-5 to R-10 sheathing depending on climate zone.

Pre-1978 homes

Disturbing painted surfaces on a home built before 1978 requires an EPA lead-safe certified firm. Ask for the firm's certification number before work starts.