Siding Installation

Taking the old siding off first

We strip the wall back to the sheathing instead of nailing new siding over old. Layering hides rot, traps moisture between materials and throws off the depth at every window and door, so the trim never looks right. With the old siding off, we can see what the wall has been doing for the last few decades.

On many New England houses there is more than one generation under there. It is common to find aluminum or vinyl over the original wood clapboards or shingles, sometimes with old insulation board in between. Each layer comes off and goes in the dumpster by the end of the day, so the yard never fills with debris.

We work one side or one section at a time and keep each opened wall wrapped by nightfall. A wall left bare overnight in New England weather is asking for trouble.

Taking siding off also shows what happened to the house over time. An old window opening that was covered over, a porch that was enclosed, a patch where a chimney came out: each one changes the framing behind the wall, and each one gets checked and closed in properly before the new skin goes on.

Sheathing repair, house wrap and flashing

Once the wall is exposed, the soft spots show themselves: under windowsills, at the bottom corners, behind gutters that overflowed and anywhere a deck ledger was attached without flashing. We cut out rotted sheathing and replace it. If the rot runs into the studs or the sill, you get a call before we go further, with photos and the added work spelled out in writing.

House wrap goes on shingle-fashion, upper courses lapping over lower ones so water runs out instead of in. Around windows and doors, flashing tape and metal head flashing are layered the same way. This is where most siding jobs succeed or fail. Siding is a rain screen; the wrap and flashing behind it are the real water barrier.

On houses with little or no wall insulation, re-siding is the natural moment to add it, either rigid board outside the sheathing or insulation blown into the cavities. Many Massachusetts towns follow the stretch energy code, and we talk through what applies to your wall and how added thickness changes the window and door trim before anything is ordered.

We can put sample boards up on a wall so you can look at them in morning and afternoon light before deciding.

Lead-safe practice on houses built before 1978

Most older siding and trim has lead paint somewhere in its history. On homes built before 1978, removing it follows lead-safe work practices under the EPA renovation rule: ground covering out from the wall, containment of dust and chips, no dry sanding or open-flame stripping, careful daily cleanup and a cleaning check when the work is done.

That matters for your family, for neighbors and for the soil in a garden bed along the foundation. It matters even more on a two-family or triple-decker where tenants are living in the building while the work goes on. We plan the sequence so the ground cover and containment move with the work, one side of the house at a time.

Lead-safe work takes more time than an ordinary tear-off, and we build that time into the schedule instead of rushing it. You will see the ground cover and containment every day the walls are open, and the work area is cleaned before anyone leaves each day.

Choosing a siding for New England weather

Cedar shingles and clapboards look right on a Cape or a colonial and can last a long time when they are installed over a ventilated rain screen and kept painted or stained. Fiber cement holds paint well, does not rot and suits owners who want less upkeep. Vinyl is light and low maintenance, though quality varies widely from product to product. We give you a straight comparison of how each behaves on your house rather than pushing one.

Near the water, salt air changes the details. Fasteners need to be stainless or hot-dipped galvanized, because ordinary nails bleed rust streaks down the wall within a few seasons. Wind-driven rain on the South Coast and the Cape finds every weak joint, so laps, butt joints and corner details get extra care.

Trim is part of the decision too. Wood, PVC and composite trim take paint and hold up differently, and the corner boards, window casings and frieze are what make a re-sided house look intentional rather than wrapped.

Color and profile are easier to judge on the house than in a brochure. We can put sample boards up on a wall so you can look at them in morning and afternoon light before deciding.

How a siding job runs day to day

We start with a walkthrough of every side of the house and a written scope that lists the siding, trim, wrap and flashing, plus how rot repair will be priced if we find it. Material, color and trim profiles are settled before the order goes in, so nothing is decided on the fly.

During the job you get short updates as each side is opened, repaired and closed, with photos of anything hidden behind the wall. Plantings are protected, the site is cleaned each afternoon and a magnet sweeps for nails. When Steve does the final walkaround, he looks for the same things you will notice over the next ten years: straight courses, tight joints and clean trim lines.

Gutters, downspouts, light fixtures, hose bibs and anything else mounted on the wall come off first and go back on proper mounting blocks afterward, so nothing is screwed straight through the new siding. A licensed electrician handles any fixture that needs rewiring. Small details like these are where a re-sided house either looks finished or looks patched.

Finish timing matters on wood siding. Back-priming boards before they go up, sealing cut ends and getting the first coat on promptly protects the wood from the start. If the siding comes factory-finished, touch-up at cuts and nail heads follows the manufacturer's directions.

See the rest of our construction work, or browse the gallery for rooms we have finished.