Exteriors
Siding that keeps
the wall behind it dry.
Siding is a rain screen, not a raincoat. Water gets behind every wall covering ever made — the job is giving it a way back out. That means house wrap, proper flashing at every opening, and panels hung loose enough to move.
Scope
What a siding job includes
Whether it is one elevation or the whole house, the wall gets built the same way.
- Old siding removed and the sheathing underneath actually looked at
- Rotten or soft sheathing replaced before anything new goes on
- House wrap installed and taped, lapped shingle-style so water sheds
- Window and door openings flashed and integrated with the wrap
- Starter strip, J-channel, inside and outside corners set true
- Panels hung on the nail hem, not nailed tight — vinyl has to move or it buckles
- Soffit, fascia and trim wrapped to match
- Old material hauled off and the perimeter cleaned
The difference
What separates a good siding job
What is under it
Anybody can hang panels. The difference is whether the wrap got lapped the right way and whether the window openings got flashed into it. That is the part you never see and the only part that decides whether the wall rots.
Nailed loose, on purpose
Vinyl expands and contracts a serious amount across a Philadelphia year. Nailed tight it buckles into waves by August. Nailed centred in the slot with a little play, it stays flat.
Insulated backing where it earns it
Insulated vinyl adds real R-value, deadens noise and — because it is backed solid — sits flatter and reads far less like plastic. On a west-facing wall it is money well spent.
Before you decide
Types of Siding
The eight siding materials and profiles worth knowing about, what each one actually costs you over its life, and which one belongs on your wall.
Straight answers
Siding Installation — FAQ
Also from us
The rest of the outside
of your house.
Free estimate
Free inspection. Written estimate. No pressure.
Tell us what you are looking at and we will come and look at it — and we will tell you honestly what it needs, including the times the answer is nothing yet.