Siding and windows

Paint can make a tired board look good for a few years. It can’t make a soft one hard. When the wood is gone, the board gets replaced. This is the work that keeps water out of your walls.

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Where does siding fail first?

Water gets in at the same places on almost every house. If you want to know what shape yours is in, start with these four, and push a thumb into anything that looks dark or swollen.

The bottom rows. Rain splashes back up off the ground.
The lower corners of windows. Water sits where the sill meets the trim.
The bottom of the corner boards. The cut end soaks water up like a straw.
The ends of the boards along the roof line.

Repair or replace?

A few soft boards on a sound wall is a repair. The bad boards come off and new ones the same size go on.

Soft spots on every side of the house is a different conversation. At some point new siding costs less than chasing rot one board at a time.

Either way the quote counts it. So many feet of trim, so many feet of siding, by board size. You can walk the house with the list in your hand.

What goes on

What goes on depends on what is on the house now and what you want to spend. That is an easier conversation standing in the yard.

When is a window done for?

Fog between the panes that won’t wipe off. The seal has failed.
A sash that won’t open, or won’t stay open.
Soft wood at the sill or the bottom corners of the frame.
A draft you can feel with the window shut.

Two ways to replace one

An insert goes inside the frame you have. It leaves the trim alone and it’s the smaller job. It only works when the frame is sound.

A full replacement takes the opening back to the framing. New frame, new trim, new flashing. It’s the fix when the frame itself is soft.

What moves the price?

How much: Feet of siding and trim, or the number of window openings.
How high: A second story means ladders or a lift, and more time.
What you pick: The siding or the window itself is a big share of the number.
What’s underneath: Soft wood behind a bad board has to be fixed before anything covers it. Nobody knows how far it goes until the board is off.

No range on this one yet. Tell us what you’re seeing and you get the number for your house, and the look is free either way.

If the wood is sound and the house just looks tired, you want exterior painting. If some of it’s soft, start with how we handle rot.

Want a number for your siding or windows?

Tell us what you’re seeing and send a photo of it. We call back and set a time to come look.

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