Questions and answers

An independent siding contractor that serves your area, or a referral service that connects you with one. This site employs no installers. The contractor quotes its own price and answers for its own work.

No. Ask questions, have the house looked at and take your time. Getting more than one written price on a bigger job is normal.

Yes. Cracked or loose panels, wind damage and soft wood behind the siding are all reasons to call, as are full re-siding jobs and new siding. See siding repair and repair or replace?

Home improvement contractors, including siding contractors, must register with the Division of Consumer Affairs (Division page). Search the business on the license lookup or call the Division on 1-800-242-5846.

No. This site doesn't help with insurance claims or refer claim work. Contact your insurer directly about any claim.

The siding work on a typical house often takes days rather than weeks, but size, the number of windows and corners, repairs found under the old siding and the weather all change that. Material orders can add lead time before work starts. Ask the contractor for the whole schedule.

Sometimes it is done, but most contractors prefer a tear-off because it is the only way to see and fix the wall underneath and to install the barrier and flashing properly. Ask what the contractor proposes for your house and why.

Usually not, but someone should be reachable. Clear the area along the walls, move cars and outdoor furniture, and take pictures and mirrors off exterior walls inside, since nailing can shake them.

Usually, yes. Vinyl courses lock together, and a contractor with an unlocking tool can release the courses above, take out the damaged piece and slip a new one in. The hard part is finding a panel that matches in profile and color.

Often, yes, if the repair keeps water out of the wall. Ask the contractor how long the repair should last and whether the money is better put toward re-siding.

Repairing or replacing existing siding on a one- or two-family home is listed as ordinary maintenance in the state construction code, so no permit is needed, except for polypropylene siding. Structural work is different. Ask your town's construction office if you are unsure.

Usually because it was nailed too tight or cut without enough room at the ends, so it can't expand. Heat from a grill or reflected sunlight can also warp it. Panels that have been distorted generally need replacing, not refastening.

It can, with paints made for vinyl and in colors no darker than the maker allows, because darker colors absorb more heat. Check the siding warranty first; painting can affect it.

It depends on the product, the installation and the exposure. Ask the contractor what the product's warranty covers and what they see on houses like yours.

It takes more care: the boards are heavy, they must be cut with dust control, and they are nailed into framing to the maker's schedule. Ask the contractor how much fiber cement work they do.

Primed boards need paint once installed. Factory-finished boards come painted, though cut ends and touch-ups still need attention. Either way, plan on repainting eventually.

Yes. A cracked or broken board can be cut out and a new one fitted, then painted to match.

No. Engineered wood is a wood-based product bonded with resins; fiber cement is cement-based. Both are painted lap siding, but they are cut, handled and maintained differently.

Usually water at unsealed cut edges or boards set too close to a roof, deck or the ground. Correct clearances and sealed edges are the main defense.

It can, if the profile and exposure match closely enough. The contractor will cut the old boards out, check the wall and fit the new boards to the courses around them.

It depends on what you value: cedar can be repaired and refinished, while panels need no stain. Some shake-look panels are polypropylene, and in New Jersey replacing polypropylene siding is not ordinary maintenance, so a permit may be needed.

Usually weather and age, sometimes moisture from behind. A contractor should check the wall and the flashing before replacing them.

Often. Gables get less weather than the walls below, and sound shingles can be cleaned and refinished. Replacements can be cut to match where pieces are missing.

No. It adds a layer of foam outside the studs, which helps, but it does not replace insulation inside the wall cavities. Ask the contractor what the product adds and whether wall cavities need attention too.

A tear-off should include a weather-resistive barrier. Ask what the price includes and which product is used.

Not really. The barrier sits under the siding, so it is added when the siding comes off.

Sometimes. Profiles and colors change over time, and old siding fades. The contractor can try to find a match, move old panels from a hidden wall to the addition, or suggest a deliberate contrast.

Usually the builder or general contractor holds the permits for an addition. Ask at the start who is responsible.

If the old siding is near the end of its life or can't be matched, doing it all at once avoids a visible line and a second set-up. A contractor can price both ways.

Wind usually starts at a loose or poorly fastened edge, often a corner or gable, and unzips the courses from there. The rest may be fine, or loosened and waiting for the next storm. An inspection should check it.

No. This site doesn't help with insurance claims or refer claim work. Contact your insurer directly.

Ground-level panels sometimes can be, but anything above the first floor means ladder work. A contractor will also check whether the wall behind needs attention first.

Wrapping protects sound wood from weather. It shouldn't be used to hide rot, which keeps spreading under the wrap. Ask the contractor to replace soft boards first.

On many houses, yes, by boxing in the eaves. The roof and attic layout decides what is practical.

This line connects callers about siding work. If soffit and fascia are part of a siding job, mention them when you call.

Condition matters more than age. Sound, flexible siding with one damaged area is worth repairing. Siding that is brittle, chalky and cracking on every wall usually is not.

Often, as long as the repair keeps water out and isn't hiding a wider problem. It is fair to ask for both prices at the same visit.

Old siding fades and profiles get discontinued. A contractor may move matching panels from a hidden wall to the visible one, or suggest re-siding one whole wall so the difference falls at a corner.