What happens on a full re-side?
Wondering what siding replacement in Fort Collins actually involves? A re-side is more than new boards on the outside of your house.
The old siding comes off first, all of it, down to the sheathing. That tear-off is the only time anyone sees the wall behind your siding, so we use it. We look for soft or stained sheathing, gaps around windows, and spots where water has been running behind the old siding.
Damaged sections get cut out and replaced before anything else happens.
Next comes the weather-resistive barrier, usually called house wrap. It goes on in overlapping rows, top over bottom, so water that gets past the siding runs down and out instead of into the wall. From there, the order looks like this:
- Flashing goes around windows and doors, with a drip cap over the top of each one to send water away from the opening.
- New trim boards and corner trim go up.
- A starter strip runs along the bottom.
- The new siding goes on, course by course.
Which siding can go on your house?
We install four kinds of siding on a re-side, and steel is an option too. Each one has its own page with more detail and its own price range.
- Fiber cement siding is a heavy, stiff board made from cement, sand and wood fiber. It comes in lap, vertical panel and shingle styles, factory-finished or painted.
- Engineered wood siding is made from wood strands and resin with a wood-grain face. It’s lighter than fiber cement and comes in long boards.
- Vinyl siding needs no paint and comes in many colors and profiles. Inside Fort Collins city limits, new vinyl needs a permit and a fire-rated wall behind it.
- Wood and cedar siding covers cedar lap boards, cedar shingles and log siding, stained or painted.
- Steel siding is a metal panel option we can price on a re-side when you want it.
What we look for before a re-side
When we walk around your house before a re-side, these are the things we note:
- Damage that runs across several walls instead of a few pieces
- Siding that can’t be matched anymore, because the profile or color is no longer made
- Swollen, soft or delaminating boards, often near the ground or under gutters
- Stains or soft spots on the inside of exterior walls
- Paint that won’t stay on wood or hardboard siding no matter how often it’s redone
None of these alone means the whole house has to be re-sided. If the damage is limited, siding repair for the damaged pieces may be the better fit. When that’s the case, we’ll price both so you can compare.
Older houses and the asbestos and lead paint rules
Some older siding and the paint on it can contain asbestos or lead. In Fort Collins, the old siding comes off under the state’s asbestos and lead paint rules. Those rules are part of why tear-off on an older house is planned carefully.
Planning a siding replacement in Fort Collins on an older home? Ask us about this at your estimate, and we’ll talk through what it means for your house.
