Fibre cement, vinyl and trim
Siding ReplacementAcross The Triangle.
James Hardie fibre cement, insulated vinyl and full trim replacement, installed over a proper weather barrier with the flashing details that actually keep water out of the wall.
- James Hardie fibre cement
- Insulated vinyl
- Weather barrier and flashing
- Trim and soffit
Free Roof Inspection
Forty five minutes. Every slope photographed. The report is yours whether you hire us or not.
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Siding Replacement done the way it should be
Siding is a water management system pretending to be a decorative one. The cladding sheds most of the water; the weather barrier, the flashing at every opening and the drainage path behind the cladding handle the rest. Failures almost always happen in that second group, which is also the group nobody photographs for the brochure.
We came to siding through roofing, which is a useful direction to arrive from. Roofers spend their careers on the parts of a building where water is actively trying to get in, and the detailing logic transfers directly to window heads, band boards, kick outs and wall to roof intersections.
In the Triangle the two most common jobs are replacing failed hardboard and masonite on houses built in the 1980s and 1990s, and replacing builder grade vinyl that has faded, cracked or been damaged by hail.
What Siding Replacement Includes
Every line below is in the written scope, not implied by it.
- Full tear off to sheathing
- So we can see and correct what is behind the cladding rather than covering it.
- Sheathing repair
- Replacing water damaged or rotten sheathing, which is common behind failed hardboard.
- House wrap and weather barrier
- Installed with correct overlaps and taped seams, shingle fashion, so water that gets behind the cladding drains out rather than in.
- Window and door flashing
- Head flashing, sill pans and jamb detailing, which is where the large majority of wall leaks originate.
- Kick out flashing
- At every wall to roof intersection. A missing kick out flashing is the single most destructive detail failure in residential construction.
- Fibre cement or vinyl installation
- To manufacturer specification, including correct fastener type, spacing, clearances and gaps.
- Trim, soffit and fascia
- Rebuilt or replaced so the whole envelope matches rather than leaving old trim against new cladding.
- Paint or factory finish
- Factory finished fibre cement with colour matched caulk and touch up, or site painted where the project calls for it.
When Siding Replacement Is The Right Call
- Swelling or crumbling at the bottom edges. Classic hardboard and masonite failure. Once the bottom edge wicks water, the panel is finished.
- Soft spots you can press with a thumb. The sheathing behind is likely already affected.
- Paint failing repeatedly in the same places. Paint is failing because the substrate is wet, not because the paint was bad.
- Cracked, faded or hail damaged vinyl. Vinyl becomes brittle with UV exposure and cracks rather than dents when hail hits.
- Gaps at corners, trim or penetrations. Every gap is a path, and caulk alone is a maintenance item, not a solution.
- Visible staining below windows. Usually a missing or failed head flashing or sill pan above.
Your Options
What we install, and when each one is actually the right answer.
| Option | Specification | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| James Hardie fibre cement | Cedarmill, smooth and shingle | The default recommendation in this climate. Dimensionally stable in humidity, non combustible, and factory finished options hold colour far better than site painting. |
| Insulated vinyl | Foam backed | A strong option where budget matters. The foam backing adds rigidity, improves impact resistance and takes the wavy look out of vinyl. |
| Standard vinyl | Double four and double five | Cost effective and low maintenance, appropriate for rental property and budget sensitive replacement. |
| PVC and composite trim | Cellular PVC | For corners, bands and window surrounds, because wood trim in this climate is a recurring expense. |
What Siding Replacement Costs
Siding is priced by wall area, number of openings, storey count and how much sheathing repair is found once the old cladding comes off. Sheathing is quoted as a contingency rate in the proposal.
| Scope | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl replacement, single storey | Quoted per project | Typical Triangle ranch, full tear off and wrap |
| Vinyl replacement, two storey | Quoted per project | Including trim |
| James Hardie, single storey | Quoted per project | Factory finished, full tear off |
| James Hardie, two storey | Quoted per project | Including trim and flashing |
| Partial replacement, one elevation | Quoted per project | Common where one wall has failed and the rest is sound |
Financing. Plans including 0% APR options for qualified homeowners, approved in minutes, with no prepayment penalty. Most customers who finance are replacing ahead of failure rather than after it, which is the cheaper moment to do it.
Siding Replacement Across The Triangle
Sixteen towns across Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham, Johnston and Granville counties.
Other things we do
Siding Replacement Questions
Can you replace just one wall?
Yes, and it is often the right call where a single elevation has failed, typically a south or west facing wall or one below a roof intersection with a missing kick out. The honest caveat is colour: new cladding will not weather match old cladding exactly, so we will show you where the transition will be visible before you commit.
Is fibre cement worth the extra over vinyl?
In this climate, usually yes if you are staying. It is dimensionally stable in our humidity, non combustible, handles hail far better than vinyl, and factory finished colour holds up for decades. If you are a landlord, or moving within a few years, insulated vinyl is a perfectly sound decision and we will quote it without editorialising.
Will you find rot behind my siding?
On 1980s and 1990s hardboard, frequently. We quote sheathing replacement as a per sheet contingency in the proposal so you know the rate before we open the wall, and we photograph every sheet we replace.
Does new siding help with energy costs?
Insulated vinyl and a correctly installed weather barrier both help, mostly by reducing air infiltration rather than by adding meaningful R value. Anyone promising dramatic energy savings from siding alone is overselling it. The larger wins in a Triangle house are usually attic insulation and ventilation.
Do you handle HOA approval?
We are happy to prepare the colour and product documentation an architectural review committee asks for, which in Cary, Apex, Holly Springs and Morrisville is frequently required. The submission itself has to come from you as the homeowner.
Can siding and roofing be done at the same time?
Yes, and it is usually the cheaper way to do both, because setup, protection and disposal are shared. It also lets us detail the wall to roof intersections properly in one pass instead of working around someone else's finished work.
Free roof inspection
Find Out What Your
Roof Actually Needs.
Forty five minutes, full photo documentation, and a straight answer, including the answer that you do not need us yet. No obligation, no sales theatre.
307 S. Salem Street, Suite 300 · Apex, NC 27502 · Open 24/7