New Siding: What Goes Behind It Matters More Than the Panel

Here is the thing most siding quotes do not mention: siding sheds most of the water, but some always gets behind it. That is normal and expected. The wall stays dry because of what is underneath — the water-resistive barrier, the flashing at every opening, and a path for water to drain back out.

So when we quote a re-side, the first question is what condition that layer is in. On older houses we regularly find felt paper that has torn, window openings with no flashing at all, or a previous job where new siding went straight over the old with nothing corrected. Once the old siding is off, that is all visible, and it is the moment to fix it.

Flashing at windows and doors is where most of the real damage starts. Water runs down the face of the wall, reaches the top of a window, and either gets directed out over the trim or gets directed into the framing. There is no third option, and the difference is a piece of metal and twenty minutes.

Between vinyl and fiber cement: vinyl is lighter, cheaper, and installs quickly, and modern profiles look considerably better than their reputation. Fiber cement is heavier, holds paint beautifully, resists impact and fire far better, and costs more to buy and to hang. Both work well when installed properly, and both fail the same way when the layer behind them was ignored.

Soffit, fascia and trim wrap are worth doing at the same time. They are the parts that rot first, they are already accessible while the scaffolding is up, and coming back for them later costs more than including them now.

Getting quotes on siding? Ask each contractor what they plan to do about the housewrap and the window flashing. Then call Montocon General Contractor at (240) 357-7306 for a free written estimate.