Siding, soffit, windows and doors

Water gets in at the edges, not through the middle

Siding rarely fails in the field. It fails where it meets something else — a window, a door, a roofline, a deck ledger, a dryer vent. Those transitions need flashing installed in the right order so water is directed out and down rather than behind.

This matters because the damage is hidden. Water behind siding rots sheathing and framing quietly for years. The first visible sign is often a soft spot or a stain inside, by which point the repair is structural rather than cosmetic. If we open a wall and find it, we will show you before we price the fix.

Siding

Most of what we replace around here is vinyl or fibre cement, and both are fine when installed properly. Vinyl needs room to expand and contract — nailed too tight it buckles in summer heat, a defect you can spot from the street on a lot of houses. Fibre cement is heavier, holds paint well and is more durable, and it costs more to buy and to hang.

The decision usually comes down to budget and how long you plan to stay. What matters more than the material is the housewrap behind it and the flashing at every opening.

Soffit and fascia

The overhang gets ignored until it fails. Rotted fascia, soffit panels that have fallen out, or the wrong ventilation up there causes problems well beyond appearance — soffit vents are half of how your attic breathes. Block them and you get ice dams in winter and a superheated attic in summer, both of which shorten the life of your roof.

If squirrels or birds have got into your soffit, that gap needs closing properly rather than being stuffed. They come back to the same opening.

Windows: insert versus full-frame

There are two ways to replace a window and the price difference is significant, so it is worth understanding which you are being quoted.

• Insert (pocket) replacement. The new window goes inside the existing frame. Faster, cheaper, less disruption to interior and exterior trim. It only works if the existing frame is sound and square, and you lose a little glass area.
• Full-frame replacement. Everything comes out down to the rough opening. More work and more cost, but it is the only correct answer if the frame is rotted, and it lets the opening be properly flashed and insulated.

A contractor quoting inserts on a house with rot is quoting the wrong job. We tell you which one your openings need and why.

Doors

An entry door that sticks, lets daylight through, or needs a shove is usually a threshold and framing problem rather than a door problem. Storm doors, patio doors and service doors all live or die on the same details: a level sill, correct shimming, and flashing that sends water out. Changing the size of an opening is structural work and needs a permit.

Common questions