Siding Repair & Replacement
What is behind the siding decides how long the siding lasts.
Siding is the part of the exterior people judge by appearance and buy on price, and it is the part where the invisible layer behind it does most of the work. A perfect siding install over failed housewrap is a wall that rots quietly for a decade.
The three materials, honestly compared for Houston
Fiber cement, commonly called Hardie
The default recommendation here and for good reasons. It does not rot, insects have no interest in it, it holds paint well, it is non-combustible, and it is dimensionally stable through our humidity swings. It is heavy, which makes it slower to install, and it must be cut with proper dust control because the dust is a genuine silica hazard.
The detail that gets skipped: fiber cement needs the correct gap at the bottom, proper flashing above every opening, and the cut ends primed. Butt joints need flashing behind them rather than just caulk. Installed correctly it is excellent. Installed fast it fails at the joints.
Vinyl
Cheapest to buy and to install, never needs painting, and does not rot. It expands and contracts a great deal with temperature, which is why it must be hung loose, nailed in the centre of the slots and never driven tight. Nailed tight, it buckles in the first Houston summer, and that is the most common vinyl fault we see.
The real weaknesses here are heat and hail. Dark vinyl on a west wall can distort, and hail cracks it in cold weather. It also tells you nothing about what is happening behind it, so wall rot can run a long way unnoticed.
Wood and engineered wood
Looks right on the houses it belongs on, particularly in the Heights and the older inner-loop neighbourhoods where a historic district may require it. It needs maintaining, on a real schedule, in this climate. Engineered wood products are more stable and better protected than solid timber, and they still need their cut ends sealed and their clearances respected.
| Fiber cement | Vinyl | Wood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rot | Immune | Immune | Vulnerable |
| Heat distortion | No | Possible on dark, sun-facing walls | No |
| Hail | Good | Can crack | Dents |
| Maintenance | Repaint on a long cycle | Wash it | Regular paint and seal |
| Relative cost | Middle | Lowest | Highest to own |
The layer that actually matters
Siding is not waterproof and is not meant to be. It is a rain screen. Water gets behind it in every wind-driven Houston storm, and the weather resistant barrier behind it, the housewrap or felt, is what actually keeps the wall dry, along with the flashing at every window, door and penetration. When we open a wall and find rot, the failure is almost always there: housewrap lapped the wrong way, no head flashing over a window, or no barrier at all.
Repair or replace
Repair when the damage is localised, the rest of the wall is sound, and the product is still available in a matching profile. Patching a single elevation is legitimate work and we do it regularly.
Replace when rot has spread behind the siding, when the barrier has failed, when the material is discontinued and the patch will always be visible, or when you are opening the wall anyway for windows or structural work.
Replacing one elevation rather than the whole house is often the right compromise, and we will tell you when the colour difference will be obvious enough that you would regret it.
What we do
- Probe for soft spots and look behind the siding at a couple of points before quoting, rather than pricing what we can see from the drive.
- Find the water source, which is usually flashing, a gutter, or grade.
- Open, dry, and replace any rotted sheathing or framing. That is its own job.
- Install the weather resistant barrier correctly, lapped shingle-fashion so water runs over each layer rather than into it.
- Flash every opening properly, head flashing included.
- Install the siding to the manufacturer's spec, with the correct clearances, fasteners and joint treatment.
- Prime the cut ends. Caulk the right joints and deliberately leave the others open, because sealing a wall completely traps water inside it.
What it costs, and how you can check
Every job on this page is priced Cost Plus. You see the supplier invoice for the materials, the crew hours at our published rate, the permit and disposal at what they actually cost, and one service fee of 20 to 30 percent set by job complexity and locked before anything starts. There is no second number and no change order conversation after the fact. The full breakdown is here.
Common Questions
Can I replace just one wall of siding?
Yes, and it is often the sensible move if only one elevation has failed. Be aware that new material next to weathered material will not match exactly, even in the same colour, so on a prominent wall repainting the elevation afterwards is worth budgeting for.
Is Hardie worth the extra over vinyl in Houston?
In this climate, usually yes. It does not rot, does not distort in heat, handles hail better and holds paint. Vinyl is a reasonable choice on a budget as long as it is hung loose and correctly.
How do I know if there is rot behind my siding?
Bulging or wavy siding, soft spots when pressed, staining that reappears after painting, or a musty smell in the room behind it. The reliable answer is opening a small area and looking, which we will do as part of a quote.
Do you paint the siding too?
Yes. Fiber cement can be bought pre-finished or primed and painted on site. Painting is one of our services, and doing it with the siding rather than afterwards gets the cut ends and the joints properly sealed.
Get a Cost Plus quote for siding repair & replacement
Free inspection, photographed and written up, with a line-by-line quote inside one business day.
Get My Free InspectionOr call (281) 305-8669