Step 1: Inspection and Design Consultation
A siding project starts with understanding what's happening on your walls today. Our estimator inspects existing cladding for cracking, warping, hail bruising, and moisture clues like peeling interior paint, then measures every elevation. We also talk design: lap width, board-and-batten or shake accents, trim details, and color palettes — with real product samples, not just brochures.
Step 2: Material Selection
Weatherguard installs LP SmartSide engineered wood, James Hardie fiber cement, and premium vinyl systems. For most homes in our northern service area, we recommend LP SmartSide: it resists hail impact better than vinyl or fiber cement, installs reliably in cold weather, and carries a 5/50-year limited warranty. Your proposal itemizes siding, trim, house wrap, flashing, soffit, fascia, and labor line by line.
Step 3: Tear-Off and Substrate Inspection
Crews remove existing siding down to the sheathing — never siding over failing material — and inspect every wall for rot, delamination, and pest damage. Damaged OSB or plank sheathing is replaced at the per-sheet price quoted upfront, and we photograph everything we repair. This is the step where cut-rate bids cut corners, and where hidden moisture problems either get fixed or get buried.
Step 4: Weather Barrier and Flashing
Before any siding goes up, we install a continuous weather-resistive barrier, tape seams, and integrate flashing at windows, doors, penetrations, and horizontal transitions. This drainage plane — not the siding itself — is your home's real waterproofing. We follow manufacturer and code clearances precisely because this layer determines whether walls stay dry for the next forty years.
Step 5: Siding, Trim, and Detail Installation
Siding is installed to the manufacturer's written specification: correct fastener type and spacing, expansion gaps, and clearances from roofs, decks, and grade. Corner boards, window trim, frieze, soffit, and fascia are fitted with sealed joints and clean reveals. On LP SmartSide projects our installers follow LP's application instructions exactly — required for the substrate warranty to hold.
Step 6: Cleanup and Final Walkthrough
We haul away all tear-off debris, run magnetic sweeps for fasteners, and walk every elevation with you, checking joints, caulk lines, clearances, and touch-up paint. Your documentation package includes material records and warranty registrations.
What Sets a Quality Siding Installation Apart
From the street, most new siding looks similar for the first year or two. The differences show up later: kickout flashing that keeps roof-wall intersections dry, correct clearances above shingles and grade that prevent wicking, sealed cut edges on every trimmed board, and fastener depth that lets the siding move with the seasons instead of buckling. These details are invisible on day one and decisive by year ten — and they're the reason we photograph our flashing and barrier work before it's covered, so you have a record of what's behind your walls.
Warranties on Your Siding Project
Product warranties vary by material — LP SmartSide carries a 5/50-year limited warranty (100% labor and material replacement in the first five years, prorated substrate coverage to fifty), James Hardie a 30-year non-prorated substrate warranty, and quality vinyl lifetime-limited coverage. On top of the manufacturer's coverage, Weatherguard provides its own written workmanship warranty on the installation — the flashing, fastening, and detailing that manufacturer warranties don't cover.
Timeline
Most full siding replacements take five to ten working days on site depending on home size and the amount of trim, soffit, and fascia work included. Cold weather rarely stops an LP SmartSide project — engineered wood installs well year-round in our climate.