Siding & Windows, in plain English.
Siding types, window ratings, drafts, rot and curb appeal.
The lingo.
- Argon fill
- An inert gas between panes that insulates better than air. Double-pane with Low-E and argon is the usual replacement window.
- Double-hung
- A window with two sashes that slide up and down. Casement windows crank outward and seal tighter; sliders move sideways; picture windows do not open.
- Egress window
- A window big enough to escape through, required in bedrooms and finished basements. Minimum opening sizes are set by code.
- Engineered wood
- Wood strand siding treated with resins and wax (LP SmartSide is the common brand). Looks like wood, costs less than fiber cement, and needs paint maintained.
- Fiber cement
- Siding made from cement, sand and cellulose (Hardie is the best-known brand). Fire resistant, holds paint for years, and heavier and more expensive to install than vinyl.
- Flashing
- Metal or membrane at windows, doors and trim that directs water out over the siding below. Window leaks are almost always flashing problems.
- House wrap (WRB)
- The weather-resistive barrier under siding that sheds water that gets past the siding while letting vapor out. Missing or badly lapped wrap is why walls rot behind siding that looks fine.
- Insert vs. full-frame replacement
- An insert fits inside the existing frame and is cheaper; a full-frame replacement removes everything to the rough opening, fixes rot and re-flashes. Rotted frames need full-frame.
- J-channel
- The trim piece vinyl siding tucks into around windows and doors.
- Low-E
- A microscopic metallic coating on glass that reflects heat while letting light through. Standard on quality windows.
- Rot
- Wood softened by moisture and fungus, usually found at window sills, trim bottoms and under failed flashing. Every siding estimate should state how rot found during the job is priced.
- SHGC
- Solar heat gain coefficient, how much of the sun's heat a window lets in. Lower is better in hot climates; higher is sometimes wanted on south-facing windows up north.
- Soffit and fascia
- The underside of the roof overhang and the board at its edge; usually wrapped in aluminum or vinyl as part of a siding job.
- U-factor
- How much heat a window loses; lower is better. Look for 0.30 or lower in cold climates. Found on the NFRC label on every new window.
- Vinyl siding
- The most common siding: low cost, no painting, decades of life. Quality varies by thickness; it must be hung loose to expand and contract, which is why it is nailed, not screwed tight.
Guides.
- Before you call about siding or windows
Repair or replace, what hides behind old siding and how to read a window label.
- Paying for the work: deposits, draws and financing
How much to pay up front, when progress payments are fair and what to watch in a financing offer.
- Hiring a Pro: five questions before you sign
License, insurance, references, a written scope, and who is actually showing up.
- What a written warranty should say
Workmanship, materials and the difference between them. What to ask for and how to make a claim.
- How to read a contractor's estimate
Compare scopes, not prices. What every line on a good estimate means and the questions to ask before you sign.
Reading list.
Articles from around the internet that our Pros trust. They open on the source's site.
- Update or replace windows · U.S. Department of Energy
When repair beats replacement, how to read ratings and what to look for in a new window.
- Weatherize your home · U.S. Department of Energy
Air sealing, insulation and moisture control, the work that makes new siding and windows pay off.
Articles from HomeMaxx.
All articlesStorm season: the week before, the day of and the day after
Hurricanes, derechos and hail all give some warning. What to do with it, how to document the house, and what to do when the storm chasers knock.
3 min readSeasonsThe fall checklist: twelve things to do before the first freeze
An afternoon of small jobs in October prevents most of the emergency calls Pros get in January. Here is the list, in the order to do it.
2 min readSeasonsHurricane season: the house, the plan and the paperwork
June first is the start, and the preparation that matters is done by then, not the week a storm is named. The roof, the openings, the water, the paper and the thirty-day rule on flood insurance.
3 min readMaintenanceIrrigation: watering the lawn without watering the house
A sprinkler system left on its spring settings is the most common cause of a rotten sill and a wet basement that nobody can explain. The heads, the schedule, the backflow preventer and the fixes.
3 min readImprovementWindows: repair or replace, and how to read the sticker
Replacement windows are one of the most oversold projects in the house. When the old ones are worth keeping, when they are not, and what the numbers on a new window actually mean.
3 min readSeasonsThe spring checklist: finding out what winter did to the house
Freeze and thaw, snow load, ice dams and four months of heating leave marks. A spring walk-around finds them while they are small. Here is the list, outside then in.
3 min readImprovementExterior painting: the prep is the whole job
Two houses painted the same week with the same paint can look different in five years, and the difference is what happened before the first coat. What good prep is, and how to read a painting estimate.
2 min readImprovementThe improvements that pay you back, and the ones that mostly do not
Appraisers, agents and contractors mostly agree on which projects return their cost at sale and which are for you alone. Both are fine reasons to build. Just know which one you are doing.
2 min readFrom the Pros.
Written by the people who do this work every day, in your area.
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