Siding · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to siding
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any siding contractor in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Estimate request
What is the siding on your house doing?
Straight to us, and a reply the same day.
By Michael Blair, owner, Nashville's Siding · who we are
Warning signs
How to know you need us
Recognize one? Have it looked at before it grows.
- Siding cracked, buckled or pulling away at the seams
- Soft or crumbling board at ground level, behind gutters or under windows
- Paint failing again within a year or two of a repaint
- Woodpecker or insect damage in cedar or hardboard siding
- Visible gaps at corners and around windows where water can track behind
- Interior stains on an exterior wall with no plumbing above
Your options
More than one right answer.
Fiber cement, vinyl and engineered wood each have a place on a Nashville house, and each has a weak spot. This is the plain comparison.
Vinyl siding
Lowest cost, no painting, and modern insulated profiles are far better than the thin panels that gave vinyl its reputation.
Fiber cement
The Middle Tennessee premium standard. Dimensionally stable, holds paint, and does not interest insects or woodpeckers.
Engineered wood
Lighter and faster to install than fiber cement with a real wood grain, and it needs its cut ends sealed properly.
Repair and repaint
When the substrate is sound, replacing failed boards and repainting is a fraction of a re-side and honest to recommend.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
A siding price is set by the square footage, the product and what turns up under the old boards, and the last of those nobody knows from a phone call. Here is what moves the number.
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Material
Vinyl, fiber cement, engineered wood and cedar span a wide range in both material and labor, and fiber cement in particular is slow to hang.
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What is under it
Rotten sheathing and failed house wrap are found once the old siding comes off. A fair quote names a per-sheet rate rather than leaving it open.
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Stories and access
Two and three-story elevations, dormers and steep grade all mean staging, and staging is labor.
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Trim and detail
Corners, window and door surrounds, frieze boards and soffit are what make a siding job look built. They are also where the hours go.
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Insulation and wrap
Housewrap and rigid insulation added during a re-side is the cheapest time it will ever be done.
Estimates are free, written and without obligation. Anything found only after starting is priced up front.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Inspection and estimate
We probe for soft spots rather than looking from the curb, because what is behind the siding sets the real price.
Material and color
Two to four weeks for fiber cement in a factory finish. Site-painted goes faster but has a weather dependency.
Tear-off and repair
One elevation at a time, so the house is never fully exposed, with sheathing and wrap made good as we go.
Install and trim
Siding, then corners, surrounds and caulk. The trim and sealing stage is what decides the next twenty years.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
Shortcuts that cheapen the quote and cost you later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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Siding over damage
New cladding over wet sheathing hides the problem and feeds it.
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No housewrap, or wrap installed shingle-backwards
Water management is layered. Wrap lapped the wrong way channels water into the wall instead of out of it.
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Nailing fiber cement too tight
Over-driven fasteners crack the board and void the warranty, and it is invisible once painted.
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Caulking the bottom edge
The bottom of a lap course needs to drain. Sealing it traps water behind the wall.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any siding contractor.
Including us. If a siding contractor cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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Will the old siding come off, or are you going over it?
Off, so the sheathing and the wrap can be seen. Siding over rot is a beautiful wall on a house that is still rotting.
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What is the price for replacing rotten sheathing when you find it?
A per-sheet number on the estimate. Nobody knows the count until the wall is open, and a quote without it has a surprise inside.
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How will the windows and penetrations be flashed?
Named flashing at every opening, in the quote. The visible work can be perfect over flashing that was never done.
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Is the crew trained on this product?
Fiber cement, vinyl and engineered wood each have an installation spec; the warranty depends on following it, and the crew should know which.
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Are you licensed for this job’s value, and insured for a crew on scaffolding?
A Tennessee contractor’s license where the value requires it, plus liability and workers’ compensation. Ask for the certificate.
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What is the workmanship warranty?
The manufacturer covers the board; the installer covers the nailing, the flashing and the caulk, in writing, for a stated term.
FAQ
Choosing a siding contractor in Nashville
How do I choose a siding contractor in Nashville?
Every siding crew we run carries liability insurance on file with us and holds the Tennessee contractor’s license the job value requires; the fiber-cement crews are trained on the product they install. Ask the six questions below of anyone, including us.
Should I get more than one quote for siding?
Yes — and compare the scope, not the total. Siding in Nashville is priced per square of wall, by the product — vinyl, fiber cement, engineered wood — and by what is found under the old siding, which the quote should price per sheet of sheathing.
Is the cheapest siding quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically; a low number is information. New siding over soft sheathing looks fine for a year and then holds the water in.
Do I need a permit for siding in Nashville?
Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties generally does not permit re-siding on its own; structural repairs found underneath may need one, and the crew should stop and say so rather than cover them.
How far in advance should I book siding?
A siding estimate in Nashville is usually within a week; the job is one to two weeks on a typical house once the material lands, and weather can stretch it.
Free estimate
Is your siding past patching?
Tell Nashville's Siding what the walls look like and roughly how big the house is. We will walk it, check under a board or two and give you a written estimate, free.