Can damaged vinyl siding be fixed without redoing the wall?

Usually. A cracked or blown-off vinyl panel can be unlocked from the course above with a zip tool and replaced without disturbing the panels around it. The hard part on an older install is matching the color, since the old panels have faded in the sun. If there are leftover pieces in the basement or garage, keep them. They're often the best match you'll find.

Is vinyl the only option?

No. Fiber cement, wood clapboard and engineered wood are all common in New Hampshire, and each has its own cost and upkeep. Wood needs paint on a cycle, and fiber cement is heavier to handle. The owner's photos show vinyl work. Ask Devin when you call which siding materials he installs and what he'd suggest for your house.

Does new siding need a permit in Manchester?

It depends on the scope, and replacing sheathing or framing along the way changes the picture. The City of Manchester Building Division handles building permits and decides what your job needs, so check with them before work starts. Ask Devin when you call how permits are handled on siding work.

What about lead paint under my old siding?

If the house was built before 1978, treat the original paint as possibly containing lead until it's tested. EPA's RRP rule requires paid contractors who disturb it to be a certified firm and to contain and clean up the work, including the ground around the house. Ask whoever you hire, directly, whether they're RRP-certified before work starts.

The back of a small cottage with beige vinyl siding, a screened porch and a white-railed deck among tall pines.

Siding Installation and Repair in Manchester, NH

Siding installation in Manchester, NH is mostly a question of what's underneath. On a house from the 1800s or early 1900s, the original wood clapboard may still be there under one or two later layers, and what's behind them decides whether new siding can go over or has to start from bare sheathing. Crimson Maple Construction installs and repairs siding, and the owner's photos show new beige vinyl on a small cottage in the pines. A repair, like a few storm-damaged courses or a rotted corner, follows the same logic on a smaller scale.

Call (603) 722-3344 Ask for a quote

Over the old siding, or strip it

Going over existing siding is cheaper and faster, and it can work when the surface is flat and sound. The risk is burying a problem. Rotten sheathing, a leak at a window head or carpenter ants in the sill don't go away under new vinyl. They just get harder to find.

Stripping to the sheathing costs more in labor and disposal, but someone gets to look at the wall. It's the chance to install housewrap properly, flash every window and door the right way round, and replace soft boards before they turn into a structural repair.

A useful test: pull a piece of trim or a few courses at the worst-looking corner and see what's there. That hour decides the whole job.

Old paint on old clapboard

Devin describes most of the houses he works in as older town-houses from the 1800s and 1900s. Their original clapboard was painted many times, and on a house built before 1978 some of those coats are likely to contain lead. Tearing it off, cutting it or scraping it drops dust and chips into the soil around the foundation, which is where kids play.

EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule covers paid work that disturbs painted surfaces in pre-1978 homes. The firm has to be certified, and the job needs containment such as ground sheeting, plus a proper cleanup. EPA's Renovate Right pamphlet is what a homeowner should receive before that work starts. Ask whoever you hire about both.

Wrap, flashing and the details that matter

Siding is a rain screen, not the waterproofing. Water gets behind every kind of siding eventually. The housewrap or building paper behind it, and the flashing at windows, doors and roof-to-wall joints, is what sends that water back out.

Vinyl has to move. Each panel hangs loosely on its nails so it can slide as it grows in August sun and shrinks in a January cold snap. Nailed tight, it buckles. It needs J-channel with clearance around the windows, and a starter strip set dead level at the bottom, because every course above follows that first one.

If the walls are open, it's also the cheapest moment to add insulation or air sealing. NHSaves lists the current home energy programs from the state's utilities, and some wall work is easier from outside with the siding off.

Siding with windows and doors

The business's own posts list the three together: "Siding, windows & doors." On an exterior job that's the right grouping. With the siding off, a window can be flashed to the new wrap rather than caulked to old clapboard, and damaged exterior trim gets replaced once instead of twice.

Devin's line on the company is "I’m a General contractor that can do anything from frame to finish". Framing is on his service list too, so ask about sheathing or framing repairs in the same quote.

What to send for a quote

"Message us a photo — we’ll get you a number." Send a photo of each side of the house, close shots of any damage, and the current siding type if you know it. For a repair, one close shot and one wide shot of the same spot help.

Estimates are free, per the company's own posts. Call (603) 722-3344.

Photographed on site

From the job book

All the project photographs

Questions people actually ask

Can damaged vinyl siding be fixed without redoing the wall?: Usually. A cracked or blown-off vinyl panel can be unlocked from the course above with a zip tool and replaced without disturbing the panels around it. The hard part on an older install is matching the color, since the old panels have faded in the sun. If there are leftover pieces in the basement or garage, keep them. They're often the best match you'll find.
Is vinyl the only option?: No. Fiber cement, wood clapboard and engineered wood are all common in New Hampshire, and each has its own cost and upkeep. Wood needs paint on a cycle, and fiber cement is heavier to handle. The owner's photos show vinyl work. Ask Devin when you call which siding materials he installs and what he'd suggest for your house.
Does new siding need a permit in Manchester?: It depends on the scope, and replacing sheathing or framing along the way changes the picture. The City of Manchester Building Division handles building permits and decides what your job needs, so check with them before work starts. Ask Devin when you call how permits are handled on siding work.
What about lead paint under my old siding?: If the house was built before 1978, treat the original paint as possibly containing lead until it's tested. EPA's RRP rule requires paid contractors who disturb it to be a certified firm and to contain and clean up the work, including the ground around the house. Ask whoever you hire, directly, whether they're RRP-certified before work starts.

Where to check this yourself

Related work

Manchester, NH

Tell us what the house needs

Call and describe the job. If it is on the service list, ask how it would go. Foundation work and concrete pads are not on it.

Call (603) 722-3344 Send details