Siding Removal & Repair

Siding & Architectural Cladding

Old Siding Removal with Sheathing Inspection and Repair

Stripping old siding reveals what's been happening behind it for the past 20 to 40 years. On Oakland County homes built in the 1970s, we frequently find aluminum or vinyl installed over original wood siding that was already deteriorating. Underneath that, we find sheathing with water staining, soft sections at sills, and framing rot at the base of exterior walls. None of it is visible until the old cladding comes off.

We examine every square foot of exposed sheathing — probing for soft spots, checking for delamination, looking at framing behind any area with staining. Compromised sheathing gets replaced with matched-thickness OSB or plywood fastened properly to the wall studs. Framing rot gets cut back to sound wood and sistered with new material. If insulation is damaged or inadequate, this is the right time to address it — the wall is open and the cost to improve the thermal envelope is low compared to doing it with the wall closed.

For Metro Detroit homeowners, the re-siding project is a one-time window to fix what's been deteriorating inside the wall for years. We don't install new siding over unknown conditions. We verify the substrate is sound, dry, and properly prepared before any new cladding goes on.