Siding Replacement in Union, CT
Union sits at the edge of the Quiet Corner, and most of the homes we see out here are older capes, farmhouses, and antique colonials set well back from the road on long gravel or paved drives, often with heavy tree cover on two or three sides. That means two things for a re-side: the crew needs room and time to stage material, and the walls behind that old vinyl or clapboard have usually been shaded and damp for decades. If you’re calling because your siding is cupping, cracked, or just done, the short answer is a full tear-off runs anywhere from a few days to about a week depending on square footage and what we find once the old material comes off.
What Siding Replacement looks like in Union
A replacement job in Union almost always starts with a decision, not a product catalog. The house is old enough that the original siding under whatever’s there now might be cedar clapboard, or a 1970s-1980s aluminum or vinyl job installed right over that clapboard without house wrap. When we pull it, we’re not just removing panels — we’re finding out what 40 or 50 years of Connecticut weather did to the sheathing behind it.
On Union’s rural lots, tree cover keeps moisture sitting against north and west walls longer than it would on an open suburban lot. We routinely find soft or delaminated sheathing at the bottom courses, near old flashing details around windows, and anywhere gutters have overflowed onto the wall for years. That’s the case for tear-off over recover: you can’t fix rot with a new layer of siding on top of it.
The quote reflects that reality. We price the base tear-off and re-side based on square footage and access, then set a per-sheet or per-linear-foot rate for any sheathing or framing repair we uncover once the old material is off the wall. You’re not guessing at a lump-sum number that may or may not cover surprises — you know the base price up front and the repair rate before we start, so there’s no argument mid-job.
Disposal is part of the job, not an add-on. Old vinyl, aluminum, or clapboard and any rotted sheathing goes into a trailer or dumpster we bring, and the site gets cleaned before we leave each day — with a long driveway and no curbside pickup out here, we plan the dumpster placement and truck access before we ever start pulling nails.
What we account for on Union homes
Older vinyl over original clapboard
A common Union replacement starts with vinyl that was installed over older wood siding. During removal, the crew checks what is underneath rather than assuming the original siding can simply be covered again. If the old clapboard is sound and the planned siding system allows it, it becomes part of the preparation decision. If it is damaged or no longer suitable as the base, the affected material is dealt with before the new siding goes on.
Sheathing and hidden wood damage
Water can reach the wall through failed siding, trim, flashing, or openings around windows and doors. By the time the exterior looks damaged, some deterioration may already be behind it. Tear-off provides an opportunity to inspect those areas. Soft or damaged sheathing and localized rot are repaired before the replacement siding covers the wall again. The purpose is simple: do not put a new exterior over a problem that should have been fixed first.
Older village homes and exterior details
Union's village areas include older Victorian and Colonial Revival housing with more trim and architectural detail than a basic ranch. Those details affect removal, preparation, measurements, and installation. The replacement plan accounts for corners, window and door openings, trim, transitions, and other areas where a simple wall panel approach does not work. Older homes also deserve a closer look before removing material that may be part of the original exterior.
Removal, disposal, and site access
Replacement creates a different cleanup requirement from a repair. The old siding has to be removed, sorted and taken away, and the work area has to remain accessible while the exterior is open. The estimate accounts for removal and disposal rather than treating tear-off as an afterthought. On a typical Union home, the crew works through the exterior in sections so the project can move from removal to preparation and then into the replacement phase.
What we account for on Union homes
Site visit, replacement estimate
Rural properties around Union often sit on wooded lots with older construction behind the existing siding. We factor in tree cover and moisture patterns, the age and type of sheathing underneath, and how prior additions or repairs may have altered the wall assembly. Driveway length and yard layout also shape how we plan material staging and dumpster placement for the day.
Tear-off and wall inspection
Long drives and limited staging area
Many Union properties sit 100 to 300 feet off the road behind trees or stone walls. We walk the driveway and yard before quoting so we know whether our trailer and dumpster fit, whether we need to hand-carry material an extra distance, and whether a narrow drive changes how we schedule deliveries.
Replacement and cleanup
Original wall assemblies with no house wrap
Homes built or re-sided before the 1990s often have no vapor barrier behind the old siding at all, just sheathing boards or planks nailed straight to the studs. Where that’s the case, we install synthetic house wrap as part of the tear-off, not as an upsell, because leaving a wall with zero moisture protection is not a re-side, it’s a repaint.
Rot and pest damage hidden by shade
Heavy tree canopy keeps siding and sheathing wet longer after rain, and it’s common on these lots to find carpenter ant or moisture damage at sill height and around old window flashing. We probe suspect areas during the estimate with a moisture meter and an awl so the repair allowance in your quote is based on what we actually expect to find, not a guess.
Connecticut licensing and permitting
Union is in Connecticut, and Connecticut requires a Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration for this kind of work — that’s a different requirement than Massachusetts, where our shop is based. We confirm our HIC registration and any local Union permit requirements cover your specific job before we quote it, not after we’ve started.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does siding replacement cost in Union, CT?
Most full tear-off and re-side jobs on Union homes run in the range of typical New England re-siding costs for the square footage involved, plus whatever sheathing or framing repair the crew finds once the old siding is off. We give you a base price and a per-unit repair rate up front so you're not guessing at the final number.
Do you need a Connecticut license to do this work in Union?
Yes. Connecticut requires Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration for this kind of work, separate from Massachusetts requirements where our shop is based. We confirm our registration covers your job before we quote it.
What happens if you find rot or damage behind my old siding?
On homes this age it's common, especially on shaded or north-facing walls. We cut out and replace any soft sheathing or framing before new siding goes on, and that repair is billed at the per-unit rate disclosed in your original quote, not as a surprise change order.
How long does a full re-side take?
A typical Union home runs four to seven working days for tear-off, repair, and install combined, depending on square footage, how much sheathing repair is needed, and access for our trailer and dumpster on longer driveways.
Will you need to add house wrap to my walls?
If your home predates the 1990s and has no vapor barrier behind the current siding, which is common in this area, we install synthetic house wrap as part of the tear-off. It's included in the estimate, not added on later.
How the job runs
Estimate and wall assessment
We walk the exterior, check siding condition, look at flashing and trim, and where we can, check a section behind existing material or in an inconspicuous spot to get a read on what’s underneath. You get a written quote with the base tear-off and install price plus the per-unit repair rate for anything found once we open the wall.
Tear-off and sheathing repair
Old siding comes off in sections so the crew can assess and repair as they go rather than stripping the whole house and leaving it exposed overnight. Any soft sheathing or damaged framing gets cut out and replaced before house wrap and new siding go on. On a typical Union home this stage runs one to three days depending on how much repair the walls need.
Install, trim, and cleanup
New siding, trim, and flashing go on once the wall is sound and wrapped. We haul debris and old material off site daily where the driveway allows it, or stage it for a final pickup at the end of the job. A full re-side on an average Union home, once repairs are known, typically finishes in four to seven working days.
Recent work in and around Union
A common call out here is a cape or farmhouse with 1980s vinyl over original wood clapboard, no house wrap, and soft sheathing along the north wall where the roof overhang is short and rain runs straight down the siding. The fix is the same pattern every time: tear off both layers, replace the damaged boards, wrap the wall properly, and install new siding with correct flashing at the windows and band boards. We’re not going to invent a customer name or a street address for a page like this, but if your house fits that description, you already know it because you’ve been looking at the cupping and cracking for a couple of seasons.
Other services we provide in Union
If your siding is more damaged in a few spots than end to end, our siding repair service in Union may cover it without a full tear-off. For homeowners set on the product side of a re-side — style, color, panel type — see our vinyl siding installation page for Union. We also install James Hardie fiber cement siding for owners of older or historic-style homes who want a different look and durability profile than vinyl. Beyond siding, we handle seamless gutters, replacement windows, and entry doors, since a re-side is a natural time to deal with any of those at once. For a general look at who we are and what we cover in town, visit our siding contractor in Union, CT page, and for the broader service overview see siding replacement.
Free estimates in Union
Union is about 17.8 miles from our Union shop, and we factor that drive into scheduling rather than into the price of your job. Call (508) 506-8957 for a free estimate. We’ll set a time to walk the exterior, check the wall where we can, and give you a written quote covering the base tear-off and install price plus the repair rate for anything found once the old siding comes off. No pressure, no obligation to book on the spot.