I've been replacing siding on homes in Portland for over 25 years and my main focus is to educate my clients on the best processes, not just trying to sell them siding. Your siding replacement project should last at least 30 years, unfortunately most replacement siding jobs last between 8 and 12 years and have to be torn off and replaced due to faulty installation practices and low quality materials. I have a saying, "Don't Reside Your Reside" and unfortunately I reside homes every year that had siding installed 8-12 years prior, often with the same exact product. Below we've included some areas of focus that you should be considering when thinking about hiring a Portland siding contractor. Educate yourself!
When hiring a siding replacement contractor you should be focused on the following questions;
What Is Their Quality Control Process? At LRS we use all in-house installers for our siding replacement projects. Many of our crews have been with us for over 10 years. By eliminating the use of sub-contractors we ensure that we have a solid working relationship with our crews and they know the quality standards that we demand. Most siding replacement companies sub-contract out the work to people they don't know leading to multiple quality control issues as subs are more concerned with getting the job done quickly, so they can make more $$$$. We also have a dedicated production team focused on quality control checks throughout the project as well as the close out process ensuring that the job that was sold to our clients is the job that was done. Download our information packet here to get more detailed information on our siding replacement processes.
Accreditations, Awards, & Reviews: A great siding contractor should be readily apparent during the research process online. You should be looking for companies with hundreds of online reviews via Google, Angieslist.com, Yelp, Houzz etc... as well as affiliations with the BBB and other remodeling organizations such as the NAHB, and the NAKB (If a remodeling contractor) . LRS is one of the top-rated exterior remodeling contractors on Angi.com, and Google. We are a member of the BBB, the NAHB, the NAKB, and have won the Big 50 Award from remodeling magazine as well as being the top-rated Hardieplank Preferred Remodeler in Oregon. Click here to read through our reviews we've received over the years.
References Specific To Your Project: Any great contractor should be able to provide you with pages of great references. However, you should demand that they provide references specific to your project. If you have a 1904 Craftsman home in need of a full exterior remodel than getting references of homes built in the 1990's isn't good enough. Your siding replacement contractor should be able to provide you with a reference packet of homes similar to your project so that you can be sure they understand the complexities, and the correct materials to use. At LRS we provide our clients with our standard reference packet for homes built after 1960 as well as our "restoration" reference packet for homes built between 1900 and 1960. This ensures that our prospective clients feel confident that we can execute their exterior remodeling project no matter when their house was built.
Demand A Detailed Quote: Most siding replacement contractors provide a one, maybe two page generic quote to their prospective clients. This is not goof enough. You should be receiving a detailed description at the initial meeting of everything the contractor is including as well as the materials that are being used and the quote you receive should list all of the things discussed in detail. This ensures that their is no wiggle room for the contractor to try and short you on the scope of work and than charge you additional $$$ in change orders to make up for the initial low price that was given. This is probably the oldest trick in the contracting book. Quality contractors will detail everything that they will be doing on both the labor and material side and give you pricing that is reflective of a "finished" job with little room for extras.
Quality Materials: Demand that your siding contractor use the best materials available PERIOD. Low priced materials have a lifespan of 8-12 years (sometimes less). High-quality materials should last for 30 years (or longer) eliminating costly maintenance in the future. At LRS our goal is for our siding systems to last a MINIMUM of 30 years and the only maintenance item our client deals with is repainting. By using high-end paints from Benjamin Moore we are able to get 12-15 years on our average paint job which is almost double what you'd get from a siding contractor using a "contractor grade" exterior paint. Below is a list of some of the materials that we se ensuring our clients jobs will last the lifetime of their home;
-Hardieplank Siding
-Premium Cedar Siding
-Cultured Stone
-GAF Roofing
What Type Of Warranty Do They Offer? When asking about the contractors warranty we recommend that you ask how long they've been in business and how many houses does that company have under warranty. Most siding replacement contractors offer a Lifetime Warranty these days and unfortunately 80% of siding contractors in Portland go out of business within 5 years. We are in our 26th year and have over 4000 homes currently under warranty proving that we back up our Lifetime Warranty with actions, not words.
Ready To Take The Next Step?
If you're ready to hire a Portland siding contractor than fill out the Request An Estimate form and you will be contacted by a project consultant who will answer any questions you may have and schedule a free in-home consultation.
Not Quite Ready, Still Need More Info?
Not quite ready to have us out to take a look at your project? No problem.
Download our Information Packet or check out our Houzz Page with reviews, additional project info and pictures on completed projects our company has done over the years.
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