Compare siding materials for Downers Grove homes. Vinyl, James Hardie fiber cement, and LP SmartSide reviewed for DuPage County weather performance.
Siding in Downers Grove has to handle freeze and thaw, summer humidity, hail and strong sun on the south and west walls. Three materials do that well: insulated vinyl, James Hardie fiber cement and LP SmartSide engineered wood. Which one suits your house depends mostly on the house itself, so this guide starts there.
Downers Grove homes at a glance
Downers Grove is known for its Sears catalog homes, mail-order kit houses built in the 1910s and 1920s, and for the bungalows and four-squares near the BNSF line. It also has postwar ranches and a steady stream of new homes built on older lots.
On an older Downers Grove house the details carry the look: corner boards, frieze boards, the width of the lap. We match the original exposure so the house still looks its age.
Which siding suits which Downers Grove home
Near downtown and the BNSF line, including the Sears catalog homes, we recommend James Hardie lap siding in a narrow exposure, with real corner boards and window casings. It reads as painted wood from the street, which is what these houses were built with, and it will not need scraping and repainting every few years. Vinyl tends to flatten the trim details that give an older house its character.
In the ranches and split-levels built after the war, insulated vinyl is often the best value. The houses are modest in size, the walls have little insulation, and the foam-backed panel adds stiffness and some warmth. If the budget allows, Hardie on the front wall with vinyl on the other three is a sensible split.
On the blocks where older houses have been replaced with new construction, siding is usually an accent beside brick or stone, so mixed profiles earn their keep: lap on the walls, shingle or board-and-batten in the gables. Hardie and LP SmartSide both offer those profiles. On a house this size the trim package matters as much as the siding.
A typical siding job in Downers Grove
On a Sears home or bungalow, we match the original siding exposure, usually a narrow lap, and rebuild the corner boards, water table and window casings in Hardie trim. Cedar shingle gables are redone in Hardie shingle panels. The house keeps its 1920s look and loses the paint cycle. On new construction blocks, wider lap and board-and-batten are common.
The three materials compared
Insulated vinyl
The least expensive of the three and the easiest to live with. It never needs paint, it washes with a hose, and the foam backing makes it stiffer and quieter than the thin vinyl builders use. Its limits: it can crack in a hard hail storm, it can warp near a grill or strong reflected sunlight, and darker colors fade faster.
James Hardie fiber cement
Our most-installed siding. It is cement-based, so it does not melt, rot or attract woodpeckers and insects, and the HZ5 line is made for climates with freezing winters. ColorPlus factory finish arrives already painted. It costs more than vinyl and is heavier to install, and after many years the finish can be repainted like any painted surface.
LP SmartSide
Engineered wood strands treated against moisture and insects, with a deep wood grain. It is lighter than fiber cement and takes impact well. Cut edges must be sealed and it needs repainting on a longer cycle, so installation quality matters.
What matters more than the brand
Most siding failures we tear off were installation failures: no weather barrier, no flashing above windows, nails driven too tight, siding run into the roof or the ground. A mid-priced material installed properly will outlast a premium one installed badly. Ask any contractor what goes on the wall before the siding does.
Permits in Downers Grove
Permit rules are set by the Village of Downers Grove. We check what your project needs and pull the permit when one is required. See our Downers Grove page for this service, or the same guide for Wheaton.
Common questions
Call (331) 250-3726 or request a free consultation in Downers Grove.