Planning a full exterior renovation in Frankfort? Order of operations, bundling savings, and how one contractor handles your entire project in Will County.
If your Frankfort home needs more than one exterior project, the order you do them in saves money and rework. This guide covers what to do first, what homes in different parts of Frankfort tend to need, and how to plan it over one season or several years.
Frankfort homes at a glance
Frankfort has a historic downtown beside the Old Plank Road Trail, the established Prestwick neighborhood, and a large number of custom homes built since the 1990s. Homes here tend to be bigger and more detailed than the area average.
Frankfort's custom homes have some of the most complicated roofs we work on: steep pitches, many hips and valleys, and several roof-to-wall joints. They take longer and need an experienced crew.
Frankfort homes often have specialty shapes: arch tops, large fixed units and tall casement groupings. Those are custom orders, so exact measuring matters more than usual.
A typical Frankfort custom home mixes brick or stone on the front with siding on gables, dormers and the back. Those accent areas are where James Hardie shingle and board-and-batten panels get used most.
What Frankfort homes usually need first
In and around the historic downtown, start with water. Roof, flashing and gutters come first, then rotted trim and siding, then windows. Old houses hide damage under layers of later material, so set aside part of the budget for repairs that cannot be seen until the old siding or shingles come off.
In Prestwick and the other established neighborhoods, wood is the weak point: wood windows, wood or hardboard siding, wood fascia. Check each for rot. Often the siding and windows should be done together, because new siding is trimmed and flashed around the windows and you do not want to disturb it twice.
In the custom-home subdivisions built since the 1990s, the scale changes the plan. A complex roof, a large window package and several doors are each major projects. Most owners take one per year, starting with whatever is letting water in, and keep products consistent across phases so the house still looks like one design.
Where we would start in Frankfort
Frankfort homes are large enough that each trade is a major project, so most owners plan over three or four years. Start with the roof, because a complex roof protects everything else and takes the longest to schedule. Follow with windows and doors, where custom shapes need long lead times, and finish with siding and gutters.
The right order for exterior work
- Roof. Everything below it depends on it. Roofing crews also drop debris, so the roof goes before new siding and gutters.
- Windows and doors. They are flashed into the wall, and that flashing sits behind the siding.
- Siding and trim. Installed after the openings so it can be fitted and sealed around them.
- Gutters, soffit and fascia. Hung last, on the finished roof edge.
If you can only do one thing this year, do the one that is letting water in. Water damage grows; faded siding does not.
One season or several years
Doing everything at once has advantages: one crew schedule, one set of colors chosen together, flashing details done once and often a better price. Phasing spreads the cost. If you phase, tell your contractor the full plan up front so this year's work is built to accept next year's. We keep measurements and color selections on file for that reason, and 0% financing for 12 months is available on approved credit.
Choosing colors that work together
Start with what is not changing: brick, stone and, if it is staying, the roof. Pick siding to sit comfortably with those, then trim, then the front door as the accent. Our exterior designer lets you try combinations on three house styles before you commit.
Permits in Frankfort
Permit rules are set by the Village of Frankfort. We check what your project needs and pull the permit when one is required. Homes in a designated historic district may also need design review for exterior changes. See everything we do in Frankfort, or read the guide for New Lenox.
Common questions
Call (331) 250-3726 or request a free consultation in Frankfort.