Planning a full exterior renovation in Joliet? Order of operations, bundling savings, and how one contractor handles your entire project in Will County.
If your Joliet 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 Joliet tend to need, and how to plan it over one season or several years.
Joliet homes at a glance
Joliet is the Will County seat and one of the oldest cities in the area, so one job can be a limestone-trimmed foursquare near the Cathedral Area and the next a 2004 two-story off Caton Farm Road. Few towns we work in have that much range in a single zip code.
Older Joliet roofs are often steep, cut up with dormers and laid on plank decking instead of plywood. That takes more labor and more care at the valleys than a simple ranch roof.
Many of the older Joliet houses still have original wood double-hungs with rope-and-weight pockets behind the trim. Those pockets are open, uninsulated cavities, so we plan for them at the estimate.
A lot of Joliet's older frame houses are wearing a second or third layer: aluminum or vinyl over the original wood clapboard. We look under a corner before we price so the tear-off is not a surprise.
What Joliet homes usually need first
Near downtown, the Cathedral Area and St. Pat's, 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.
On the west side, in the ranches and Cape Cods built in the 1950s and 1960s, the bones are simple and sound. The usual priorities are a roof if it is due, then windows and the entry door for comfort, then siding and gutters to finish the look. These homes are small enough that doing two projects in one season is realistic.
In the far west subdivisions off Caton Farm Road, everything was installed in the same year, so everything wears out together. Roofs and windows usually go first. Get the roof inspected for hail before paying for one yourself, then plan windows in phases, and finish with siding on the three non-brick sides.
Where we would start in Joliet
In the older parts of Joliet, start by finding out what you have: how many roof layers, what is under the siding, whether the window weight pockets are open. That inspection shapes the whole budget. In the newer west side subdivisions, start with a roof inspection for hail, because an insurance-paid roof frees up money for windows and siding.
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 Joliet
Permit rules are set by the City of Joliet. We check what your project needs and pull the permit when one is required. See everything we do in Joliet, or read the guide for Plainfield, or read the guide for Lockport.
Common questions
Call (331) 250-3726 or request a free consultation in Joliet.