We install James Hardie fiber cement and insulated vinyl siding in Frankfort, with our own siding crews. Siding has become one of the biggest parts of our business, with more than 5,800 siding customers served.
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.
The homes we work on in Frankfort
What a house needs depends mostly on when and how it was built. Here is what we find in Frankfort and how we handle it.
In and around the historic downtown, the original siding is wood clapboard, sometimes with cedar shingles in the gables, and it is often buried under aluminum or vinyl added decades later. James Hardie lap siding in a narrow exposure with proper corner and frieze boards brings back the original proportions without the repainting. We strip to the sheathing, repair what is soft and add a weather barrier the house never had.
In Prestwick and the other established neighborhoods, you will find cedar, hardboard or T1-11 panel siding that needs paint every few years and is swelling at the bottom edges. Hardboard in particular does not recover once it takes on water. Replacing it with fiber cement or insulated vinyl ends the paint cycle, and we replace the rotted trim and wrap the fascia at the same time.
In the custom-home subdivisions built since the 1990s, siding is an accent material: gables, dormers, bays and the rear elevation, usually paired with brick or stone. That is where mixed profiles work well, such as lap siding on the main walls with board-and-batten or shingle panels in the gables. We keep the trim details crisp because they are what people see from the street.
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.
Signs your siding is due
- Boards that are soft, swollen or crumbling at the bottom edge. Water is being absorbed instead of shed.
- Paint that peels again within a couple of years. Moisture is coming through from behind.
- Cracks, holes or loose panels. Hail and wind damage lets water reach the sheathing.
- Warping or waviness along a wall. Often a sign of rot or trapped moisture underneath.
- Fading so uneven that repairs cannot be matched. At that point patching will always show.
Siding is a rain screen. Once it stops shedding water, the damage moves to the sheathing and framing, which costs far more to fix than the siding itself.
What we install
- James Hardie fiber cement. Our most-installed siding. The HZ5 product line is made for climates with freezing winters, it does not melt, dent easily or feed woodpeckers, and ColorPlus factory finish means no painting at installation. Available as lap siding, shingle panels and board-and-batten.
- Insulated vinyl. A rigid foam backing makes the panel stiffer, quieter and warmer than standard vinyl, and it never needs paint. A good fit when budget matters and the walls could use more insulation.
- LP SmartSide. Engineered wood with a deep grain, lighter than fiber cement, for homeowners who want the look of wood.
Whichever you choose, the job includes removing the old siding, repairing sheathing, a new weather barrier, flashing at every window and door, and new trim. That hidden work is what keeps water out. Compare the materials in James Hardie vs vinyl or try colors on a house in our exterior designer.
How a siding job runs
- Consultation and samples. We measure the house, check the walls for soft spots and bring full-size samples so you can hold colors against your brick, roof and trim in daylight.
- Tear-off and repair. Old siding comes off down to the sheathing. Anything rotted is replaced and shown to you before we cover it.
- Weather barrier and installation. We wrap the house, flash openings, then install siding and trim to the manufacturer's nailing and clearance requirements, which is what keeps the warranty valid.
- Finish and cleanup. Caulk, touch-up, gutters back on, a magnet sweep of the yard and a walkthrough with you.
What drives the price
The size and height of the house, the material, how much trim, soffit and fascia is included, and how much repair we find under the old siding. Two-story walls and many corners or gables add labor. Your estimate is written, itemized and good for 30 days, and 0% financing is available on approved credit. For real numbers, see our siding cost guide.
What Frankfort homeowners can hold us to
- Our own specialized crews. The people who install siding for us do that work every day.
- Written, itemized estimates. You see what each part costs, and the price is good for 30 days.
- No pressure. We explain the options and let you decide. Nobody will sit at your table until you sign.
- Hidden damage shown first. If we open something up and find rot, you see it and approve the repair before we continue.
- Clean job sites. We clean up every day and haul away everything we remove.
We have been doing this for 20+ years from Manhattan, Illinois, and we are rated 5 stars on Google. Read more about how we work.
Permits and scheduling in Frankfort
Permit rules are set by the Village of Frankfort, and they differ from town to town. We check what your project needs before we order, pull the permit when one is required and build the inspection into the schedule. If your home is in a designated historic district, exterior changes may also need design review, and we can provide the product details the reviewers ask for.
Siding can go up in most weather. Vinyl gets brittle in deep cold, so we schedule vinyl jobs around the coldest weeks; fiber cement can be installed through the winter.
Siding Installation questions from Frankfort homeowners
More for Frankfort homeowners
See everything we do in Frankfort, read more about our siding service, or request a free consultation. We also do this work in Mokena, New Lenox, Tinley Park.