One of the unsettling things about replacing siding is that nobody can tell you exactly what is behind it until it comes off. In the Borough of Somerville, Fiore estimates hidden issues show up on 10 to 20 percent of siding jobs in 2026.
| What we asked about | What the record says |
|---|---|
| Frequency of hidden issues | 10 to 20 percent |
| Another way to think about it | Roughly one job in five to ten |
| Three finds, in order | rotted fascia board · ice-dam damage to the overhang · rotted sheathing |
| Does age predict it? | Age is a weak predictor; houses built twenty years ago can have issues |
When Garden State Circle interviewed Vic Fiore on Sept. 2, 2026, this was one of the questions I most wanted answered. Vic Fiore has run Magnolia Home Remodeling Group since 1996, and his company works in Somerville.
A contractor can inspect the exterior before writing an estimate. What the contractor cannot do is see the sheathing and framing behind the material that is still attached to the house.
So we asked Fiore a simple question: How often does the wall come open and reveal something nobody knew was there?
How often do siding jobs uncover a problem?
Fiore’s estimate was 10 to 20 percent.
In the Borough of Somerville, that works out to roughly one job in five to ten in 2026.
That number is high enough that I would want to understand how a contractor handles hidden conditions, but low enough that I would not spend the week before installation imagining everything that could possibly be wrong with my house.
The next question was whether the age of the home gives homeowners much of a clue.
Apparently, not as much as you would think.
“You’d be surprised. Some of these older houses are in perfect condition. And then other houses that were built twenty years ago have issues — signs of water penetration, maybe some dry rot.”
In the Borough of Somerville in 2026, houses built twenty years ago can still have hidden siding issues.
Age alone is a weak predictor. What matters is the condition behind the existing material, and that is the very thing nobody gets to see until the project begins.
What do contractors usually find?
We asked Fiore what tends to come up, and three issues emerged in order.
The first is rotted fascia board, the wood behind the gutter.
“Maybe the gutters have been backing up for years.”
The second is ice-dam damage to the overhang, an area that is easy for homeowners to overlook because it sits at the edge of the roof and behind the gutter.
The third is rotted sheathing.
“Maybe there’s some sheathing that has some rot to it, or damage, after we peeled off all the layers.”
Fiore also put the scale of some of these repairs into perspective.
“whether that means there’s a few sheets of plywood that have to be replaced — which is not the end of the world, that’s not going to break anyone’s budget.”
That distinction matters. Finding damage does not automatically mean finding major structural damage.
What happens when damage is found?
The more practical question is what a contractor does after discovering it.
If damaged material is visible once the siding comes off, Fiore said his company does not want to cover it and keep moving.
“We do not want to go over something that’s rotted or damaged and then have siding fall off the house, and then we’re back at the house performing warranty work or repairs — when we could have just dealt with it right from the beginning.”
From a homeowner’s perspective, the important part is what happens between discovering the problem and fixing it.
We asked Fiore how the homeowner is brought into that process.
“If we encounter an issue, we will immediately bring it to the homeowner’s attention. Now, if they’re not home, if they’re at work, if they’re on vacation — we’ll send them videos, we’ll send them pictures, we’ll FaceTime them, we’ll explain what we see, we’ll give them options.”
That is the process I would ask about before hiring anyone.
If you find something, how will you show it to me? Do I approve the additional work first? What are my options?
Those questions are far more useful than asking a contractor to guarantee that nothing unexpected will be found behind a wall that has not been opened.
Does hidden damage mean something major is wrong?
Fiore said major damage generally comes with warning signs.
“If there’s major damage, the homeowner’s aware of it. They’ve been noticing things that have been going on. Maybe the siding panels are loose. Maybe the siding panels are buckled or popped.”
That was probably the most reassuring part of the interview.
The realistic takeaway is not that every siding project is hiding a major problem. It is that hidden conditions are common enough to discuss before work starts, and the contractor should have a clear process for showing you what was found and explaining what comes next.
FAQ
How often do siding jobs uncover hidden problems in Somerville?
In the Borough of Somerville, Fiore estimates hidden issues show up on 10 to 20 percent of siding jobs in 2026.
What does one job in five to ten mean for Somerville homeowners?
In the Borough of Somerville, Fiore’s estimate of 10 to 20 percent works out to roughly one job in five to ten in 2026.
Can a newer house still have hidden siding problems?
Yes. In the Borough of Somerville in 2026, houses built twenty years ago can still have hidden siding issues.
Verified September 2026. Figures and quotations from a recorded interview with Vic Fiore, Magnolia Home Remodeling Group, September 2, 2026, with figures reviewed by Magnolia on September 4, 2026. Magnolia holds New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor registration 13VH07755300.
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About This Guide
This article is produced by Garden State Circle and is part of our local guide to siding and window contractors serving Somerville.
Garden State Circle is supported by the businesses that partner with us, and Magnolia Home Remodeling Group, Union is an authority partner. We interviewed Vic Fiore, who leads the company, about the siding damage questions Somerville homeowners actually ask. The partnership pays for the reporting; it does not decide the answers. Most of the numbers below are not published anywhere else. This piece is part of our ongoing reporting on Magnolia Home Remodeling Group; see also our reports on what belongs in a roofing or siding contract, what a roof replacement costs in Warren, what replacement windows cost in Bridgewater, what a composite deck costs in Basking Ridge and what siding costs in Basking Ridge.
Further reading: Built to Gather, City Lifestyle’s October 2026 feature on Magnolia Home Remodeling Group.
What the partnership does not buy is the answer. Fiore was asked the same questions we would put to any contractor in this market, and where the honest answer was a number people would rather not hear, that is the number printed.
Garden State Circle is published locally in New Jersey by Jake Slowinski and covers the Borough of Somerville. Contact the publisher at jake@gardenstatecircle.com.
Written by Tiffany Slowinski, Co-Owner, Garden State Circle.
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