Siding and Window Contractors in Mendham, Chester and West Morris, NJ

Replacing Siding or Windows in New Jersey: What I’d Want to Know Before I Spend the Money

By Tiffany Slowinski

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There are few home projects less exciting to spend money on than windows you already have.

At least with a new kitchen, you get to stare at something pretty when it is over.

With windows, the dream is basically that they open, close, keep the weather outside and stop making the room next to them feel 12 degrees colder than the rest of the house.

Siding is slightly more fun because it can completely change how your house looks. It is also the kind of project where one estimate turns into a conversation about house wrap, trim, insulation, flashing and five other things I did not know I was supposed to have an opinion about.

I do not want to become an expert in siding or windows.

I want to know enough to make a smart decision.

Do I actually need to replace this?

This would be my first question.

A drafty room does not automatically mean every window in the house needs to go. Siding that looks tired does not necessarily mean the entire exterior has failed.

Before someone gives me a giant replacement number, I want to know what is actually wrong.

Can it be repaired? Is the problem the window itself, the installation around it or something else? Is the siding damaged or do I just hate the color?

There is a big difference between “this needs to be replaced” and “if you are planning to stay here another 15 years, this is probably the right time to replace it.”

I want the person who can explain that difference.

If I replace the windows, what am I actually buying?

Window shopping gets technical very quickly.

There are different materials, glass packages, styles, manufacturers and installation methods. Then everyone starts talking about efficiency ratings and suddenly I am pretending I know what all of the numbers mean.

I do not.

What I actually care about is much simpler.

Will these windows make the house more comfortable? Will they be easier to open and clean? Will they reduce drafts? Will they look right with the house? What maintenance will they need? How long should I reasonably expect them to last?

And I want to understand exactly what is being replaced.

Is the contractor installing a replacement window into the existing frame, or removing everything and doing a full-frame replacement? Why are they recommending one over the other for my house?

That answer matters a lot more to me than a brochure with 14 performance charts.

Will the new siding make my house look better or just newer?

This is probably the question women are actually asking.

Because technically new siding can be perfectly good and still make a beautiful house look cheap.

I would want to see completed homes that are similar to mine.

Not one perfect manufacturer photo.

Actual houses.

Show me the trim around the windows. Show me the corners. Show me how you handled the front entry, soffits and architectural details. Show me what the house looks like from the street when everything is finished.

The siding itself is only part of what you are looking at.

The details are what make the house feel polished instead of wrapped in plastic.

Vinyl, fiber cement, wood or something else?

This is where I want someone to ask me questions before giving me an answer.

How much maintenance am I willing to do?

How long do I expect to stay in the house?

What style is the house?

What does the neighborhood look like?

How important is the exact color or texture to me?

There is not one siding material that automatically makes sense for every house.

I would be suspicious of anyone who recommends the same thing before they have even looked at mine.

Should I do the siding and windows at the same time?

Maybe.

If both projects are coming soon anyway, there can be practical reasons to coordinate them. The window trim, flashing and siding all meet in the same places.

That does not mean I am signing up for a second major project because somebody tells me it is “easier while we are here.”

Show me why.

What gets done differently if I do them together? What would have to be redone later if I separate them? Is there an actual savings or just convenience?

If doing both makes sense, great.

I just want the math and the reasoning before we turn one project into two.

What happens when you take the old siding off?

This would be high on my list because houses have a funny habit of hiding expensive things.

What happens if you find rot?

What if the sheathing underneath needs repair?

What if the house wrap is missing or damaged?

Is any of that included in the quote? If not, how will additional work be priced?

I am fine with the reality that nobody can see through my walls.

I am less fine with a vague contract followed by a series of surprises once half the house is exposed.

Tell me what you can know now and what could reasonably change later.

Who is actually doing the work?

This is one I would ask directly.

Is the crew working on my house employed by the company I hired or subcontracted?

If it is subcontracted, that is not automatically a problem.

I just want to know.

Who supervises the job? Who do I call if something does not look right? Who is responsible for the workmanship warranty after the project is finished?

Your salesperson may be wonderful.

They are probably not the person who will be standing on the ladder outside your bedroom window.

Is the contractor actually registered in New Jersey?

This sounds basic, but it is worth checking.

Siding and window contractors in New Jersey are home improvement contractor businesses. The state requires them to register, and the registration number begins with 13VH.

That is a registration, not a trade license or a test of how talented someone is.

Still, I want the company doing a major exterior project on my house to exist in the state record.

One thing we found while researching this guide is that the name on a contractor’s website does not always match the legal business name in the state database. The office town can be different too.

That does not automatically mean anything is wrong.

It does mean Googling a company name is not always enough to verify it.

That is why we did it for you.

If my house was built before 1978, I would ask one more question

A lot of homes in and around Mendham are older.

Federal lead-safe renovation rules apply when siding or window replacement disturbs painted surfaces on homes built before 1978.

I am not asking the homeowner to become an expert in federal regulations either.

I would simply ask the contractor: Is my house old enough for the lead-safe rule to apply, and does your company have the certification required for this work?

That is a much better question to ask before the siding comes off.

What exactly is included in this quote?

This is where I slow down.

What product line are you installing?

What trim is included?

What happens around windows and doors?

Is removal and disposal of the old material included?

Who handles permits if they are needed?

What is the workmanship warranty?

What does the manufacturer warranty cover?

What could cost extra once the project begins?

If two estimates are $15,000 apart, I want to know why.

Sometimes one contractor is more expensive.

Sometimes the two contractors are not actually quoting the same job.

Those are very different things.

I care a lot about how someone explains all of this

This is probably my biggest test with any contractor.

Can you explain what my house needs without making me feel like an idiot?

Can you tell me what matters and what is optional?

Can you say, “You do not need to spend money on that right now”?

That last one earns a lot of trust with me.

I do not need the cheapest person.

I want the person whose explanation makes sense.

So how do you narrow down the list?

That is why Garden State Circle built this guide differently.

We started with companies that actually publish siding or window work in Mendham, Chester and West Morris or the surrounding Morris County area, then checked their New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor registration against the state record.

The guide currently includes 3 companies.

We show you the company name, where it says it is located, what services it publishes and what the state registration actually says.

We are not ranking them.

A state registration cannot tell you whether someone will do beautiful work. A five-star review cannot tell you whether they are the right contractor for your particular house.

What we can do is give you a much better place to start.

Because if I am spending this much money on the outside of my house, I want more than a pretty website and a yard sign.

I want to know who I am hiring, what they are actually proposing and why it makes sense for my house.