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Garage siding & refacing
The house gets new siding and the garage keeps the chalky aluminum from 1987. We re-side and reface detached and attached garages across Chicagoland so the two buildings finally match — and so water stops getting into the sheathing.
When to re-side
How to tell it's time
Garage siding rarely fails all at once. It fails at the bottom, in the back, along the alley side where nobody looks. By the time it's obvious from the street, the sheathing behind it has usually been wet for a few seasons.
- Chalky residue on your hand when you touch the siding — the finish is spent
- Soft spots you can push a thumb into, especially in the bottom 18 inches
- Panels that rattle or have pulled away at the seams
- Daylight visible from inside along the bottom plate
- Peeling paint that comes back within a year of repainting
- Woodpecker or squirrel holes that keep reopening
If two or more of those describe your garage, patching is throwing money at it. A full tear-off and re-side costs less than three rounds of repair and repaint over a decade, and it's the only way to see what the sheathing is doing.
Materials
What we install
All four hold up in Chicago. They differ in what they cost, how they take a hit, and how much maintenance you're signing up for.
| Material | Relative cost | Holds up to | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| LP SmartSide | $$$ | Impact, hail, ladders | Engineered wood with a real grain. Takes paint, so you can recolour it later. Our default recommendation for garages that face an alley. |
| Insulated vinyl | $$$ | Cold, denting | Foam backing adds roughly R-2 to R-3 and stiffens the panel so it doesn't oil-can in the sun. Quietest option. |
| Standard vinyl | $$ | Rain, rot, insects | Cheapest way to a clean result. Never needs painting. Can crack if struck hard in deep cold. |
| Steel | $$$$ | Fire, impact, wind | Longest life of the four and the most durable finish. Heaviest and the most expensive to install. |
Colour matched to your existing house siding in every case.
Scope
What the job includes
Tear-off
Old siding comes off down to the sheathing and leaves with us. No going over the top of what's already failing.
Repair
Soft sheathing and rotted bottom plate get cut out and replaced. We show you anything we find before we price it.
Weather barrier
House wrap and flashing at every penetration, then the new siding, corner posts, and trim.
Finish
Soffit, fascia, seamless gutters, and service-door casing. We sweep the alley and magnet-sweep for nails.
Gutters and grade. Most alley garages have neither. Splashback off bare ground keeps the bottom course wet all season, which is why the rot is always at the bottom. New siding over the same drainage problem gets you another twenty years at best and five at worst. If you only add one thing to the job, add gutters.
Cost
What it runs
Real ranges for a standard Chicagoland garage, including tear-off, disposal, and labour. Your written quote is line-itemed and fixed at signing.
Ranges assume a standing, structurally sound garage. Leaning walls, failed footings, and roof work are priced separately.
Questions
Garage siding FAQ
Can you side the garage without touching the house?
Yes, and it's the most common version of this job. We colour-match the new garage siding to your existing house siding so the two buildings read as one property. Bring us a piece of the old siding or the manufacturer name if you have it; if not, we match off a sample in daylight.
Do you tear off the old siding or go over it?
We tear off. Going over old siding hides exactly the thing you need to see — soft sheathing, rot at the bottom plate, and gaps where water has been getting in. It also builds the wall out past the trim and looks it. Tear-off costs a little more and is the only version we'll warranty.
What if you find rot underneath?
We stop and show you before we do anything about it. Rot at the bottom course is common on alley garages and usually runs the bottom 12–18 inches. You'll get a price for the repair before we continue, not a surprise on the final invoice.
How long does it take?
Most single-car garages are stripped and re-sided in one day. Two-car garages are usually one to two days. Add half a day if the sheathing needs replacing or if we're doing soffit, fascia, and gutters at the same time.
Do I need a permit?
In most Chicagoland municipalities, replacing siding on an existing detached garage is maintenance and doesn't require a permit. Structural repairs, changing the footprint, or replacing a service door opening sometimes do. We check your village's rules before we start and pull the permit if one is needed.
Will new siding help with the cold?
On its own, not much — siding is a water barrier, not an insulator. Insulated vinyl adds roughly R-2 to R-3, which is real but modest. If you're trying to make the garage usable in January, the bigger wins are insulating the walls during tear-off while they're open, and an insulated door.