WORCESTER | HOLDEN | SHREWSBURY | LEOMINSTER
Siding replacement done by a general contractor, which means we fix what is behind the old siding rather than covering it up. Vinyl, fiber cement, engineered wood, and cedar across Worcester County.
A siding replacement is a once-in-thirty-years event, and it is the only occasion in the life of a house when the exterior walls are opened up from outside. What happens during that window determines a great deal about how the house performs for the next three decades.
This is where a general contractor and a siding installer diverge. A siding crew is paid to hang siding, and the fastest path to that is going over what is already there, or tearing off and putting new material straight back up on whatever they find. A general contractor looks at the sheathing, the band joist, the sill, the flashing at every window and door, and the wall cavity, because all of it is accessible exactly once and all of it is expensive to reach again later.
Andrew Mercurio is a fourth-generation builder who came up in masonry and grew ARM Construction into a full general contracting company. When we open a wall and find rot at a sill or a band joist, we are qualified to fix it rather than call someone. Andrew holds Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License #CS-093044 and the company holds Home Improvement Contractor Registration #153199.
It gets offered because it is faster and cheaper, and it is a bad idea in almost every case.
Going over existing siding means nobody looks at the sheathing. Rot that has been developing behind a failed window flashing for a decade gets sealed inside the wall for another twenty years, still wet, still spreading. Failed housewrap stays failed. The added thickness makes window and door trim details awkward and leaves you with reveals that look wrong. And it voids most manufacturer warranties, which is worth reading the fine print on before anyone starts.
Tear-off runs roughly $1 to $3 per square foot including hauling and disposal. On a typical house that is a real number, and it is also the single most valuable line item in the project, because everything else on this page depends on someone actually seeing the wall.
What we look for once the old siding is off: rot in the sheathing, sills, band joists, and around window and door openings. Failed or missing flashing, particularly the head flashing above windows, which is the most common water entry point on a New England house. Condition of the weather-resistive barrier. Insulation, or the absence of it, which on Worcester County homes built before 1970 is frequently the absence of it. Any structural issue that has been hiding.
Most of the housing stock in this county predates 1970, and a lot of it has little or no insulation in the exterior walls. Retrofitting that normally means drilling and dense-packing from outside or opening walls from inside, both of which are disruptive and neither of which is cheap.
During a re-side, the wall is already open from the outside. Adding insulated siding, rigid exterior foam, or dense-pack in the cavity costs a fraction of what the same work costs as a standalone job, because the access is already paid for.
There is also money attached to it in Massachusetts. Mass Save does not rebate siding itself, but it does cover a substantial share of eligible wall insulation and air sealing for qualifying homeowners, and its HEAT Loan offers zero percent financing for qualifying efficiency improvements. Homeowners routinely re-side without ever finding out whether they qualified, which is a genuinely expensive thing not to ask about. Start with a Mass Save home energy assessment before the project, not after.
Beyond the rebate, the practical effect on an older Worcester County house is real. A wall that has been empty since 1955 is why the room over the garage is cold and why the heating bill is what it is.
Vinyl is the most common siding in New England and there is a reason for it. It is affordable, it is effectively maintenance free, and it comes in a wide range of colors. In Central Massachusetts standard vinyl runs roughly $6 to $12 per square foot installed. The honest tradeoffs are that it can become brittle over time in this climate and it is more vulnerable to impact damage from falling branches, which matters on the wooded lots common in Princeton, Sterling, and Holden.
Insulated vinyl adds a bonded layer of rigid foam, running roughly $8 to $14 per square foot installed. It adds R-value and impact resistance for a modest premium over standard vinyl, and it is worth pricing on any older house.
Engineered wood, such as LP SmartSide, runs roughly $8 to $14 per square foot installed and gives a real wood look with treated strand board that resists rot and insects better than natural cedar. It is often the better value than fiber cement when the goal is the wood aesthetic.
Fiber cement, with James Hardie the dominant brand, generally lasts 30 to 50 years and handles freeze-thaw cycling, moisture, and impact better than the alternatives. It is the premium durability choice in this market and it prices accordingly.
Cedar clapboard and shingles look right on an older New England home in a way nothing else quite manages, and on a historic house in a village center it is frequently the correct answer rather than the expensive one. It requires maintenance.
Whatever goes on the wall, the assembly behind it is what determines the lifespan. A weather-resistive barrier is not optional in this climate, and flashing at every window, door, and penetration is what actually keeps water out. Siding sheds most of the water. The layer behind it handles what gets past.
In Central Massachusetts, siding replacement generally runs $6 to $18 per square foot of wall area installed, depending on material. For a typical single-family home with 1,500 to 2,000 square feet of siding surface, that comes out roughly as follows.
Vinyl lands between $12,000 and $28,000. Engineered wood runs $18,000 to $34,000. Cedar runs $20,000 to $40,000. Fiber cement runs $22,000 to $45,000 or more. The Boston area runs 15 to 30 percent higher than Central Massachusetts for identical scope.
One thing worth understanding about how siding is priced. It is measured by exterior wall area, not by the floor area of your house. A two-story colonial has substantially more wall than a ranch with the same square footage, and it also requires staging, which adds labor. Architectural detail costs money too. Dormers, bays, multiple gables, and complicated trim all take time that a plain rectangle does not.
The other variable is what is behind the old siding, and nobody can price that honestly before the tear-off. What we can do is tell you at the estimate what we expect to find based on the age and condition of the house, and give you a number for the repair work if we find it.
Permits. Most Massachusetts municipalities require a building permit for a full siding replacement. We handle the application and the inspections.
Historic districts. Homes in local historic districts may need commission approval of materials and colors before work starts, and that review takes time. Several communities in our service area have historic districts, and the requirements differ between a local historic district commission, which has real authority over exterior changes, and a National Register listing, which generally does not restrict private work. Worth confirming which applies to your property early.
Lead. If your home was built before 1978, federal lead-safe work practices apply to exterior renovation disturbing more than twenty square feet of painted surface. A siding tear-off always exceeds that threshold. Massachusetts is not an authorized state for the federal Renovation, Repair and Painting program, so the EPA administers it directly here. Given that the large majority of Worcester County housing predates 1978, this applies to most siding projects in this area and should be part of the plan from the beginning.
We do siding and exterior work in Worcester, Holden, Princeton, Sterling, West Boylston, and Boylston, along with Shrewsbury, Leominster, Westborough, Northborough, Southborough, and Grafton.
Siding is often worth combining with other exterior work. If you are considering windows, a deck, stone veneer, or an addition, doing it while the staging is up and the walls are open saves both money and disruption. The same is true in reverse: if you are planning a home remodel, that is the moment to deal with the exterior rather than three years later.
What Our Customers Say
I can't say enough good things! I needed a small finish job done at the last minute, and Andrew made it happen quickly and without any stress. The craftsmanship was perfect and everything looks amazing. I'm extremely happy and would recommend him to anyone!
Andrew and his team are detail-oriented. They are skilled and helped me understand the process of renovating my kitchen. Fantastic communication & high quality service! I am so lucky to have them and recommend them to anyone! When they built my deck, it was so fast & efficient! Call Andrew, you won't regret it
Andrew replaced a garden window in my kitchen, and a sliding door. He did a meticulous job, and went above and beyond to accommodate some special requests that I had. His attention to detail and willingness to do whatever it took to make me happy didn't go unnoticed. Will definitely use him each and every time!
Here is what Worcester County homeowners ask us most about siding. If your question is not here, call us at (774) 249-0221.
In Central Massachusetts, siding replacement generally runs $6 to $18 per square foot of wall area installed, depending on material. For a typical single-family home with 1,500 to 2,000 square feet of siding surface, that works out to roughly $12,000 to $28,000 for vinyl, $18,000 to $34,000 for engineered wood, $20,000 to $40,000 for cedar, and $22,000 to $45,000 or more for fiber cement. The Boston area runs 15 to 30 percent higher for the same scope. Siding is priced on exterior wall area rather than floor area, so a two-story home costs considerably more than a ranch with the same square footage.
Tear it off. Siding over existing material is faster and cheaper, and it is also how rot, failed flashing, and water damage get sealed up inside a wall for another twenty years. It voids most manufacturer warranties, it adds thickness that makes trim and window details awkward, and it means nobody ever looked at the sheathing. Tear-off costs roughly $1 to $3 per square foot including disposal. It is the single best money you will spend on the project, because it is the only time anyone will see what your walls are actually made of.
It is the best time, and in Massachusetts there is money attached to it. Once the old siding is off, the wall cavity and the exterior are both accessible in a way they never are otherwise. Mass Save does not rebate siding itself, but it does cover a substantial share of eligible wall insulation and air sealing for qualifying homeowners, and its HEAT Loan program offers zero percent financing for qualifying efficiency work. Adding insulated siding or rigid exterior foam during a re-side costs a fraction of what the same work costs as a standalone project later.
In most Massachusetts municipalities, yes, a full siding replacement requires a building permit. Homes in local historic districts may also need commission approval of materials and colors before work begins. If your home was built before 1978, federal lead-safe work practices apply to exterior work disturbing more than twenty square feet of painted surface, which a siding tear-off always exceeds. We handle the permitting and coordinate the inspection schedule as part of the project.
Fiber cement generally lasts 30 to 50 years and handles freeze-thaw cycling, moisture, and impact better than most alternatives, which is why it has become the default premium choice in Massachusetts. Vinyl is the most common material in New England for good reason, since it is affordable and effectively maintenance free, though it can become brittle over time and is more vulnerable to impact from falling branches. Cedar looks the part on an older New England home and lasts well when maintained, but it does require maintenance. Whatever goes on the wall, the weather barrier and flashing behind it determine how long the assembly actually lasts.
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ARM Construction & Management Inc
131 Houghton Road
Princeton, MA 01541
(774) 249-0221
Licensed and insured in Massachusetts. MA CSL #CS-093044 | MA HIC Reg. #153199
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