Why a roofing contractor for siding?
The most leak-prone details on a house's exterior are where the roof meets a wall: dormer cheeks, additions, porch roofs and chimneys. Step flashing and kick-out flashing have to tuck behind the siding and weather barrier in the right order. Coordinating siding with roofing and gutters under one contractor removes the finger-pointing between trades.
- Housewrap (weather-resistive barrier) behind the siding. The flashing laps under it so water stays on the outside.
- Step flashing: one L-shaped piece per shingle course, each lapping over the piece below it. Continuous "L" flashing or caulk alone is a common leak source.
- Siding stops above the roof, leaving a clearance gap so it does not wick water or trap debris.
- Kick-out flashing at the bottom turns water away from the wall. Without it, water runs behind the siding and rots the wall.
- Gutter catches the diverted water.
Siding services
We currently offer vinyl siding installation, replacement and repair, including housewrap, flashing, trim, soffit and fascia. If you live in a historic district, see the permit notes on the vinyl siding page before planning a material change.
Siding, roofs and water on local houses
On the houses in our service area, most siding damage starts where the roof meets the wall. An upper roof plane that dies into a wall above a lower roof needs a kick-out flashing to throw water out into the gutter; when that detail is missing, and it very often is, water runs down behind the cladding and rots the sheathing in one concentrated area for years with nothing visible inside. Add a gutter that overflows down the same section of wall every storm, which happens readily under the local tree canopy, and the result is the soft, stained sheathing we find when siding comes off. That is why we treat the roof edge, the flashing, the gutter and the siding as one system rather than four trades.
The local housing stock sets the rest of the agenda. Mid-century ramblers, split-levels and colonials across Bethesda and North Bethesda carry a great deal of original wood trim and aluminum or hardboard siding that is now at the end of its life, often with no housewrap behind it or housewrap lapped the wrong way. Our mixed-humid climate is unforgiving of that: humid summers, wind-driven rain and freeze-thaw cycles all exploit a wall that cannot drain and dry. Replacement is the one practical opportunity to put a proper drainage plane, window and door head flashing, and roof-to-wall flashing behind the new cladding.
Approvals differ sharply by address. Most Bethesda and North Bethesda subdivisions and townhouse communities accept vinyl subject to HOA review of color and profile, while in the Chevy Chase Village Historic District replacing original wood siding on street-visible elevations draws historic scrutiny and goes through the county's permit process. Our siding work is covered under vinyl siding, the flashing and roof-edge corrections behind it under roof repair, and the overflow problem at its source under gutter installation. Where the roof is also near the end of its life, doing both in one project means the flashings are installed in the correct sequence with the wall, which is why we often quote it with a roof replacement.
Frequently asked questions
Can you do siding and roofing in the same project?
Yes, and it is often the best way to do it. Sequencing the roof and walls together lets us install step and kick-out flashing correctly behind the new siding.