Traditional refinement
Restraint, symmetry, and deepened trim — making a classic elevation more itself.
How this changes the home
The whole face of the home changes at once — field, trim, and shadow lines working together instead of accumulating separately.
Underneath the finished look, the wall gets a way to dry: water is kept moving out, not in.
The places where siding meets roof, grade, and masonry stop collecting problems and start reading resolved.
What you’ll choose
Lap siding
Horizontal boards with a steady shadow line — the familiar rhythm of most American streets.
- Choose it when
- You want a classic face that suits nearly any home and resells without explanation.
- Think twice when
- The elevation is tall and narrow — horizontal lines can make it feel squat.
Ranches, colonials, and most postwar Central Ohio stock.
Board-and-batten
Vertical rhythm that reads taller and more crafted.
- Choose it when
- You have gables or farmhouse-leaning elevations that vertical lines flatter.
- Think twice when
- On a low ranch it can fight the proportions.
Gable fields, entries, and accent walls — often mixed with lap on the same home.
Shake and staggered-edge
Textured, hand-laid character with softer shadow lines — the craftsman register.
- Choose it when
- The home has cottage or craftsman bones and you want warmth over crispness.
- Think twice when
- You want a minimal, modern face — shake reads busy on clean elevations.
Gables and upper stories more often than whole walls.
Trim as its own decision
Corner boards, window surrounds, frieze and fascia — the lines that make siding look finished rather than applied.
- Choose it when
- Always. Trim proportion is where a re-side visibly succeeds or fails.
- Think twice when
- A quote treats trim as an afterthought line-item — that is where corners get cut.
Wider surrounds generally flatter prewar homes; slimmer profiles suit modern ones.
How Westmere helps you choose
You will not be handed a catalog and left to guess. Westmere walks the options with you against your actual house — what suits the architecture, what solves the problem, what can wait — and puts the recommendation in one clear written plan before any work begins, with one point of contact from the first visit to the final walkthrough.
Why homeowners choose Westmere.
- Help choosing products that fit the house — not a pitch for whatever’s on the truck.
- One clear written plan before work begins.
- One accountable point of contact, first visit to final walkthrough.
How we install it correctly
The technical detail, for readers who want it.
A better finish starts underneath.
New siding changes the whole look of your home. A clear plan covers what comes off, what stays, and how the walls are protected before the finished work goes on.
We remove what needs to come off, check the wall below, and prepare it before new siding and trim go on. You see the finished home; the hidden work helps it last. If the old siding hides soft wood or water damage, we show you what we found and explain the repair before covering the wall again.
Behind the finished work: hidden water protection, careful sealing around windows and doors, and clean trim at every edge.
Which siding fits your home?
The right choice depends on the look you want, the weather your home faces, and how you want to maintain it. We compare the options without pushing one material everywhere.
Fiber cement
Fiber cement gives a crisp painted finish and holds its shape through changing weather. It handles sun and changing seasons well. Because the boards are heavy and harder to repair, careful handling matters from delivery through the final coat of paint.
Engineered wood
Engineered wood works well with traditional trim and a warm painted look. It is lighter and can be shaped around older details. Every exposed edge needs protection so water stays out and the painted finish holds up.
Siding’s real job is keeping water out
All siding leaks a little. Wind-driven rain finds the seams and nail holes, especially in a Columbus spring when storms come in sideways. Good siding work plans for that: a moisture barrier under the siding, room for water to drain down and out, and flashing that steers it away from the framing.
Peeling paint, swollen boards, and stains near the bottom are symptoms. The real cause is almost always water getting behind the siding somewhere above. Replacing boards without fixing the water path just buys the same problem again.
The details that keep walls dry
We layer the moisture barrier like shingles, so gravity works for the wall instead of against it. Where a roofline runs into a wall, we install kick-out flashing — a small piece of metal that throws water into the gutter instead of behind your siding, and prevents one of the most common rot spots in central Ohio homes. We also keep siding up off the ground and off the roof surface, because siding that touches wet mulch or shingles soaks up water from below.
Trim
Trim is where water concentrates, so it is where siding jobs usually go wrong. We seal cut ends before they go up, slope or cap surfaces that catch water, and place joints away from the wettest spots. Caulk has a job, but it wears out — a joint that depends only on caulk fails when the caulk does. A joint that is flashed and lapped correctly keeps working long after.
Picking a material
There is no best siding — just tradeoffs. Fiber cement is tough, fire-resistant, and holds paint well, but it is heavy and harder to repair. Engineered wood is lighter and handles cleanly, but its cut edges need sealing. Vinyl is affordable and never needs paint, but it moves with temperature and can crack in the cold. Wood is the most repairable and the most demanding — it needs recoating on a schedule. Materials we specify include James Hardie fiber cement and LP SmartSide engineered wood, plus vinyl and wood where they fit. In Ohio’s freeze-thaw climate, how siding is installed matters more than the logo on the carton.
What a correct install looks like
- The moisture barrier laps like shingles, and window flashing ties into it — not over it.
- Courses are laid out before the first board goes on, so the lines stay straight and land cleanly at windows.
- Nails are the right type, spacing, and depth. Overdriven nails crush fiber cement and dimple vinyl.
- Siding keeps its required gaps at the roof, at flashings, and above the ground.
- Every roof-wall intersection and opening gets flashing.
None of this shows in the finished photo. All of it decides whether your walls are dry in ten years.
FAQ
Questions homeowners ask
- Should I choose fiber cement or engineered wood siding?
- Both can create a durable, painted appearance. Fiber cement is heavy and needs careful cutting and fastening. Engineered wood is lighter but depends on protected cut edges and correct clearances. We compare appearance, maintenance, exposure, and budget.
- Can new siding be installed over the old siding?
- Sometimes, but covering the old material limits inspection of the wall and can complicate flashing around windows and doors. The home’s condition should determine whether removal is included.
- What is kick-out flashing?
- It is a small angled piece where a roof ends against a wall. It directs roof water into the gutter instead of allowing it to run behind the siding.
- Can siding be installed in cold weather?
- Yes, when the siding, sealants, and finish products can be installed within their temperature limits. The method and weather-sensitive steps depend on the material.
- How do I know if there is moisture damage behind my existing siding?
- Peeling paint, swollen boards, stains below windows or roof edges, and soft trim can be warning signs. The full condition may not be visible until material is removed; any added repair should be discussed first.
From the field Practical notes before you decide
See what new siding could change.
We will review the existing siding and explain the material choices.