Most of the calls we get about “getting ready” come in the week before we begin, once the excitement of picking a color and material has worn off and the reality of a crew working at your house starts to set in. That’s normal. Even if you have prepared for a roofing project before, siding installation requires more access around your home because crews work along nearly every exterior wall. A siding job touches almost every side of your home at once, and there are a few things we ask every homeowner to handle ahead of time so our guys can move efficiently instead of working around obstacles that could’ve been cleared the day before.
None of this is complicated. It’s mostly about giving us room, access, and a clear path, and protecting the things inside your home that vibration and noise can affect. Here’s what we walk you through before we ever pull up with a truck.
Start With the Siding Project Timeline
Before anything else, we’ll confirm with you exactly when work begins and roughly how long it’ll take. Weather moves things around more than people expect, and a start date that felt firm two weeks out can shift by a few days once we’re juggling multiple jobs on the same block. We’ll keep you posted, but if you haven’t heard from us the week of, call the office. We’d rather answer that question than have you wondering.
Clear Off the Driveway Before We Arrive
Replacement siding materials take up more room than people expect, especially once a dumpster gets added into the mix. Before our crew shows up:
- Decide where you’d like materials staged on your driveway, and clear that section ahead of time
- If your job involves tear-off, make sure there’s enough space for a dumpster delivery and pickup without blocking your garage or a neighbor’s access
A driveway that’s already cleared saves us from having to work around your car, your bikes, or a trailer that’s been sitting there since last summer.
Give Us Access to Power
Our installers run tools that need power, and an exterior outlet is the easiest way to give it to us. If you’ve got one, make sure it’s working and accessible. If you don’t, an extension cord run from an interior outlet through a window or door works fine, and it’s worth setting that up before we arrive instead of scrambling on day one.
Keep Pets Safely Out of the Way
One simple step to preparing your home: keep dogs, cats, and any other pets inside and away from doors, and gates while we’re working. Gates get propped open, ladders go up against the house, and there’s a lot of unfamiliar activity and noise. Even the calmest animal can get spooked or slip out during a job like this, so plan on keeping pets indoors and away from exterior doors for the duration.
Take Fragile Items Off the Walls
Siding installation work involves a fair amount of vibration, especially during tear-off, and that vibration travels through the structure more than most homeowners expect. Before we start, prepare to:
- Take down pictures, mirrors, and artwork hanging on exterior-facing walls
- Move collectibles or anything fragile that’s displayed on shelves near those walls
- Pay extra attention to anything irreplaceable, even if it doesn’t seem like it’s in the direct line of our work
We’ve had frames shift and pictures fall off hooks on walls that weren’t anywhere near where our crew was actually working that day. It’s a five-minute task on your end that saves you a headache.
Clear the Yard Around Your House
Anything sitting close to your exterior walls needs to move before we start. That includes patio furniture, grills, planters, and anything else that could get in our way or get damaged by falling debris. Disconnect garden hoses and move them away from the work area too. A hose left connected near the house is an easy thing for one of our guys to trip on or accidentally cut.
Trim Back What’s Growing Against the Walls
Trim trees, shrubs, or bushes away from the siding around your entire residence. Vines and vegetation that have grown directly against the home exterior need to come down entirely, not just trimmed, since we can’t install siding over plant growth, and pulling it off mid-job slows our crew down. If this feels like more than you want to tackle yourself, mention it when we do your estimate. We can usually work it into the plan.
Prepare Meters, Faucets, and Fixtures
Utility meters, exterior faucets, cable lines, and other fixtures mounted to your home sometimes need to come off temporarily while we work. Make sure we have clear access to these areas, and don’t be surprised if you see our crew detach and reattach them as part of the project. It’s a normal part of doing the work right, not a sign something’s gone wrong.
What to Expect Once We Start the Siding Replacement
A siding replacement project is, at its core, a construction project, and that comes with noise, debris, and our vehicles parked around your property for the duration. Prepare for ladders against the house, materials staged in the yard, and our guys coming and going throughout the day. That’s normal, even on a job that’s going exactly the way it should.
Walk the Property When After Siding Installation Process is Complete
Once we’ve wrapped up the siding installation process, take a lap around your home and take a real look, from the roofing to the yard- not just a glance from the driveway. Take a closer look at the siding trim around windows, doors, corners, and rooflines to confirm each piece sits straight and securely. Check the ground for stray nails or construction debris, look at your landscaping for anything that got disturbed, and check that everything we temporarily removed, like faucets or fixtures, got put back correctly to your design. If you notice anything that needs attention, tell us. We’d rather hear about it and fix it than have you living with something that isn’t sitting right.
Handeland Construct is Here to Help
Preparing your property is only one part of a smooth siding project process. Clear communication from your contractors matters just as much. Handeland Construct brings more than 10 years of exterior experience to Central Iowa homes. As a James Hardie Alliance Select Contractor company, our team follows manufacturer installation requirements and backs every replacement and siding installation project with a five-year workmanship warranty. We explain the schedule, siding installation material delivery, property access, and daily expectations before work begins. If you are considering new siding, contact Handeland Construct for a free consultation and a clean guide for your project process.
