Virginia’s #1 James Hardie installer.

Siding fails at the edges, not in the middle

The wide open runs of a wall almost never give trouble. Problems start where siding meets something else — around windows, at the bottom course near grade, where a deck ledger is bolted through, where a roof line dies into a wall. Water finds the joint, gets behind the cladding, and then it is working on the sheathing where nobody can see it.

Two clearances cause more callbacks in this area than anything else. Fiber cement wants roughly six inches between the bottom edge and the soil, and about two inches above a roof or deck surface. Tuck it in tighter than that — and plenty of installers do, because it looks neater — and the board wicks moisture straight up off the ground.

Fiber cement or insulated vinyl, honestly

James Hardie fiber cement is heavy, rigid, and holds a paint finish for a long time. It does not melt, and squirrels and woodpeckers have no interest in it. It costs more, it takes longer to hang, and it wants a crew that has done it before, because cutting and fastening it badly shows.

Insulated vinyl gets unfairly dismissed. Modern insulated panels are rigid, hold their line, and add real R-value across the studs, which is where a wall loses most of its heat. It costs less and installs faster. It will not give you the shadow line and edge crispness of fiber cement, and dark colours can be harder on it in full afternoon sun.

There is no universally right answer. On a house with heavy tree cover and moisture problems we lean one way; on a 1970s colonial with a cold north wall and a sensible budget we often lean the other.

The bit that decides whether it lasts

Vinyl has to float. It expands and contracts a surprising amount between a January morning and a July afternoon, so it is hung, not pinned — nail in the centre of the slot, do not drive the head tight to the nailing hem. Pin it and you get the wavy look people blame on cheap material when it was actually the installation.

Fiber cement is the opposite problem: it is unforgiving. Overdrive a nail and you crush the board around the head. Butt joints need flashing behind them. Cut edges need sealing. None of this is exotic, it is just work that takes time, and it is the first thing to disappear when a crew is being paid by the square.

What you actually get in writing

We are a James Hardie Elite Preferred contractor. HardiePlank lap, HardiePanel vertical, HardieShingle and HardieSoffit carry a 30 year non-prorated transferable limited warranty, and the ColorPlus finish carries a separate 15 year limited finish warranty against peeling, cracking and chipping.

On the vinyl side, Alside carries a Double Lifetime Warranty against blistering, corroding, flaking and peeling under normal use and service, plus Lifetime Limited Fade Protection and a 50 year transferable warranty to the next owner — and Alside siding, soffit and accessories are also warranted against hail damage, which matters here more than people expect.

Our installation crews are our own, factory trained and certified by the manufacturers whose products they install. We have been siding houses in Northern Virginia since 1993.

How much does siding replacement cost in Northern Virginia?

Most full vinyl siding replacements run $10,000–$22,000, and James Hardie fiber cement typically runs $18,000–$45,000 for a single-family home — smaller and simpler homes come in below those ranges. We’ve published detailed local pricing guides — see siding replacement cost in Northern Virginia and James Hardie siding cost.

What moves the number: the size and number of stories, the material and grade you choose, how much trim work is included, and what the tear-off reveals — hidden sheathing rot is a common surprise, which is why our quote comes after we’ve actually examined your walls, not from a phone estimate.

Financing is available — ask during your free estimate or see our financing page. And if your project doesn’t fit these ranges — a townhouse, one badly weathered side, a material we haven’t mentioned — reach out and we’ll price your actual project. We install more options than any page can list.

Don’t rule yourself out over budget. Between material tiers, phased projects, and financing, there’s usually a path that fits — tell us your number and we’ll tell you honestly what it can do. And if another bid comes in far below these ranges, ask what it leaves out — these figures reflect the complete job, done by our own crews and backed by our workmanship warranty.

Repaint, repair — or replace?

If your siding is structurally sound, paint can buy you time — but it’s temporary. When siding is warping, cracking, letting moisture through, or you’re repainting every few years, replacement stops the cycle. Rising energy bills and peeling paint inside the house are the signs most homeowners miss.

Sunshine Contracting is a replacement company — we don’t take patch-repair jobs, except warranty service on siding we installed ourselves. If your siding has years of life left, our inspection will say so, free and without pressure.

Vinyl or James Hardie — which should you choose?

Both are right answers for different houses and budgets — and we install both, so we don’t have to sell you either one. Quality vinyl (including insulated vinyl with Progressive Foam backing) costs less, never needs paint, and handles Northern Virginia weather well. James Hardie fiber cement costs more up front, feels and looks more like real wood, and carries a 30-year non-prorated substrate warranty. We’re a James Hardie Elite Preferred contractor — a status Hardie reserves for installers held to its highest standards, including a 90%-or-higher homeowner-recommendation rating — and the #1 James Hardie siding installer in the state of Virginia.

The honest rule of thumb: if you plan to stay long-term or you’re in a neighborhood where Hardie is the norm, fiber cement earns its premium. If budget leads, good vinyl professionally installed beats stretched-thin Hardie every time.

How long does siding replacement take?

Siding and trim jobs average about 4–6 days, depending on the size of the house. Tear-off comes first and is the loudest part; if it reveals rotted sheathing underneath, repairing it can add time — but we fix what we find rather than side over it, because covering up rot is how siding jobs fail. When the job is done, all trash and debris leaves with us.

Who we serve

We replace siding across Northern Virginia — Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington, Stafford, and Fauquier counties and the City of Alexandria — plus nearby Maryland communities including Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac. Licensed, bonded, and insured (VA Class A #2705075333, MD MHIC #05-131843), with our own factory-trained crews since 1993 — never subcontractors. Every siding and trim job is backed by our 10-year workmanship warranty — nine more years than Virginia law requires.

Siding questions homeowners ask us