Vinyl Siding and Exterior Upgrade for Drafty Elysburg PA Home

Project Overview

At this Elysburg home, wind was creeping through the walls, creating a draft. The homeowner reached out to Equity Roofing, and sales representative Jon Cataldi put together a full exterior plan covering the house and attached garage: new siding, soffit, fascia, gutters, and a new front entry door.

The Challenge

The first challenge on this project was air infiltration. The homeowner was understandably tired of feeling wind inside his own house. It was up to us to find him a solution.

Siding's main job (besides looking nice) is to shed water, but it’s not what stops air from moving through a wall. That job belongs to the weather-resistive barrier underneath it, and to the flashing and doors where the wall assembly gets interrupted. For an older home, that barrier is often deteriorated, poorly lapped, or was never there at all. The siding tear-off let us solve the problem instead of covering it up.

The second challenge for this particular project was appearance. The homeowner wanted his house to look finished, not just re-clad. That meant the details had to be right: a decorative star removed cleanly, a front porch column rebuilt, existing light fixtures put back exactly where they belonged, and a new front door that matched the one it replaced. On a job with this many small moving pieces, missing even one of them would have been the difference between a happy homeowner and a punch list.

There was also a timing wrinkle. The front entry door carried a four-week lead time. Rather than let that surprise anyone mid-project, Jon flagged it up front so the homeowner knew the schedule going in.

The Solution

One layer of existing siding came off across the house and attached garage. With the walls opened up, the crew installed house wrap over the sheathing, along with new flashing at every window and door to decrease drafts. New siding went on over top of a wall that was finally sealed.

Next was getting the house dressed to the nines. The homeowner chose Ovation Double 4.5" Dutch Lap siding in Pebblestone Clay, finished with white soffit and fascia. Ovation is a premium vinyl at .042" nominal thickness, with a locking system and reinforced nail hem built to hold panels tight in high winds. The Dutch lap profile gives the home a deeper shadow line and a more traditional look than standard clapboard, which suits the house well.

The new ProVia entry door closed the other half of the problem. Doors are one of the most common places for air to get into an older home, and this one is Energy Star certified in all 50 states with an air infiltration rating of 0.05 cfm/ft² or lower—a fancy way of saying it does a really, really good job at being sealed.

Because the siding was coming off anyway, this was also the right time to address the gutters. The old gutters were removed and disposed of, and new seamless 5" K-style aluminum gutters were installed with all necessary downspouts and elbows, in white to complement the new soffit and fascia.

Siding

• Siding replaced with Ply Gem Mastic Ovation Double 4.5" Dutch Lap in Pebblestone Clay, over new house wrap for weather protection, moisture management, and durability

• New window and door flashing installed as part of the siding replacement

• Garage doors wrapped

Soffit and Fascia

• New vinyl soffit and 6" aluminum fascia on all included overhangs, leaving the wooden soffit over the rear deck in place at the homeowner's request

• Front porch column removed and replaced with a 6x6 post and matching wrap to the fascia and soffit

Gutters

• Seamless 5" K-style aluminum gutters with downspouts and elbows

Exterior Improvements

• Two 22" round gable vents replaced with color-matched vinyl units

• Decorative star removed and disposed of

• New exterior outlet installed on the back of the house, plus outlet box trim, hose bib, and new light trim

• Front porch light reinstalled, Govee lights and rear light hangers reinstalled

• New ProVia Signet fiberglass entry door installed

With each item priced in the quote and annotated in CompanyCam, where the homeowner could view live photo updates of his inspection and project, the crew was ready to begin work.

The Results

The drafts are gone. With a continuous weather barrier behind the walls, properly flashed openings, and a sealed entry door, the home is holding its conditioned air instead of leaking it. And the exterior finally reads as one complete package: siding, soffit, fascia, gutters, porch, and door all working together instead of against each other.

Just as importantly, the project ran the way it was supposed to. The quote the homeowner was given was the price he paid. The timeline he was given was the timeline he got, including the four-week door lead that was disclosed on day one rather than discovered halfway through.

 The homeowner was then kind enough to leave this glowing five-star Google review: 

Warranty Coverage

The siding system carries a 10-year written workmanship warranty from Equity Roofing, guaranteeing the system will not fail or detach due to ordinary wear and tear or improper workmanship in the installation.

On top of that, the Ovation siding is backed by Ply Gem's V.I.P. Limited Lifetime Warranty, which covers manufacturing defects, excessive fading, and hail damage for as long as the homeowner owns the home. It is also transferable if he ever sells, so the coverage protects the next owner, too.

Ready to protect your home with the same level of care?
Contact Equity Roofing today for a free inspection and estimate.