Hear from Our Customers
Most Upper Montclair homes were built before 1940. That’s not a problem it’s just a reality that requires a different level of attention than a cookie-cutter suburban job. When the siding on a 100-year-old colonial or Tudor Revival is done correctly, you stop worrying about what’s happening behind the walls. No more wondering if water found a gap after the last nor’easter. No more watching a neighbor’s vinyl buckle on a hot July afternoon and hoping yours holds.
The homes along Upper Mountain Avenue, the streets near Anderson Park, and the blocks surrounding the Upper Montclair Business District on Valley Road represent some of the most architecturally significant residential stock in Essex County. New siding done right on these homes doesn’t just protect the structure it preserves the character that made you want to live here in the first place. Fiber cement that mimics original wood clapboard. Insulated vinyl that tightens up a drafty wall assembly that’s been leaking heat since the Eisenhower administration. The right material choice makes a real difference on a home like yours.
And the financial case is straightforward. Siding replacement returns 80 to 95 cents on the dollar at resale, and in a market where Upper Montclair home values grew 49% between 2020 and 2024, protecting that investment isn’t optional it’s just smart.
We are a family-owned general contracting company based in northern New Jersey, serving Upper Montclair and Essex County homeowners since 2018. We hold NJ Home Improvement Contractor Business license #13VH09838700 searchable on the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs website in under a minute earned BBB Accreditation in January 2025, and carry GAF Preferred Contractor status. These aren’t self-awarded badges. They’re independently verified credentials that tell you something real about how we operate.
Upper Montclair buyers do their research, and they should. A siding project on a home near Anderson Park or along Bellevue Avenue isn’t a small decision. You want a contractor who shows up, communicates without being chased, and backs the work with a real warranty both materials and labor, in writing. That’s the standard we hold on every job, whether it’s a full replacement on a craftsman bungalow or emergency repair after a storm drops a branch through a vinyl panel on a Tuesday night.
It starts with a free consultation. Not a sales pitch an actual assessment of your home’s exterior condition. On a pre-war home in Upper Montclair, that means looking at what’s visible and thinking carefully about what isn’t. Original wood sheathing behind 80-year-old clapboard can be in solid shape or quietly failing. You won’t know until someone opens it up, and we check before anything gets covered.
If a permit is required and for full siding replacement in Montclair Township, it typically is that process gets handled upfront. If your home sits within one of the Township’s designated historic districts, exterior work may also require sign-off from the Historic Preservation Commission under Article XXIII of the Township Code. This isn’t something to figure out mid-project. We’re familiar with Montclair Township’s requirements and walk you through what approvals are needed before a single panel comes off.
Once everything is permitted and materials are selected, the installation is scheduled around your life. Spring and fall are the busiest windows in Upper Montclair homeowners moving before winter or catching up after it so early booking matters. The job runs on a clear timeline, you’re kept updated without having to ask, and when it’s done, the site is clean and the warranty documentation is in your hands.
Ready to get started?
We handle the full scope of residential siding work installation, repair, and full replacement for homeowners across Upper Montclair and the surrounding Essex County area. The service isn’t one-size-fits-all, because the homes here aren’t either. A craftsman bungalow near Montclair Heights has different needs than a Victorian on Upper Mountain Avenue near the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, and the material conversation should reflect that.
For full replacements, the process includes substrate inspection, moisture barrier installation, and proper flashing around every window and penetration not as optional add-ons, but as standard steps. Essex County’s freeze-thaw cycles are hard on improperly installed siding, and Upper Montclair’s tree-lined streets mean storm debris is a recurring source of localized damage. Repairs are handled with the same attention to detail as full jobs, because a patch that doesn’t match or a panel nailed too tight is going to show and in this neighborhood, it will bother you every time you pull into the driveway.
We also offer emergency siding repair for damage that can’t wait. If a nor’easter or summer storm leaves you with exposed sheathing or a compromised wall section, the longer water sits against a 100-year-old wood frame, the worse the outcome. Fast response isn’t a selling point here it’s just how the work needs to be done.
In most cases, yes. Montclair Township requires a building permit for full siding replacement, and the application needs to be submitted in person to the Township Building Office. Permit fees are calculated based on the estimated project cost $34 per $1,000 for the first $50,000, with a minimum fee of $85.
If your home is in one of Montclair Township’s designated historic districts which includes several streets in Upper Montclair there’s an additional layer. Under Article XXIII of the Township Code, exterior work visible from the street on a landmark property or a property within a landmark district requires review and approval from the Historic Preservation Commission. The Township updated its Residential Historic Design Guidelines in 2022, and those guidelines specifically address siding materials, profiles, and installation methods. This isn’t a step you want to skip or discover mid-project. We’re familiar with these requirements and help you understand what approvals apply to your specific property before any work begins.
The honest answer is: it depends on what’s behind the damage, not just what’s visible on the surface. A few cracked or loose panels after a storm are usually a repair situation. But if you’re seeing widespread warping, paint failure across large sections, soft spots when you press on the wall, or evidence of moisture inside the house near exterior walls, those are signs the substrate may be compromised and patching over a substrate problem just delays the real fix.
On pre-war homes in Upper Montclair, this question comes up constantly. Homes built in the 1910s, 20s, and 30s have original wood sheathing that has been managing moisture for 80 to 100 years. Sometimes it’s in remarkable shape. Sometimes it isn’t, and the only way to know is to look. Our free consultation includes an honest assessment of what’s actually going on not a pitch for the most expensive scope. If repair is the right call, that’s what we recommend. If the substrate needs attention before new siding goes up, you’ll know that before the project starts, not after the walls are open.
Fiber cement is the most common recommendation for pre-war homes in Upper Montclair, and for good reason. It can be manufactured to closely match the profile of original wood clapboard or wood shingle siding which matters in a neighborhood where architectural character is taken seriously while offering dramatically better durability, moisture resistance, and fire resistance. On a block of Tudor Revivals or craftsman bungalows, a fiber cement installation that respects the original proportions and trim details looks like it belongs. A vinyl panel that doesn’t match the profile does not.
That said, insulated vinyl has become a legitimate option for some Upper Montclair homes, particularly where energy efficiency is a priority. Older homes with minimal wall insulation can see meaningful improvement in comfort and heating costs when insulated vinyl is installed correctly. The right answer depends on the specific home, its architectural style, the condition of the existing wall assembly, and what you’re trying to accomplish. That’s exactly the kind of conversation the free consultation is designed to have without pressure, without a predetermined answer.
For a standard single-family home in Upper Montclair, full siding replacement typically runs between three and seven business days for the installation itself, depending on the size of the home, the material selected, and what the crew finds when the old siding comes off. Fiber cement takes slightly longer to install than vinyl due to its weight and the precision required for cutting and fastening, but the timeline difference is usually a day or two not weeks.
What adds time to a siding project in Upper Montclair specifically is the permitting process. Montclair Township’s Building Department requires in-person permit applications, and if your home falls within a historic district, the Historic Preservation Commission review adds additional lead time before work can begin. This isn’t a reason to delay it’s a reason to start the process early. Spring and fall are the busiest booking windows in this area, and homeowners who contact us ahead of those seasons get on the schedule before the backlog builds. The free consultation is a good starting point for understanding the full timeline for your specific project.
Yes and the numbers in this market make the case clearly. The 2024 Cost vs. Value Report puts siding replacement at an average return of 80 to 95 cents on the dollar at resale, with fiber cement specifically returning around 87%. In a market where the median Upper Montclair sale price has reached $1.8 million and sales above $2 million surged from 31 closings in 2024 to 52 in 2025, buyers are paying premium prices and expecting premium condition.
Deteriorating siding cracked panels, visible moisture damage, peeling paint at the trim is a negotiating liability at closing. It shows up in inspection reports, it gives buyers a reason to push back on price, and it signals deferred maintenance on a home where buyers are expecting the opposite. New siding, done correctly with materials that suit the home’s architecture, removes that liability and adds genuine curb appeal in a neighborhood where the visual standard is high. It’s one of the few exterior projects where the financial return and the quality-of-life improvement point in the same direction.
New Jersey requires all home improvement contractors to hold a current Home Improvement Contractor Business registration through the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs. You can verify any contractor’s license number directly on the Division’s website it takes less than a minute and tells you whether the registration is active, whether there are any complaints on record, and whether the contractor is in compliance with the updated licensing requirements that took effect in 2024 under P.L. 2023, c. 237, which added mandatory compliance bond and workers’ compensation insurance requirements.
Our NJ HICB license number is #13VH09838700 look it up before you call if you want to. Beyond the state license, we carry BBB Accreditation and GAF Preferred Contractor status, both of which require independent vetting and ongoing compliance. In Upper Montclair, where a siding project on a seven-figure home is a significant financial decision, verifying credentials isn’t excessive caution it’s exactly the right move. The FTC received over 83,000 home improvement fraud reports in 2023 alone. A licensed, accredited, insured contractor with a verifiable record is the baseline, not a bonus.
Local Resources
Useful Links
Other Services we provide in Upper Montclair
