Our clients (Mr. & Mrs. McG.) have a lovely house on a large lot in Morristown that was starting to show its age especially with its siding and windows. The original wooden siding that was installed was damaged in a number of places around the house and maintenance was proving more and more difficult.

Original siding showing its age

They contacted George J Keller & Sons and we put together a proposal that included new siding, new windows and a new entry door. 

Mr. & Mrs. McG. selected fiber cement siding from James Hardie for the project. Fiber cement siding from James Hardie is a great choice for homeowners in the Northeast because no matter how wet or cold it gets it won’t rot and doesn’t require elaborate cleaning – just a low pressure water wash from a garden hose every 6-12 months.

The first step is to remove the old siding and check the underlying integrity of the sub-structure. Damage to internal surfaces is often hidden by the old siding and isn’t revealed until it’s completely removed. Damaged plywood is then removed and replaced.

Damage revealed after old siding is removed
Repairs are made to sub-structure plywood

The next job in this project was the replacement of 25 windows – this takes place after the old siding is removed and before the new siding is put on. This allows us to add the appropriate housings for each window before the exterior is sealed with the new siding.

New windows installed before new siding added

The client chose Andersen 400 Series New Construction windows to replace their old windows. The series 400 window is Andersen’s best selling window and comes with the following standard features:

  • High Performance Low E4 Glass filled with Argon gas 
  • White PermaShield maintenance free exterior 
  • Full Conventional Insect Screen 
  • Prefinished white interior 
  • 20 year glass warranty 
  • 10 year non glass parts warranty

After the windows were installed the James Hardie siding was installed. 7” HardiePlank Wood Grain for most of the house with 7” staggered Shake Siding installed on the garage. The color chosen was Iron Gray.

Staggered Shake siding around the garage doors

One final improvement was the installation of new doors – the main front door and an auxiliary side door. With trim to match the rest of the house the new front door completes the job.

New front door with new trim to suit siding
Completed project – siding, windows and doors!

George J Keller & Sons are both James Hardie Elite Preferred Contractors – read more about this here and Andersen Certified Contractors – read about that here. When you’re ready for your exterior home improvement project give the expert team at George J Keller & Sons a call at 973-927-0963.