Siding: Separating Fact From Fiction with Expert Advice
What Contractors Won’t Tell You Because It Hurts Their Profit Margins
The home siding industry in Broomfield runs on myths that benefit contractors and manufacturers more than you. We’re going to tell you the truth about home siding repair, replacement, and installation. Why? We’d rather have long-term customers in Broomfield, Westminster, and across the Front Range than one-time sales based on misleading claims.
What Contractors Won’t Tell You Because It Hurts Their Profit Margins
Not even close. Builder-grade vinyl siding is thin, fades fast, cracks in Colorado temperature extremes, and provides almost no insulation value. Premium vinyl is thicker (.046″ vs .040″), resists fading better, and includes reinforced nailing strips that prevent wind damage.
The cost difference is maybe 20-30%, but the performance gap is huge.
We’ve replaced cheap vinyl siding installations where homeowners thought they got a good deal. Then their siding started cracking after three years. Properties from Flatiron Crossing to Interlocken Loop, along Sheridan Parkway and Highway 36, near Paul Derda Recreation Center, and throughout neighborhoods along 120th Avenue all face Colorado’s brutal temperature swings. Even premium areas like Anthem Ranch, Broadlands, and McKay Landing aren’t immune to cheap materials failing early.
Here’s the thing about Colorado we see daily. Temperature swings are brutal. Your materials expand and contract between summer heat and winter cold. A 70-degree temperature swing in a single day isn’t unusual here. Homes near Legacy High School, around Mountain Range High School, and throughout Broomfield Heights see these extremes constantly. Thin vinyl can’t handle it and buckles, warps, and pulls fasteners loose.
Fact: Fiber Cement Outperforms Everything Else
Fiber cement siding costs more upfront. But we see it lasting 50+ years with minimal maintenance.
It resists fire, insects, rot, and hail damage that destroys vinyl and wood options. For homes where you’re planning to stay long-term, fiber cement installation delivers better value despite higher initial costs.
The catch is it’s heavy and requires experienced installers who know what they’re doing. We’ve repaired fiber cement installations where contractors used the wrong fasteners. Improper installation techniques caused panels to crack or fail early. The material itself is excellent, but installation quality matters even more than with vinyl.
Properties we work in older neighborhoods near Legacy Ridge, around Historic Old Town Arvada, throughout Northmoor Estates, Brandywine, and Broomfield Country Club particularly benefit from fiber cement’s durability. Traditional appearance that complements the architectural styles common in these areas your neighbors appreciate. Homes near Standley Lake Regional Park and along Midway Boulevard showcase how fiber cement holds up in Colorado’s climate.
Fiction: Home Siding Repair in Broomfield Is Just For Appearance
Your home’s siding is the first line of defense against moisture getting into your walls. Behind every siding panel we install should be proper moisture barriers. Flashing around your windows and doors. Proper drainage paths to keep water away from your home’s structure.
Contractors who just replace the visible siding without addressing moisture protection? They’re selling you a cosmetic fix that covers up continuing damage. We’ve torn off beautiful-looking siding to find rotted sheathing (the plywood or OSB underneath) and rotted studs because previous contractors skipped the prep work that actually protects your home.
The siding you can see is only half the job. What’s behind it determines whether your house stays dry or rots from the inside out. Homes in Broomfield’s older developments we work regularly, particularly those built in the late 90s and early 2000s around McKay Landing, Broomfield Heights, Aspen Creek, Willow Run, and Westminster neighborhoods like The Ranch, Westminster Hills, and The Farm, often have moisture barrier issues that need our correction during home siding replacement projects.
The Reality: Impact-Resistant Materials Save Money Long-Term
Broomfield and the Front Range see regular hailstorms. Standard vinyl siding gets destroyed and requires thousands in siding restoration costs every time a storm rolls through that we handle. Impact-resistant composite materials or fiber cement survive hail that demolishes cheaper options.
The upfront premium for impact resistance pays for itself the first time a hail storm hits.
Your neighbors are filing insurance claims and replacing destroyed siding while yours survives undamaged. Some insurance companies even offer you premium discounts for impact-resistant exteriors. Helps offset the initial cost.
After the hailstorms that hit areas around The Orchard in Thornton, near Interlocken Loop, along the Highway 36 corridor from Westminster to Broomfield, and throughout neighborhoods near Arapahoe Ridge High School, we replaced dozens of standard vinyl installations. Properties along Sheridan Parkway and near Flatiron Crossing took particularly hard hits. While impact-resistant materials on neighboring homes we’d installed survived with minimal damage.
Fiction: Insulated Home Siding Installation Is A Waste Of Money
Insulated vinyl costs about 20% more than hollow vinyl. But we see it dramatically improve your energy efficiency.
The foam backing reduces heat transfer and can improve your home energy efficiency by 20% compared to standard vinyl siding installation.
For older homes lacking proper wall insulation, and that’s a lot of Colorado homes we work on built before modern energy codes, insulated siding during replacement makes financial sense. The energy savings continue for decades. You’re basically getting better insulation and new siding at the same time.
The foam backing also provides a flat surface for your siding to sit against. Reduces the waviness you see in vinyl installed directly over uneven walls. This matters particularly for homes around Anthem Ranch, Wildgrass, Westminster Hills, and properties near Paul Derda Recreation Center where builders used thinner sheathing in the early 2000s construction boom we’re now fixing. Homes along 120th Avenue and near Standley Lake show these issues frequently.
Fact: LP SmartSide Engineered Wood Delivers Real Wood Looks Without The Headaches
Real wood siding looks beautiful but demands constant maintenance. You need repainting every 5-7 years. Regular inspection for rot, treatment for insects, and ongoing care that most homeowners don’t want to deal with.
We use LP SmartSide engineered wood siding for customers who want a traditional wood appearance without the maintenance headaches. LP SmartSide is treated for moisture and insect resistance. Holds paint better. Lasts much longer than real wood in Colorado’s climate. It’s one of the few products we install that actually lives up to the manufacturer’s claims.
If you love the look of wood but don’t want to spend your weekends repainting, LP SmartSide is your answer. It’s not maintenance-free, but it’s a lot closer than real wood.
The warranty on LP SmartSide is also legitimate: 50 years for material defects and a 5-year labor warranty when we install it as LP SmartSide Preferred contractors.
We’ve been installing siding in Broomfield, Westminster, Erie, Superior, Louisville, and Lafayette for years. Properties in Broadlands, Legacy Ridge, Cotton Creek, Countryside, and Hyland Greens showcase how well LP SmartSide performs. The performance backs up what LP claims.
Fiction: Siding Color Doesn’t Matter
Dark colors absorb more heat. This causes greater expansion and contraction in Colorado’s temperature swings, which accelerates material degradation and can cause early failure of your darker-colored vinyl siding installations.
South-facing walls get intense UV exposure that fades colors fast. We’re at high elevation with thin atmosphere. So UV damage here is worse than at sea level. Homes along Sheridan Parkway, Midway Boulevard, and streets running north-south throughout Anthem Ranch and Broomfield Heights facing south show fading faster than properties with other exposures we monitor. Properties near Legacy High School with southern exposure see accelerated fading.
If you’re set on dark colors, we recommend fade-resistant materials like LP SmartSide or fiber cement. Or accept that vinyl colors will lighten over time. Lighter colors aren’t just about aesthetics. They’re about making your siding last longer by reducing thermal stress on the material.
The Truth: Siding Installation Quality Matters More Than Material Choice
The best siding material installed incorrectly performs worse than cheap material we install properly. Proper siding installation includes correct expansion gaps for temperature movement (vinyl expands and contracts), proper fastener placement and type (wrong nails cause problems), flashing around all penetrations like your windows, doors, and vents, moisture barrier installation keeps water out of your walls, and starter strips and trim pieces installed correctly provide solid foundation.
We’ve repaired expensive fiber cement installations where contractors used the wrong techniques. This caused thousands in early failures. The materials were excellent but the installation was garbage.
You can’t see installation quality from the curb. Which is why so many contractors get away with cutting corners. But you’ll find out about it when your panels start failing or water gets into your walls. Properties around Coal Creek in Louisville, near the Superior Town Center, throughout The Ranch and Westminster Promenade area, and along the Highway 36 corridor have particularly challenging wind exposure that reveals poor installation quality fast. Homes near Mountain Range High School and Arapahoe Ridge High School in open areas see wind problems quickly when installation is subpar.
Siding Repair vs. Full Replacement: When To Do What
Not every siding problem requires complete replacement. Here’s when we recommend repair versus full siding replacement:
Siding Repair Works When: Damage is localized to one section (hail damage, impact damage). A few panels are cracked or broken but the rest is sound. Trim or corner pieces need replacement. Your siding is less than 15 years old and otherwise in good condition.
Full Siding Replacement Makes Sense When: You’re seeing widespread cracking, warping, or fading. Your siding is 20+ years old. You’re finding moisture damage or rot behind existing siding we uncover. Energy bills suggest poor insulation performance. You’re planning to sell and need updated curb appeal.
We’ve done complete siding replacements on homes across Broomfield neighborhoods from Northmoor Estates to Brandywine, throughout Broomfield Country Club, Aspen Creek, Willow Run, and McKay Landing where 15-20 year old builder-grade vinyl was failing across the entire house. In Westminster, homes throughout Legacy Ridge, The Ranch, Westminster Hills, The Farm, Cotton Creek, Countryside, and Hyland Greens face the same timeline. Sometimes trying to patch old siding just delays the inevitable. Costs you more in the long run.
The Truth About Siding Costs in Broomfield
Cheap vinyl siding installation runs $3-6 per square foot installed. Premium vinyl costs $6-9 per square foot. LP SmartSide engineered wood runs $8-12 per square foot. Fiber cement costs $10-15 per square foot installed.
For an average Broomfield home we work on (1,500-2,000 square feet of siding), the difference between the cheapest and best materials is maybe $8,000-12,000.
Spread over 30-50 years of service life, premium materials cost you pennies per year more while giving you much better performance and curb appeal.
Put another way for you: The extra $10,000 for premium siding materials on a 40-year lifespan costs $250 per year. That’s $21 per month for better-looking, longer-lasting, more protective siding on your biggest investment.
Siding repair costs obviously run less. Expect $500-2,000 for localized repairs we handle depending on material and extent of damage. Full siding restoration projects after hail damage typically run $12,000-25,000 for average-sized homes. Though your insurance usually covers most of that cost.
Siding: Separating Fact From Fiction | What We Actually Recommend for Broomfield Homes
For most Colorado Front Range homeowners, we recommend premium vinyl or LP SmartSide engineered wood. Offers you the best balance of cost, performance, and maintenance. Fiber cement makes sense for forever homes or areas that get hit hard by hail and wind. Particularly properties in open areas near Rocky Mountain Arsenal, along the Highway 36 corridor where wind exposure is constant, or near Standley Lake Regional Park where weather patterns concentrate.
We tell customers to avoid builder-grade vinyl unless you’re selling soon and just need cosmetic improvement. The money you save upfront gets eaten by early replacement costs and poor energy performance.
Whatever material you choose for siding installation or replacement, hire us or contractors who won’t cut corners on prep work. Beautiful siding covering rotted sheathing doesn’t protect your home because it’s hiding ongoing damage until your structural problems become catastrophic.
Why Choose ATS Exteriors for Siding
ATS Exteriors has served Broomfield and Westminster for 7 years, bringing over 15 years of combined siding experience to every project. We’re James Hardie Elite Preferred contractors and LP SmartSide Preferred installers. These aren’t just certifications—they’re extended warranty options and manufacturer backing that most contractors can’t offer.
Rebecca and Jeff Stakes personally oversee every siding project because they know shortcuts today become failure calls in five years. Most contractors send crews you’ve never met. We’re involved from inspection through final cleanup. Our office is located 500 feet from the Westminster border on Sheridan Parkway, making us truly local to both Broomfield and Westminster communities.
Seven plus years of working in Broomfield means we know which neighborhoods are hitting their siding replacement window. Properties around Flatiron Crossing, near Paul Derda Recreation Center, along Midway Boulevard, throughout neighborhoods near Legacy High School and Mountain Range High School—we’ve worked in every area. We know what materials perform best in Colorado’s climate. How to handle moisture barriers that other contractors skip. When you need siding work done right, we’re local. We’re staying. Our reputation depends on quality installations that actually protect your home.
We Serve Broomfield and the Front Range
We provide siding repair, replacement, and installation services across Broomfield, Westminster, Aurora, Thornton, Boulder County, Louisville, Lafayette, Erie, Superior, Arvada, Northglenn, Frederick, Firestone, and surrounding Front Range communities. Our crews know Colorado weather challenges. Local building codes. The specific issues that affect homes from Standley Lake to Rocky Mountain Arsenal, from Interlocken Loop to 120th Avenue.
From emergency siding repair after hail storms to complete siding replacement projects, we handle your residential siding work with the same attention to detail. Whether you’re near Flatiron Crossing in Broomfield, along Highway 36, around Arapahoe Ridge High School, or out in Frederick. The prep work behind your siding determines whether your house stays protected or develops expensive problems you can’t see until it’s too late. Call today for your free estimate!
