Find out what is behind it before you sign anything
The most expensive mistake on a re-side is signing a contract before anyone has looked behind the panels. On stock of this era we routinely find original wood siding still in place, no housewrap or building paper, rot at the base of walls and around window openings, and on anything predating 1978, lead paint on the wood underneath. On the older county stock, asbestos-cement shingle under the aluminum is a real possibility — if we find it, work stops and it goes to a licensed abatement contractor before anything else happens. Every one of those changes the scope, and a contractor who quoted without knowing will either eat the difference or come back with a change order. We open a test section at the inspection so the number you get is the number.
Your three real options
Repaint what you have
Viable when the metal is sound and undented. A proper job means pressure wash, chalk removal, a bonding primer made for oxidised aluminum, and two coats of a quality acrylic. Done right it buys ten to fifteen years. Done as a quick spray-over, it peels inside two.
Insulated vinyl
The most common path, and modern insulated vinyl is genuinely better than the thin product that gave vinyl its reputation. You gain real R-value on a wall that likely has none and you end the repainting cycle permanently.
Fiber cement
The premium option. It holds paint, resists impact, does not dent, and reads correctly on the older architecture common in Baltimore. It costs more up front and it is heavier to install, which shows in the labour.
New aluminum still has a place — trim capping, soffit and fascia, cornice work, and homes where you are matching an existing aluminum envelope you intend to keep. We will tell you when that is the right answer.
How it works in Baltimore
- Free inspection and photo report within 24 hours, including an opened test section so you see the wall assembly rather than guessing at it.
- Three priced options, side by side, with what each does and does not solve, in writing.
- If a storm caused it, we build the documentation and meet your adjuster on site.
- Installation with the wall done properly — housewrap, flashing at every penetration, rot addressed before anything gets covered back up.
Areas we cover
- 21201
- 21202
- 21211
- 21213
- 21214
- 21218
- 21224
- 21230
- 21231
- Federal Hill
- Fells Point
- Canton
- Mount Vernon
- Locust Point
- Patterson Park
- Highlandtown
- Hampden
- Bolton Hill
- Brewers Hill
- Remington
- Charles Village
Free Baltimore aluminum siding replacement inspection
Photo condition report within 24 hours. No obligation — the report is yours either way, even if you never hire us.
Permits, jurisdiction and review in Baltimore
Baltimore work is permitted through Baltimore City, which handles construction permits through the city's housing and permits office. Baltimore City is its own permitting jurisdiction — it is not part of Baltimore County, and a job three blocks over the line is reviewed by a completely different office. On top of the building permit, a rowhouse job usually needs a right-of-way or street-occupancy permit just to legally put a dumpster and a materials truck on the block, because there is no driveway to stage from.
Historic review
Federal Hill, Fells Point, Canton, Mount Vernon and a number of other neighborhoods sit inside locally designated historic districts overseen by the city's preservation commission. Work that is visible from the street — cornice repair, front-facing metal, roof-deck structures, anything that changes the roofline profile — generally needs review before it happens, not after. Requirements change, so we confirm with the commission for your specific address before we schedule anything, and we build the review time into the timeline instead of pretending it does not exist.
We pull the permit. If a contractor asks you to pull your own permit for roofing work, that is a signal about their licensing, not a convenience for you. We carry MHIC #111971 in Maryland, and the number is on every proposal so you can verify it before you sign.
Where we work in Baltimore
Crews cover Federal Hill, Fells Point, Canton, Mount Vernon, Locust Point, Patterson Park, Highlandtown, Hampden, Bolton Hill, Brewers Hill, Remington and Charles Village, across 21201, 21202, 21211, 21213, 21214, 21218, 21224, 21230, 21231. There is no driveway. Access is from the street or a narrow rear alley, materials get carried or hoisted, and the tear-off from a multi-layer built-up roof is heavy. That is a real cost and scheduling factor and any contractor who does not mention it has not thought about your block.
Related in Baltimore: roof repair, roof replacement, storm damage, aluminum siding repair, aluminum siding replacement. See also what drives roof replacement cost here and how a Maryland roof insurance claim works. Water coming in right now? Emergency leak response.
Baltimore siding replacement questions
Should I replace the aluminum or repaint it?
If the metal is sound and undented, a professional repaint is a legitimate option and buys roughly ten to fifteen years for a fraction of the cost. Replacement is the right call when panels are dented or punctured, when oxidation has gone past the point where coating will bond, when the trim and corner posts have failed too, or when you want insulation a decades-old wall does not have.
Aluminum, vinyl, or fiber cement?
Vinyl is the cheapest and most common replacement, and modern insulated vinyl is a real improvement on what gave vinyl its reputation. Fiber cement costs more, lasts longer, holds paint and reads correctly on older architecture. New aluminum still makes sense for trim capping, soffit and fascia and where you are matching an existing aluminum envelope. We price all three side by side instead of steering you.
What is behind the siding on a Baltimore house?
Cladding in the city is brick, formstone, and metal. Formstone — the troweled-on stone-look coating applied to thousands of rowhouse fronts in the middle of the last century — is its own problem: it traps water against brick, it cracks at the cornice line, and removing it is not a decision to make casually because the brick underneath is frequently scarred. Aluminum shows up as cornice capping, as trim wrap at the roof edge, and on rear elevations and back buildings where the original wood siding was covered over.
Will insurance pay for it?
It can, when the cause of loss is a covered peril rather than age and wear. The wrinkle with aluminum is matching: when a damaged panel cannot be matched, some policies contemplate a larger continuous section so the wall is uniform. That argument has to be made with evidence. Whether it succeeds is your carrier's determination under your policy.