What we actually repair
- Dented and creased panels from hail, limbs, ladders and equipment. Aluminum dents where vinyl cracks — still a documented loss.
- Loose, rattling and lifted panels where the lock released or the original nailing failed. If you can hear your siding in a windstorm, it has already started to let go.
- Punctures and holes, including woodpecker damage, which needs the cavity addressed and not just the hole covered.
- Failing soffit, fascia and trim capping at the roof edge. This is the line where water and animals get in and it is where we look first.
- Corner posts, J-channel and window wrap that has separated and is letting water behind the wall.
- Cornice and roof-edge metal — on older attached houses the decorative cornice and its capping are the highest-consequence metal on the building and the least often inspected.
- Chalking, oxidation and rust bleed. We tell you whether the metal is sound enough to repaint or whether the finish is past saving.
Before we quote, we open a test section
On stock of this age the aluminum is frequently a jacket over the original wood siding, and what is behind it changes the job. We routinely find no housewrap at all, gaps at penetrations, rot at the base of walls and around windows, and on anything predating 1978, lead paint on the wood underneath. On some of the older county stock we also find asbestos-cement shingle siding under the aluminum — if that is what comes off, work stops and it is handled by a licensed abatement contractor before we go any further. None of that is a reason to panic. It is a reason to look before anybody signs anything.
How it works in Essex
- Free inspection and photo report within 24 hours. Every elevation walked and photographed, panel profile and exposure identified, trim line and roof edge checked while we are there.
- A straight answer on repair versus replace. If a repair will look obvious and you would hate it, we say so. If the metal is sound and repair is genuinely right, we say that too, even though it is the smaller job.
- If it is storm damage, we document it and meet your adjuster with photographs and a line-item scope.
- The work, warrantied. Written scope, MHIC #111971, workmanship warranty in writing.
Areas we cover
- 21221
- 21220
- Middleborough
- Chesapeake Park
- Rocky Point
- Hyde Park
- Middle River
- Bowleys Quarters
- Mace Avenue corridor
Free Essex aluminum siding repair inspection
Photo condition report within 24 hours. No obligation — the report is yours either way, even if you never hire us.
Where we work in Essex
Crews cover Middleborough, Chesapeake Park, Rocky Point, Hyde Park, Middle River, Bowleys Quarters and Mace Avenue corridor, across 21221, 21220. Generally good street access, but the near-water blocks are tight and some of the war-housing rows share rear service alleys.
Related in Essex: 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.
We are also a licensed general contractor, which matters more than it sounds on a siding job. When we open a wall and find rot, failed sheathing or no housewrap, we are licensed to fix it under the same contract rather than stopping work and handing you a referral.
Essex aluminum siding questions
Can you still get aluminum siding to match a Essex house?
Often yes. Aluminum siding was made in a limited set of panel profiles and exposures and salvage and specialty suppliers still carry many of them. Colour is the harder part, because decades of sun have moved your existing panels off their original shade. We bring a sample board, compare in daylight against your actual wall, and tell you honestly whether a repair will read as invisible or whether one full elevation is the better call.
Can you replace just one panel?
Yes. Aluminum interlocks, so a single damaged panel can be unlocked with a zip tool and swapped without disturbing the panels around it. That is a genuine advantage aluminum has over vinyl, which tends to crack when you unlock it cold.
What do you find under aluminum on Essex houses?
Aluminum over the original wood on most of the post-war stock, with a lot of it never touched since it went on. Waterfront and near-water blocks add salt-air corrosion to the usual chalking and oxidation, and the trim, soffit and fascia along the roof edge tend to go before the field of the wall does.
Is this covered by insurance?
Frequently, when the cause is a covered peril like hail or wind rather than age and wear. Dents count as damage even when the panel still sheds water. The claim turns on documentation, which is what the photo report and the on-site adjuster meeting are for. Whether your specific loss is covered is your carrier's determination under your policy, not ours.