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 Essex. 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 Essex
- 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
- 21221
- 21220
- Middleborough
- Chesapeake Park
- Rocky Point
- Hyde Park
- Middle River
- Bowleys Quarters
- Mace Avenue corridor
Free Essex 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 Essex
Essex work is permitted through Baltimore County's Department of Permits, Approvals and Inspections. Essex and Middle River are unincorporated Baltimore County, permitted and inspected by the county.
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 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.
Essex 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 Essex house?
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.
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.