Siding installation in Milwaukee & SE Wisconsin.
Full siding replacements, repairs, and partial jobs — measured, torn out, and re-clad by the same carpenter who walks your home and gives you the quote. No commissioned sales rep, no subcontractor crew you've never met. Just Dan Cleveland and a team he works alongside.
Request a free estimate→Why homeowners hire Dan for their siding.
A lot of siding companies in Southeast Wisconsin are sales operations with an install team attached. Reps on commission, crews you meet the day of the job, contracts structured to push you into signing today.
That's not how we work.
Owner-operated, quote to cleanup
Dan shows up to measure your home. Dan gives you the quote. Dan's on the job site the day of the install. There's no handoff — no 'the installer will call you,' no subcontractor you've never met. One person is responsible for the whole job, and that's the person you've been talking to since day one.
Framing background reads your sheathing
Dan started in finish carpentry on 175-unit apartment builds and spent years framing new homes. That matters when the old siding comes off and the sheathing underneath turns out to be soft, water-damaged, or hiding rot at a window header. Framing experience is what reads those problems correctly.
Renderings before you commit
We offer conceptual renderings of your home with the new siding and color before we order anything. Not exact, but enough that you can sit with it for a few days before signing on a $20,000+ exterior change. Most installers won't do this.
The siding materials we install.
We install five primary materials. Each has a place — the right one for your home depends on your budget, your climate exposure, your maintenance tolerance, and the look you want from the curb. Below is what we put on homes and when each one tends to make sense.
LP SmartSide
Engineered wood siding with a painted finish. Painted on application, which means color options are virtually unlimited and you can refresh the look down the line without re-siding the house. We are LP SmartSide certified installers, which means factory-authorized training and direct access to the manufacturer's warranty channel.
- Warranty. Up to 50-year limited substrate, 5-year 100% labor and material.
- Finish. Engineered wood, paint-grade, repaintable.
- When it makes sense. Strong choice for longevity and color flexibility.
CertainTeed Vinyl
Vinyl is essentially maintenance-free. No painting, no sealing, no annual upkeep. CertainTeed is one of the two vinyl brands we install because their product is consistent course-to-course and their color line holds up against UV exposure.
- Warranty. Limited lifetime transferable.
- Maintenance. Essentially none.
- When it makes sense. Budget-friendly per-square pricing with strong color range.
Mastic Vinyl
The second vinyl line we install. Functionally similar to CertainTeed in profile and warranty — the choice between them usually comes down to color match and what's in stock when your job hits the schedule.
- Warranty. Limited lifetime transferable.
- Maintenance. Essentially none.
- When it makes sense. Strong color retention, broad availability.
James Hardie Fiber Cement
Fiber cement is a composite material — cement, sand, and cellulose fiber pressed and cured into siding board. It's installed somewhere between wood and vinyl in terms of weight and handling, and it carries a long manufacturer warranty.
- Warranty. 30-year non-prorated limited.
- Material. Fiber cement composite.
- When it makes sense. Heavier install — affects scaffold and labor; consider for fire-resistance requirements.
Cedar & Engineered Wood
Real wood for homes where the look of natural cedar is the point. We install cedar lap, shake, and engineered wood profiles. Cedar requires periodic staining or sealing but ages into a finish nothing manufactured can replicate.
- Finish. Real wood — stain or seal to maintain.
- Character. Distinctive, ages with patina.
- When it makes sense. Traditional and custom builds where the look is the point.
The best siding for your home is the one that fits your budget, your climate, and the look you want from the curb — not the one with the biggest ad budget.
Siding styles we install.
Every style serves a different purpose and reads differently from the street. Here's what we install and where each one tends to fit.
- Lap Siding
- Horizontal courses, the most common style. Available across all five materials we install. Reads as the default for most American home styles.
- Shake / Cedar Impression
- Vertical or staggered shake look. Often used as an accent on gables, dormers, or porch faces. Available in real cedar or vinyl shake panels.
- Board-and-Batten
- Vertical boards with narrow battens covering the seams. Reads as farmhouse or modern-traditional. Strong choice for homes with a tall vertical massing.
- Vertical Panel
- Straight vertical panels without battens. Cleaner, more contemporary read. Pairs well with horizontal lap on a different elevation.
Soffit, fascia, house wrap, rigid insulation, trim wrapping, and window and door trim are part of every full siding install we do.
Our install process — ten steps, no shortcuts.
How you start is how you finish. We double and triple check the foundation — everything level, plumb, and square before the first board goes on. The process is the same every time so the quality is the same every time.
- № 01Renderings
- № 02Site protection
- № 03Tear-out & inspect
- № 04Repair & flatten
- № 05Weather barrier
- № 06Trim boards
- № 07Starter strip
- № 08Lap install
- № 09Caulk & paint
- № 10Walkthrough
The sequence above is the LP SmartSide install. Vinyl installs follow the same first six steps, then swap in fan-fold insulation, J-channel trim, and the lap or cedar-impression panels in place of the SmartSide-specific painting and sealing steps.
Real pricing, not “call for a quote.”
Most siding companies hide pricing behind a sales call. We don't. Per-square pricing for installed labor is below. One square = 100 square feet of siding. Materials are quoted separately at the time of estimate. Gutters are referred out to a trusted subcontractor and are not part of our scope.
Common add-ons: Two-story uplift +10–20%. Three-story uplift +20–35%. Foam board insulation +$75–$150/sq. Housewrap replacement +$50–$120/sq. Rot repair at time-and-materials.
Timeline and warranty.
When can we start, and how long does it take?
Typical lead time is 4–6 weeks from contract to install start. If there's an opening in the schedule we can sometimes get a job started in as little as 2 weeks. Build time varies by scope.
- Garages and small partials. 2–4 days.
- Average full house. 1–2 weeks.
- Large or complex homes. 2–4 weeks or more.
- Year-round work. In deep cold the main consideration is how much you want to open the home during install.
What's actually covered.
Every install carries a 2-year workmanship warranty covering installation-related defects, on top of the manufacturer warranties below.
- LP SmartSide. Up to 50-year limited substrate, 5-year 100% labor and material.
- CertainTeed Vinyl. Limited lifetime transferable.
- Mastic Vinyl. Limited lifetime transferable.
- James Hardie. 30-year non-prorated limited.
- Cedar. Material-dependent; no manufacturer warranty in the conventional sense.
Siding across Southeast Wisconsin.
That covers most of Southeast Wisconsin's metro and lake-country markets.
Not sure if we cover your area? Ask us. If we don't, we might know someone good who does.
Questions homeowners actually ask.
- Do you install siding in winter?
- Yes — we work year-round. The main consideration in deep cold is how much of the home you want to open up during install. Manufacturer requirements on cure temperatures for caulk and sealants are real, so we plan around them. If you have flexibility on timing, spring through fall is the cleanest window.
- Do I need a permit for siding in Wisconsin?
- In most Wisconsin counties, siding does not require a permit. We verify by jurisdiction at the time of estimate — some municipalities have exterior modification ordinances or historic-district rules that can apply.
- How long will LP SmartSide last?
- LP SmartSide is the industry leader for engineered-wood siding longevity. The substrate carries up to a 50-year limited warranty, and the painted finish typically holds 15+ years before any repaint is needed. With proper maintenance the cladding can last as long as the home.
- What about maintenance?
- Vinyl is essentially maintenance-free — no painting, no sealing. LP SmartSide and Cedar require periodic painting or staining but reward that work with better appearance and lifespan. Hardie sits in between. We walk through realistic maintenance expectations during the estimate so you know what you're signing up for long-term.
- Do you do partial repairs and replacements, or only full siding jobs?
- Full replacements, partial replacements, and repairs — all of the above. If a storm pulled a section off, or a wall got water-damaged and needs to be re-clad in isolation, that's still in scope. We'll match the existing material and profile as closely as supply allows.
- What about gutters?
- Gutters we typically refer out to a trusted subcontractor. We work with them often enough that the handoff is smooth, but they bill you directly. We don't mark up subcontracted work or hide it inside the siding line item.
- Will new siding increase my home's value?
- New siding is consistently ranked among the highest-ROI exterior improvements. Curb appeal aside, modern siding paired with rigid insulation and a proper weather barrier can also improve the home's energy efficiency. The valuation lift depends on the material and the local market — your realtor or appraiser can give you a number specific to your home.
- What happens if you find rot or damage under the old siding?
- Dan calls you before doing any additional work. Every change order goes through you first. No surprise line items on the invoice, no contractor showing up to a bigger bill than you signed for.
Ready for a real quote? Get a free estimate.
Free estimates across a 40-mile radius of Wind Lake. EPA Lead-Safe certified. Dan walks the home and gives you the quote himself.
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