Vinyl Siding - transformcharleston.com
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Vinyl Siding

Vinyl Siding is an exterior cladding and one of the most popular choices in the United States when it comes to siding. It is made from heated polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, a plastic polymer. It’s a form of plasticized siding that is often seen on smaller homes, lower to median level neighborhoods, entry level new construction neighborhoods, or large complex apartment buildings.  It can come in a variety of colors, making it an aesthetically pleasing exterior choice, especially if the proper thickness and reveal is chosen. You can make vinyl a luxury option when choosing the thicker, larger reveal, or specialty (Shake, board and batten) styles of vinyl. Demand for vinyl siding in the US is projected to increase 1.6% per year to 25.8 million squares in 2025, valued at $1.8 billion. Don’t assume vinyl is cheap and not worth choosing. It is sometimes advantageous to choose vinyl when transforming your home’s exterior while not trying to break the bank. Here is an example of three vinyl sided homes:

  Vinyl siding comes in a varying range of reveals, ranging from 3” reveal (now obsolete) to 6” reveals. If insulated-backed, it can get up to the 7” reveal style. Vinyl siding also comes in a varying thickness, thinnest being the cheapest, and thickest being the most expensive. These vinyl thicknesses range from .040” to .050” in the straight, dutchlap, and board and batten styles. Shake style options can get to .080” and .090” thick and are typically injection molded so that they keep the cedar shake/tile aesthetic.

  Vinyl siding is the most cost effective siding option and is usually referred to as the “most economical” or “builder grade” options for siding. For a typical single-family home with 2,000 square feet of siding required to be installed, it costs between $16,000 and $36,000 or $8-$18 per square foot, to install depending on reveal, thickness, color, and the level of difficulty of the project (height, cuts, penetrations, windows, doors, trims, etc). In this example, the $36,000 would be for the vinyl shake style with a high level of difficulty of install. On the other hand, The $16,000 example would be for an economic grade (.040” or .042”) lap siding with an average level of difficulty. If there are prices outside of this range, 1 of two things are happening: 1.) Thinner vinyl materials are being used with accessories, house wrap barriers, seam tapes, and trims 2.) You are being overcharged on labor.

  Another option of vinyl siding is insulated vinyl siding. Insulated vinyl siding is an upgrade from regular vinyl and used to be the luxury maintenance free siding option until steel and composite came on the market. It is essentially just a piece of vinyl siding with ½” thick styrofoam adhered to the back of the panels to make it “more durable” and “better insulating”. Insulated vinyl siding comes in wider panel width, making it more aesthetic than economy grade vinyl. What makes insulated vinyl siding special is that the insulation is built right into the ridge of the panel. This helps to insulate your home better and secure its temperature, which ultimately helps save you money on heating and cooling costs—plus, it makes insulation more durable.

  Insulated vinyl siding also is a great option to reduce sound due to the styrofoam on the back of the panels. Although insulated vinyl is superior to vinyl, it’s price point is starting to make it an obsolete option for siding due to the steel and composite siding competitors. With insulated vinyl projects costing between $13 – $16 per square foot installed by a professional contractor, it is usually considered overpriced by homeowners. With steel and composite priced competitively, and being superior products, it makes insulated vinyl a second or third choice for homeowners.

Pros and Cons of Vinyl Siding

Pros of Vinyl Siding

  • Cost Effective
  • Many Color Options
  • Many Aesthetic Options
  • Endless Design Ability
  • Insulated vinyl can help reduce noise and is more durable than standard vinyl

Cons of Vinyl Siding

  • Can fade more quickly than other types of siding (10 to 15 years, depending on the climate)
  • Sensitive to excess UV light exposure and harsh weather conditions. Susceptible to warping from UV rays.
  • Requires caulking in areas. Caulk will crack and split in high temperature climates and requires maintenance every 5-7 years.
  • Can crack with hail, rock chips from lawn mower, expanding out of joints and trim with temperature swings
  • Insulated vinyl options are considered overpriced by building professionals

 Types of Vinyl Siding:

  • Straight / Lap / Clapboard – D4S, D4.5S, D5S, D6S Reveals (The numbers represent the reveal in inches)
  • Dutchlap – D4D, D4.5D, D5D, D6D  (The numbers represent the reveal in inches)
  • Board and Batten (Typically a 7” or 9” reveal between battens)
  • Vinyl Shingle/Shake (The Best, Thickest, Most Expensive)
  • Insulated Backed Vinyl Siding
  • Charleston Beaded
  • Log (Obsolete)

Leading Vinyl Siding Manufacturers:

Textures of Vinyl Siding:

  • Smooth (Near Obsolete)
  • Woodgrain (Most Vinyl Siding Manufacturer now ONLY make Woodgrain)

Click here to see a step-by-step process on how to perform a vinyl siding installation help the help of the according to the PEPA – Vinyl Siding Institute.

  • Lifetime Workmanship Warranty
  • Lifetime Annual Roof Maintenance
  • 24/7 Emergency Services
  • Family Owned & Operated
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Questions?

What Locations Do We Serve and Services We Provide?

Transform Charleston provides roofing, siding, gutter windows, and custom home exterior services in Mount Pleasant, Charleston, Daniel Island, Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island, I'On, Mount Pleasant, and James Island.


Although these are the 7 primary locations we serve, we do make exceptions for referrals. If somebody is referred to us, that means the world, and therefore, we will do everything it takes to serve that customer as well.


Although window services are provided, we prefer to only do window installations and replacements when we are performing a siding replacement as that is the optimal time to do so in order to properly flash the siding.


Our main passion is to completely transform home exteriors, so custom home exterior projects are our favorite! These projects typically involve at least 3+ of our services combined on a single structure.

Why Should You Let Us Assist You with Your Storm Damage Insurance Claims?

In Charleston, roofing and siding storm damage is inevitable from wind and hail. When choosing a contractor to assist you in fixing your storm damage and helping with insurance claims, it is crucial that you choose a competent contractor who is thoroughly versed in handling insurance claims. With a ton of "roofing contractors" being busted for insurance fraud, it is all the more important to diligently choose the contractor you feel most comfortable with.


If a contractor has little to no experience, or misleads you into believing they are "insurance experts," they can detrimentally ruin your chance at getting a proper restoration of the damages. For instance, if the claim is filed incorrectly from the beginning, it can be detrimental.


If the contractor doesn't document the damages properly, with adequate building code documentation and manufacturer specifications, it can negatively impact the final decision from the insurance carriers.


If a contractor just wants to selfishly hurry up and collect a check, which most do, they will get the claim approved just enough to make the money they desire, but leave you with some of the damages not completely repaired. Yes, you may get the roof repaired or replaced, but what if your siding, gutters, and interior needed to be repaired as well? If the contractor is only a "roofing" contractor, they most likely won't want to do other repairs as they are not equipped with the infrastructure to handle them.


It is crucial to hire a roofing restoration and siding restoration contractor who knows how to properly document, assist, effectively communicate with insurance carriers, and is in the business to serve and not take.


Our founder, Brent Bauer, has served over 500+ homeowners with storm damage insurance claims ranging from Ohio, to Florida, to right here in the lowcountry. Whether hail damage or wind damage, we are here to help!

What Makes Transform Charleston Unique?

Every single day of the work week, the entire Transform Charleston team dedicates 2 hours a day to industry-specific training regarding installation practices, product knowledge, and best consultative practices to best serve homeowners.


We understand that if we are not true experts regarding this industry, inevitably, by default, we will not be able to truly serve each homeowner in their own unique way. Every homeowner is in a unique situation, with unique financial goals, and varying aspirations for their home. If we take a "one size fits all" approach to our consulting, we are no longer consultants, but rather, salespeople like every single one of our competitors.


The thought of being like everybody else is actually what motivates us to self-develop every single day. Self-development, with the passion to transform one another's lives within our culture, is what truly makes us unique. By cultivating a culture of selflessness, passion, and servitude, we treat homeowners the exact same way we would want somebody to treat our family in their roofing, siding, gutter, and custom home exterior needs.


Our core values consist of stewardship, gratitude, service, and self-development. We believe we are blessed with the gifts that we have been given, recognizing that from a heart of gratitude, we can then best serve our community and neighbors both within the business as well as outside by helping non-profits through generosity. Self-development then inevitably occurs, because without it, we lose the heart of servitude, and life then becomes about us. The moment life becomes solely about us, we lose true fulfillment.


Collectively, as a team, we believe true fulfillment comes from serving and helping one another TRANSFORM into our individual full potential. It's the small, almost seemingly insignificant disciplines that can actually have the most profound impacts. It's "The Butterfly Effect." This is why "Transforming Lives, Elevating Exteriors" is our company motto.


Precision, passion, and expertise is what we are all about!

How Can We Justify Offering Lifetime Workmanship Warranties?

Able to offer lifetime warranties because we are true experts regarding installation as well as building code and manufacturer specifications. We are obsessed with developing and learning through daily training. We believe if we do not improve daily, we will not be fit to best serve our homeowners. With this approach, we are 100% confident that all roofs will be completed with near-perfect craftsmanship and precision.


Also, with a project manager and crew leader on site during our roofing and siding projects, we meticulously watch our installation crews to ensure all installation specifications are being followed. This ensures that we do not miss anything during the installation process and gives us the ability and confidence to offer lifetime workmanship warranties.


An additional reason we can justify offering lifetime workmanship warranties is because we know asphalt shingle manufacturers, and other roofing manufacturers, are always looking for ways out of warranty claims. We believe in true, selfless, genuine service. We extend the lifetime workmanship warranties to give our homeowners additional peace of mind, knowing that when it comes to workmanship, Transform Charleston will ALWAYS deliver with precision.


You can directly see a contractor's confidence with their installation based on the length of the workmanship warranty that they are providing. If they are only offering less than a 15-year workmanship warranty, but other contractors are offering lifetime workmanship warranties, remember, this roofing and siding industry is the epitome of "You pay for what you get." Don't let contractors mislead you with their "manufacturer lifetime warranty" pitches. These are specifically only if the shingles or products prematurely fail due to manufacturing-related issues, not workmanship.

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We recognize that each homeowner has a unique vision for their property. That's why we offer personalized design consultations to everyone who works with us. Our team of experts collaborates with clients to bring their dream homes to life through a consultative approach.​​

We Would Love The Opportunity To Serve You!



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