Caulk Is Not a Repair. What to Do When the Customer Asks for It Anyway
Homeowners want the cheap fix: 'just caulk it.' When caulk is fine, when it hides a bigger problem, and how to say no without sounding like you're upselling.
The Repairs
22 articles
Wavy Vinyl Siding: Heat, Nailing, or the Wall Behind It
Wavy, buckled vinyl usually has one of three causes. How to tell which one you're looking at before you quote the fix.
Matching a Faded Panel So the Repair Doesn't Look Like a New Tooth
A brand-new panel in the right color still sticks out next to 15 years of sun. The swap trick repair guys use, where to steal a weathered piece, and what to tell…
How to Read the Stamp on the Back of a Vinyl Siding Panel
Matching an old panel starts with knowing what it is. Where to find the manufacturer printing on vinyl siding, what it tells you, and what to do when there's nothing there.
Wind-Blown and Unlocked Panels: Quick Fix, Good Money
After every windstorm, panels come unlocked or blow off. Why it happens, how to tell a relock from a replace, and how to handle storm-week call volume as a one-man shop.
Hail Damage vs. Wear: What to Tell the Homeowner
Homeowners call about hail when it's fading, and call about fading when it's hail. How to tell them apart, what to put in your notes, and how to stay honest when insurance…
Grill-Melted Siding: The Fastest Profitable Repair
Every summer, grills melt siding. It's one of the most common repair calls and one of the quickest. What to look for, what to replace, and how to make it a good-paying…
How to Match Discontinued Vinyl Siding
Half the repair calls you'll get are on siding that isn't made anymore. How to identify the profile and color, where to find a match, the borrow-from-the-back trick, and how to talk…
Replacing a Single Vinyl Panel Without Removing the Whole Wall
The bread-and-butter siding repair: unlock the damaged panel with a zip tool, unnail it, slide in a new one and lock it back. Step by step, with the mistakes to avoid.
The 10 Most Common Siding Repair Jobs You'll Get
From wind-blown panels to grill melts, these are the siding repairs that fill a repair guy's schedule, what causes them, and what each job usually involves.