Delavan is about 40 minutes from our main office at 11704 Main St in Roscoe. We’re a certified dwelling contractor in Wisconsin (#1436189). A family company since 2006, we keep the phones answered 24/7, and we were voted What Rocks Rockford Best Siding Contractor, 2021 to 2025. Call (815) 624-6278.
In Town and On the Lake
Delavan has two very different kinds of siding jobs. In the city, Census estimates put the median home at 1968, and about 24% of homes were built before 1940, many of them downtown near Tower Park and along Walworth Avenue, Main Street and Washington Street. Delavan has a long history, too. From 1847 to 1894, more than two dozen circuses spent their winters here.
Around Delavan Lake, it’s cottages and lake homes. In the lake area the median home dates to 1980, and the Census counts fewer than half of the homes there as occupied full-time, which tells you how many are weekend and summer places.
Lake Cottages That Sit Empty
A lake cottage can go weeks without anyone looking at the outside walls. Lake places tend to be close to the water, tucked under trees and shaded on the back, so the siding stays damp, grows green film and wears faster on the side facing the lake, where the sun and wind hit hardest. A small crack can let water into the wall long before anyone notices.
If you’re not at the lake much, we can send you photos and updates while the job is going. Most siding jobs take 1 to 2 days, so we can often get it done between weekends. Before the new siding goes on, we check the sheathing for rot and most homes get new house wrap.
Older Homes in the City
On Delavan’s older homes in town, there’s usually more than one layer of siding already on the house: aluminum or vinyl over wood lap, and sometimes asbestos cement shingles. Old asbestos siding on a lake cottage is part of the job too, since our own crews are licensed to take it off. Older houses take more prep and trim work, and we’ll tell you that at the estimate.
Vinyl or James Hardie
James Hardie fiber cement is a good fit for lake homes that take a lot of sun and wind, and for older houses in town that look best in a wood-like lap. It’s heavier than vinyl and handles hail and impact better. Hardie costs more at the start, and the manufacturer backs it with its own product warranty.
Vinyl siding from Mastic and Norandex is the low-maintenance, budget-friendly choice. It needs no paint, a garden hose cleans it, and a careful install can give you 20 to 40 years. On a shady lot, a mid-tone color hides the green film better than bright white. Martin Exteriors is VSI certified through the Vinyl Siding Institute.
Delavan Storms
NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists plenty of Delavan storms. On June 22, 2024, an EF-1 tornado began on the north end of Delavan Lake. On July 11, 2011, gusts estimated at 80 mph brought down trees and power lines in and around Delavan. Hail up to 1.5 inches fell in the Delavan area on September 7, 2021. For a fix that replaces only the damaged boards, see siding repair.
If a storm crosses Delavan Lake while you’re back home in Illinois, we can check the siding and roof for free and text you the photos. If it’s worth a claim, we help with your insurance claim. We’ve helped thousands of homeowners through roof claims. See wind damage repair.
Permits
Martin Exteriors pulls and handles all required permits, in the city or around the lake.
Roofing and Nearby Towns
See our Delavan roofing page if your roof is due too. Up the road we side homes in Elkhorn and around Lake Geneva as well, and our southern Wisconsin page lists the other towns. The siding installation page explains how a job runs.
Condos, Townhomes and Shared Walls in Delavan
Delavan is not only single family houses. Census estimates (ACS 2020 to 2024) count about 4,200 homes in the city, and only about half are detached houses. About 1 in 9 is a townhome or side by side unit, more sit in two flats and small apartment buildings, and about 4 in 10 Delavan homes are rented.
An attached home changes how the work gets planned. The end of your unit may butt up against the next owner’s wall, the trim and color usually run across the whole building, and an association may set which materials and colors owners can use. Get a copy of those rules before the estimate, and we’ll plan the boards, trim and color around them. When every unit is due at about the same time, the owners can choose to re-side the building as one project instead of one unit at a time.
For owners of rentals and two flats, the question is usually how much to do now. If one wall took the damage, those boards or sections can be replaced on their own, and our Delavan siding repair page explains how that works. If the siding is tired on every side, a full re-side between tenants gets the outside done before the next lease starts. For finished work close by, see a James Hardie job in nearby Elkhorn.
Siding Replacement in Delavan, WI
Siding replacement in Delavan usually starts one of two ways. In town, it’s an older house where the siding on the house now is tired and the rooms feel drafty. At the lake, it’s a cottage where the water side has faded and grown film while the street side still looks fine. Either way, a full replacement lets us fix what’s under the siding before new boards go on.
For the older homes near downtown, insulated vinyl is worth pricing. It has a foam backing behind each panel, which helps on houses that have little or no insulation in the walls. For lake places, James Hardie fiber cement stands up well to the sun and wind off the water, and vinyl from Mastic or Norandex keeps the upkeep low if you only get up on weekends.
It’s also the right time to look at the soffit and fascia. Around the lake, those boards take the same weather as the walls, and replacing them with the siding gives the whole house one finished look. We’re VSI certified, a Mastic Select Contractor, a CertainTeed 5-Star Contractor and a Certified James Hardie Installer, and we install Norandex. The typical price ranges are just below, and your exact price comes from a free inspection. Financing is available, as low as $149/month for qualified buyers.
Siding Prices in Delavan
A Delavan Lake cottage and an older house in town price differently: the cottage is often smaller but weathered on the lake side, while the older city homes often need more prep. Here are typical installed price ranges.
- Vinyl siding: about $6.50 to $8.25+ per square foot installed
- Insulated vinyl: about $11.75 to $16.25+ per square foot installed
- James Hardie fiber cement: about $12.00 to $20.00+ per square foot installed
Soffit, fascia and any trim a project needs are quoted separately. Vinyl doesn’t always need trim. With Hardie, trim work can cost as much as the siding itself, so every project has to be seen, discussed and planned before we can quote it.
Want to compare the materials first? The siding installation page walks through each one.
Free Siding Estimate in Delavan
We’ll walk every wall, including the lake side, and bring samples so you can see them in daylight. For a lake cottage or a full-time home, financing can bring payments as low as $149/month for qualified buyers.
Schedule your free inspection or call (815) 624-6278.
Delavan Siding FAQ
Can you re-side my Delavan Lake cottage while I’m away?
Yes. We can send photos and updates as the job goes. Most siding jobs take 1 to 2 days.
Who issues siding permits in Delavan?
Martin Exteriors does. We pull and handle all required permits, in the city or around the lake, so you have nothing to file yourself.
Why is the siding on my lake side wearing out faster?
The side facing the lake usually takes the most sun and wind, and shady, damp walls grow film. We check the wall underneath and help you choose a siding and color that holds up better.
Do you remove asbestos siding?
Yes. Our own crews carry the license for asbestos siding removal.
Are you licensed in Wisconsin?
Yes. We’re a certified dwelling contractor in Wisconsin (#1436189).
Can siding be installed in winter in Delavan?
Yes. Winter is no reason to wait in Delavan. Siding goes on year-round, winter included, and most siding jobs take 1 to 2 days.
We own a townhome in an association. Can you re-side just our unit?
Often, yes, if the association allows it. We match the color and profile to the rest of the building wherever we can, and if a color is no longer made, we’ll tell you at the estimate. If the association would rather do every unit at once, we can quote the whole building.
What does new siding cost in Delavan?
Typical installed prices are about $6.50 to $8.25+ per square foot for vinyl, about $11.75 to $16.25+ for insulated vinyl and about $12.00 to $20.00+ for James Hardie fiber cement. A Delavan Lake cottage and an older home in town can price quite differently. We put the exact price in writing at a free inspection and estimate.
Is insulated vinyl worth it on an older Delavan home?
It can be. Insulated vinyl has a foam backing behind each panel, which helps on older houses with little or no insulation in the walls. It costs more than standard vinyl (about $11.75 to $16.25+ per square foot installed, versus about $6.50 to $8.25+), so we price both at your free inspection.
Should I replace the soffit and fascia when I re-side my Delavan home?
Often, yes. Soffit and fascia take the same weather as the walls, especially around the lake, and doing them with the siding gives one finished look. They’re quoted separately, so you can see what they add before you decide.
Do I have to re-side every wall of my Delavan Lake cottage?
Not always. If only one wall is damaged and the color is still made, a siding repair may do it. If the lake side has faded much more than the rest, new boards may not blend in, and re-siding the whole cottage usually looks better. We’ll show you photos and tell you straight.
