Harvard is in the northwest corner of McHenry County, east of our main office at 11704 Main St in Roscoe. We’re a family business that started in 2006 and has made the Inc. 5000 list four times, and we were voted What Rocks Rockford Best Siding, 2021 to 2025. Call (815) 624-6278. Someone answers 24/7.
A Railroad Town With Old Houses
Harvard started as a railroad stop. The Chicago and North Western accepted the town plat as a station in 1856, and a lot of the houses near downtown went up for the railroad and dairy families who built the place. Ayer Street, named for Elbridge Gerry Ayer, one of the men who platted the town, is still the heart of downtown.
Those older homes are the most interesting siding jobs we do. They’ve usually been covered more than once. When we open a wall, we often find the original wood clapboard under aluminum, vinyl, or asbestos cement shingles from the middle of the last century. Our own crews hold the license for asbestos siding removal, so the old cement board comes off on the same schedule as the rest of the job.
Farm Country Around the City
Harvard calls itself the Milk Capital of the World, and the dairy country is still all around it. Harvard Milk Days, held every June since 1942, is what its organizers call the longest ongoing hometown festival in the state of Illinois. A lot of the homes outside the city are farmhouses on open ground, with nothing between the walls and the wind coming across the fields.
On those houses, how the siding is fastened matters as much as which siding you pick. So each course locks into the one below, and the nails are set a hair loose so the panels can expand in summer heat and still hang on when the wind comes across the fields.
Newer Neighborhoods
Harvard also has newer subdivisions, and those homes mostly have builder-grade vinyl that’s now fading on the sunny walls and cracking low on the house. They’re simpler houses to re-side, and most of those jobs take 1 to 2 days. We take off the old panels, fix any soft sheathing, and most homes get new house wrap.
Vinyl or James Hardie in Harvard
James Hardie fiber cement is what we usually suggest for Harvard’s older homes and farmhouses. Hardie gives an old Harvard house the look of painted clapboard, and the heavy board shrugs off hail that would crack vinyl. Expect a higher price than vinyl; James Hardie stands behind the board with a product warranty of its own.
For the newer houses around Harvard, Mastic or Norandex vinyl keeps the budget down. On a farmhouse it ends the scrape-and-paint routine for good, and when it goes on right it can last 20 to 40 years.
Hail, Wind and Tornadoes
Northern Illinois gets spring hail, summer windstorms and the occasional tornado, and McHenry County is no exception. After a storm, we’ll come out and inspect your siding and roof for free, photograph any damage, and help with your insurance claim if it’s worth filing. Helping thousands of homeowners through roof claims since 2006 has taught us when an insurance claim is worth filing, and we’ll say so if yours isn’t. See storm damage repair.
Permits and Roofing
Martin Exteriors pulls and handles all required permits, inside or outside Harvard city limits. If your roof is due too, see our Harvard roofing page and the siding installation overview.
Free Siding Estimate in Harvard
Out in the country or in town, we go around the house wall by wall with you and hold real samples up against your roof color. If you’d like to spread the cost out, payments go as low as $149/month for qualified buyers (financing details).
Schedule your free estimate or call (815) 624-6278.
Harvard Siding FAQ
Do you install siding in Harvard, IL?
Yes. Our siding crews drive over from 11704 Main St in Roscoe to work in Harvard and on the farms around it.
My older Harvard house has aluminum over the original wood. Can you take it all off?
Yes. We remove the old layers, including asbestos cement siding, which we’re licensed to remove with our own crews. Then we repair the wall and wrap it before the new siding goes on.
What siding works best on a farmhouse?
James Hardie fiber cement usually suits a farmhouse best and handles wind and hail well. Vinyl from Mastic or Norandex is the lower-cost option.
Who issues siding permits in Harvard?
Martin Exteriors does. We pull and handle all required permits, inside or outside city limits, so you have nothing to file yourself.
How long does it take to side a Harvard farmhouse?
Most siding jobs take 1 to 2 days, but a large farmhouse with porches, trim and old layers to remove can take longer. We’ll give you a realistic schedule up front.
