Full Siding, Roof & Gutter Remodel in the Heart of Downtown Boulder

The Problem

This single-story home on Pearl Street in Boulder was purchased as an investment property. The new owner, Christian, planned a full interior and exterior renovation, with the roof identified as the top priority, followed by gutters and siding.

The home's original 1920's siding was vinyl over a plank wood substrate, and the roof was a single-layer shingle system nearing the end of its practical life. Neither had been touched in years, and both needed to come off as part of the larger renovation.

Why It Needed Replacing

This was a retail project, not an insurance claim. The scope was driven by the property renovation rather than storm damage. The goal was to transform a dated and lackluster property to give it contemporary curb appeal in keeping with its location a few blocks west of Boulder's Pearl Street Mall. Once the roofing and siding decisions were made, the plan was straightforward: full tear-off and replacement of both systems, plus new gutters, so the exterior matched the level of the interior work being done.

What We Did

On the roof, we removed the existing single-layer shingles down to the deck, then fully re-decked all slopes with 1/2 inch OSB sheathing. We installed GAF Armorshield II Class 4 impact-resistant shingles in Charcoal over GAF FeltBuster synthetic underlayment, with a leak barrier system at the eaves and valleys, upgraded ridge and eave ventilation, and a 60 mil EPDM membrane over DensDeck fireboard on the low-slope section at the back of the home. New black drip edge and step flashing were installed throughout, and the roof carries GAF's System Plus warranty.

On the siding, we tore off the original vinyl down to the plank decking. Once the walls were open, it was clear that decking needed a full layer of OSB sheathing before Board and Batten could go on correctly, so that was added as a change order rather than skipped. We installed James Hardie Statement Collection Cedarmill Board and Batten siding in Aged Pewter, with Cedarmill trim in Iron Gray around windows, doors, and outside corners. The soffit plan shifted too: once the crew got into the eaves, the existing soffit was already open in a way the original plan hadn't accounted for, so we priced out two options and let Christian make the call, landing on FastPlank soffit in Dark Walnut with a coil-wrapped fascia in Iron Gray. New 5 inch seamless aluminum gutters and 3 inch by 4 inch downspouts were installed in Dark Bronze.

Christian's vision for the home evolved as the project came together. Trim color changed from the originally selected Arctic White to Iron Gray by change order once he saw it next to the Aged Pewter siding samples, and gutter color went through its own round of revisions before landing on Dark Bronze. None of that slowed the project down; it's just what happens when a homeowner is genuinely dialing in the look of their home.

At the final walkthrough, we caught two things that weren't quite right yet: a cricket that hadn't been built at the chimney, and a handful of siding battens with nails driven a little too deep. Neither would necessarily be obvious right away, but both cause problems years later if left alone, so we sent the crews back out to fix them before calling the job done.

Project Details

The home is a single story home, with a footprint of approximately 1,544 square feet in the heart of Downtown Boulder. Total siding facade area 1,445 to 1,446 square feet once trim and openings were fractured in. The roof measures 1,811 square feet total, with roughly 72 percent of the surface at a 6/12 pitch and about 24% low slope roof on the back of the home. The home had 21 total window openings and 4 doors throughout.

Materials Used​

• GAF Armorshield II Class 4 impact-resistant shingles, Charcoal
  
• GAF FeltBuster synthetic underlayment
  
• GAF WeatherWatch leak barrier system at eaves and valleys
  
• Ridge vent and Cobra IntakePro eave intake vents (GAF ventilation systems)
  
• 60 mil EPDM low-slope membrane over DensDeck fireboard
  
• James Hardie Statement Collection Cedarmill Board and Batten siding in Aged Pewter
  
• James Hardie Cedarmill trim in Iron Gray
  
• FastPlank soffit in Dark Walnut with coil-wrapped fascia in Iron Gray
  
• 5 inch seamless aluminum gutters and 3 inch by 4 inch downspouts, Dark Bronze
  

The Result

The roof was completed on April 10, 2025, and the siding wrapped up on May 2, 2025. Once the final punchlist items were resolved, the homeowner was very satisfied with the finished work.

Price Context — Roofing

This project was completed at approximately $14.00 per square foot installed. That figure includes the full re-deck with new OSB sheathing, GAF Armorshield II Class 4 shingles, upgraded ridge and eave ventilation, the low-slope EPDM section, and the gutters and downspouts bundled into this contract. It is not a clean shingles-only comparison, since re-decking and gutters both add meaningfully to the number.

Homeowners considering a similar Class 4 shingle roof with ridge vent and ice-and-water upgrades today should generally expect pricing in the range of about $7.60 to $8.20 per square foot installed, based on current data, before accounting for a full re-deck or bundled gutters.

Pricing on a roofing project like this can vary based on shingle selection, roof pitch and complexity, whether the existing decking is reusable or needs replacement, ventilation choices, low-slope or membrane sections, and site access. An accurate price requires a site inspection and project-specific estimate. Reach out to our office to schedule an inspection!

Price Context — Siding

This project was completed at approximately $27.55 per square foot installed. That price reflects full tear-off, a complete OSB re-sheath discovered once the old vinyl came off, James Hardie Statement Collection board and batten siding, FastPlank soffit with coil-wrapped fascia, and gutters bundled into the same contract. This is a fuller scope than a straightforward siding-panel swap, so it runs higher than a basic Hardie lap siding quote would.

Homeowners considering a similar James Hardie Statement Collection project today should generally expect pricing in the range of about $20.00 to $22.50 per square foot installed for the factory-finished ColorPlus-tier product, based on current WestPro project data, before adding re-sheathing, soffit and fascia work, or gutters.

Pricing on a siding project like this can vary based on product and profile selection, whether the existing sheathing is reusable, trim package, soffit and fascia scope, wall complexity, and site access. An accurate price requires a site inspection and project-specific estimate. Schedule an inspection today to discuss your home with our team.

Before and After: Evaluating the Design

The before photo shows the home's original blue vinyl lap siding, worn and dated, with a horizontal profile typical of the era it was installed. The after photo shows a different home entirely: James Hardie board and batten siding in Aged Pewter, Iron Gray trim around the windows and door, and GAF Armorshield II Charcoal shingles on the roof above.

The shift from horizontal lap to vertical board and batten is the biggest single change in how the house reads from the street. It gives the home a more tailored, contemporary look without looking out of place next to the older homes nearby. Aged Pewter siding against Iron Gray trim and fascia keeps the palette simple, letting the brick chimney read as a warm accent rather than compete with a busy trim scheme. Iron Gray trim and fascia, Dark Bronze gutters, and the charcoal roofline all sit in the same cool, neutral family, while the Dark Walnut FastPlank soffit adds a touch of warmth underneath the roofline, so the whole exterior reads as one connected look instead of several mismatched parts.

None of that came together in a single decision. It took the rounds of revisions described above, working through options as they came up, to land on a combination that holds together as a finished product rather than a set of choices made in isolation.

If you're standing in front of this house today, none of that behind-the-scenes back-and-forth is visible. What you see is a cohesive, considered exterior. That's really the point: a home like this one isn't about a spec sheet executed perfectly the first time. It's about a team willing to stop, reassess, and get it right when something doesn't go exactly to plan.