Siding Replacement on Historic Old Town Longmont, CO Investment Property Preserves Victorian Charm

Project Summary

WestPro replaced the siding on this historic Longmont, CO home in October 2024. We installed James Hardie 8.25-inch HardiePlank Lap Siding in Primed for the exterior walls with a 4" exposure and preserved the original era appropriate trim, frieze board and fascia details. 

The Problem

When Mark first reached out, he was looking to refresh the exterior of his Longmont rental property while preserving its historic charm.  This classic two-story home sits in downtown Longmont's historic district, near 3rd and Terry Street. The home features detailed trim work, including fillets on the windows and double-stacked fascia, which required careful planning to maintain the architectural character and Victorian era charm. 

The home's exterior was originally covered in vinyl lap siding. In various places around the home, the crew found that the vinyl siding was double stacked, and even tripled stacked in some instances. Beyond the dated look, the ownership group's primary concern to ensure the the decision to move forward with the necessary full reside didn't cost the  home character that had made the home  so special to begin with. Because the existing siding had reached the end of its useful life and needed a full replacement to support the property's resale value. Mark and his wife Annie own the property together with a few other investors, where the home operates as a short-term rental used for guest stays and small events, including weddings. This meant that any exterior work had to be intentionally scheduled around the Home Owners ever evolving guest calendar rather than the other way around.

Why It Needed Replacing

The existing vinyl siding had aged past the point of a simple refresh, and once the ownership group settled on moving forward with a full replacement, the priority from day one was preserving as much of the home's original trim character as possible rather than replacing it entirely. Bringing the entire exterior up to current standards with new siding in a era appropriate 4” exposure provided a cohesive update that repairs could not achieve.

What We Did

WestPro tore off the home's existing vinyl lap siding down to the sheathing across all four elevations. At our pre-construction meeting we did a core test that showed that most of the wall sheathing underneath was in solid condition. Because this core test established the condition of the majority if the home, once the old siding was off, only the back elevation needed new sheathing. This meant that we replaced roughly 16 to 20 sheets of 7/16 inch OSB, before the new siding could go on. Opening up that section of wall also turned up a small piece of the home's history: old newspaper had been used as wall insulation, evidence of just how old parts of this home really were.

Because the home is located in Longmont’s old-town  historic district, they tested the original structure and found that lead paint had been used on  the original portion of the structure (though not on a later addition). As a result, we worked to connect the homeowners with professionals in lead paint removal to ensure that the siding removal was carried out under EPA-compliant lead-safe work practices, with proper containment and signage in place throughout. Because this was discovered once work had already commenced, that work was added to the project by change order.

WestPro applied HardieWrap breathable underlayment over the sheathing, taping every seam, then installed new James Hardie HardiePlank lap siding in a 4 inch exposure with the Cedarmill wood-grain texture across the home, delivered primed and ready for paint. New 3.5 inch Cedarmill outside corner trim went in at every corner, also primed.

In keeping with the goal of preserving the home's character, the existing window and door trim, including the decorative fillets, along with the original frieze boards, soffit, and the home's double-stacked fascia, were left in place rather than replaced. The porch columns and railings were also preserved as-is. The existing gutters were detached and reset around the new siding rather than replaced with new ones.

Once the new siding was up, field painting was completed separately by Foothills Painting and the project closed out cleanly in August of 2024.

Project Details

This is a two-story historic home in downtown Longmont, , CO involved a full exterior refresh covering 2,462 sq. ft. of siding and trim. The siding was a replacement of the entirety of the facade spanning the home's many gables, bays, and dormers, on all four elevations. Parts of the original structure appear to date to the 1920s, based on the vintage newspaper insulation found in the walls during construction, though we don't have a documented build year to confirm that. The home features 51 window and door openings with 11 inside and 20 outside corners, requiring precise installation to match the existing architectural details.  The project was completed in October 2024 after careful coordination with the multiple owners and scheduling constraints.

Materials Used

• James Hardie HardiePlank Lap Siding, Cedarmill wood-grain texture, 4 inch exposure, primed finish

• James Hardie HardieTrim, 3.5 inch, Cedarmill, primed, installed at all outside corners

• James Hardie HardieWrap breathable weather barrier, taped seams

• Textured PVC trim coil flashing, color-matched to siding and trim, installed at windows, masonry junctions, and belly bands per James Hardie specifications

Price Context

This project was completed at approximately $18 per sq ft installed. That price covered full tear-off and disposal of the existing vinyl siding, the core test and spot sheathing repair on the back elevation, HardieWrap underlayment, new 4 inch exposure James Hardie HardiePlank siding in Cedarmill texture, and new 3.5 inch Cedarmill corner trim, all in primed finish. It does not include the separate lead-safe removal change order, the field painting (handled directly by Foothills Painting), or the gutters, which were left in place rather than replaced.

The price covers a full tear-off, housewrap, Z-flashing, penetration flashing, standard 3.5-inch HardieTrim, siding materials, mounting blocks, permit, and all installation labor. Homeowners considering a similar James Hardie 8.25-inch HardiePlank Lap Siding – Primed project in Colorado should generally expect pricing in the range of $19.00–$23.00/sq ft installed. HardiePlank siding is a durable choice that holds up well against Colorado weather.

Pricing on a project like this can vary quite a bit depending on the exposure width chosen (a standard 7 inch exposure lap siding runs meaningfully less per square foot than the narrower 4 inch profile used here, since the narrower boards mean roughly 75% more courses and labor), the home's size and complexity, the number of stories, access around the property, how many layers of old siding need to come off, the condition of the wall sheathing underneath, and current material and labor costs. 

An accurate price requires a site inspection and project-specific estimate, which you can book a free, no obligation inspection here.

The Result

Finished in October 2024, this home now has a refreshed exterior that preserves its historic charm with updated materials. The primed HardiePlank siding  which was custom painted to preserve its historic charm gives the property a clean, cohesive look that enhances its resale value. Projects like this are common throughout Longmont, where homeowners seek to balance historic preservation with modern durability.

Mark left WestPro a five-star Google review: 

"Great experience having Westpro redo the siding and whole exterior of our historic home. Bennett and the whole team were the best. Highly recommend." 

Thinking about a similar project for your home? Schedule a free inspection with WestPro to get started.