Which Comes First, the Roofing or the Siding?

By Cass Jacoby.  

Why you should choose to install the roof before your siding. 

It can be hard as a homeowner to know the order in which renovation projects should go; it can feel a little like you have lost the assembly instructions to your house. Stress no more about deciding whether or not to get a new roof or new siding first, the experts are here to chime in! 

Ultimately, when making choices about when to start your renovation, the bottom line is to minimize damages during construction. The deciding factor is going to come down to whether or not you need to replace or repair your roof. If you are planning on replacing your roof, you want to make sure that the replacement is done before the siding replacement.  

Home Genius Exteriors reasons that this is because there are some elements, like flashings, that are integrated into both the roof and siding and if they are done on the siding first they can create double work. Scubby suggests starting with roofing followed by siding so you don’t risk damaging the newly replaced siding. 

However, should you do both projects at the same time or stagger them? Universal Roofing recommends asking yourself these three questions as you make your decision: 

1 - Do you have time? 

With good execution and the weather on your side, your contractor might be able to finish both the siding and the roof in about 14 days. However, planning both projects at once will require a lot of organization. These renovations require budgeting, choosing materials and overseeing the process of the projects, so make sure you have enough time to take on everything at once. 

2 - Do you have the budget? 

It's important to be realistic about your budget and make sure you can do both projects at the same time. If it's not in the budget you can stagger the projects focusing on finishing your roof first. Make sure to set aside some money as a contingency fund. 

3 - Do you have temporary accommodations? 

Construction brings disruption into your home. If you think the noise or the mess will be a problem consider making other arrangements for your accommodation.  

Now that you know which renovations to prioritize, you are ready to take on your exterior home makeover! 

Have a question? AskARoofer. 

Find your local roofing contractor in the RoofersCoffeeShop® Contractor Directory. 

About Cass  

Cass works as a reporter/writer for RoofersCoffeeShop and AskARoofer. When she isn’t writing about roofs, she is writing about movies for her master's degree and dancing with her plants.