Clarkston, Michigan
Project Overview
The Settle family originally reached out looking for what they believed would be a targeted repair. They had deteriorating wood trim, rotted horizontal wood siding, and several areas that were clearly breaking down after years of exposure. Their first instinct was reasonable: keep the same material and repair only what was failing.
The problem was, the house was already telling a bigger story.
Once the project was evaluated more closely, it became clear this was not just a couple of isolated bad boards. The exterior had widespread deterioration, aging trim details, ventilation needs, and water-management upgrades that all needed to work together. So instead of throwing money at a patch-and-repeat cycle, the project shifted into a full exterior restoration plan designed to solve the weak points properly and give the home a much longer runway.
Before photo captions: Deteriorated wood trim, rotted horizontal wood siding, aging exterior surfaces, and pre-renovation conditions around the home before restoration began.
What We Found
The house had multiple layers of exterior issues happening at once.
The original concern was rotted wood trim and failing wood siding, but once planning and demolition moved forward, the scope expanded into a much more complete restoration. There were areas of failed trim, moisture-sensitive transitions, aging soffit ventilation, and sections that needed stronger flashing and prep methods before any finish material should go back on. In plain English: the outside looked tired because the system underneath it had started getting tired too.
This project also needed to balance appearance with performance. The Settles wanted a home that looked sharp, but the fix could not be cosmetic only. The new system had to improve durability, airflow, drainage, and long-term maintenance all at once.
Scope of Work (During Renovation)
This project combined siding replacement, wood restoration, exterior painting, soffit ventilation upgrades, and a full gutter replacement.
The siding portion included full removal of the existing siding, preparation of the wall system, installation of James Hardie® HardieWrap®, fan-fold insulation, custom aluminum flashing, and new James Hardie® siding products across the home. The main field areas received James Hardie® HardiePlank® 8.25″ Cedarmill® lap siding in Mountain Sage, while shake-style sections received James Hardie® HardieShingle® Straight Edge panels in Rich Espresso. That combination gave the house more contrast, more depth, and a cleaner architectural look than the old exterior ever had.
The trim and restoration side of the project mattered just as much. Existing wood trim was repaired or replaced where necessary, including multiple problem areas that had deteriorated beyond what paint alone could save. The team also installed new flashing details at key transitions, added apron metal where needed, and rebuilt vulnerable sections so the finish materials were not being asked to hide structural or moisture issues.
Painting and finish work tied the whole project together. Exterior wood trim was cleaned, scraped, sealed, primed, and coated using Benjamin Moore products. The trim was finished in Restoration Ivory, while the garage and entry doors were finished in Rich Espresso to coordinate with the darker accent areas of the siding design.
Ventilation was upgraded too, which is one of those things homeowners usually do not get excited about until the house starts showing them why it matters. The project included removal of older soffit vents and installation of 32 new 8″ x 16″ louvered soffit vents to improve attic airflow.
To finish the water-management side of the project, the home also received a new GutterZone Certified 6″ Seamless Aluminum Hidden Hanger System in bronze. That included new gutters, 3″ x 4″ downspouts, MaxFlow outlets, splash guards, and leaf-filter style downspout cleanouts to help the drainage system perform better and stay easier to maintain.
During photo captions: House wash, tear-off, wall preparation, wood replacement, flashing upgrades, HardieWrap installation, ventilation improvements, siding installation, trim work, painting, and gutter installation in progress.
The Result
The final result was a full exterior reset.
What started as a repair conversation became a much smarter long-term move: a properly restored home exterior with stronger siding materials, updated trim details, improved soffit ventilation, fresh paintwork, and a new gutter system that matched the scale and needs of the home.
After photo captions: Completed James Hardie siding installation in Mountain Sage with Rich Espresso accents, restored and painted trim, upgraded soffit ventilation, and new bronze seamless gutters for a finished exterior transformation.
Visually, the difference is obvious. The Mountain Sage lap siding paired with Rich Espresso shake accents and bronze gutters gave the home a more refined, intentional look. But the bigger win was under the surface. The project replaced the cycle of ongoing wood failure and piecemeal upkeep with a more durable, lower-maintenance exterior system.
This is the kind of project that matters because it fixes more than what the eye sees. It improves the exterior envelope, sharpens the curb appeal, and gives the homeowner a house that feels cared for again instead of constantly needing the next repair.
