Pale yellow siding, white corner posts, and wood boards framing every window had left this home looking like three different design ideas stacked on one house. The siding had done its job for decades, but the colors were dated, and the wood trim around the windows was one more thing to seal, paint, and worry about.
The homeowner lives in Inver Grove Heights, MN, in a three-story home built in 1996 with a walkout basement and an exposed block foundation along the back slope. The height and grade made this siding project trickier than a standard rambler, since our crew needed extra equipment to safely reach the upper levels and had to carry the siding line along the angle set by the original foundation.
Key Takeaways
- THE CHALLENGEA three-story walkout home carried faded pale-yellow siding, mismatched trim colors, and wood boards around the windows that created extra caulk joints and upkeep.
- THE INSTALLWe tore off the existing siding, inspected and repaired the sheathing, installed house wrap, and hung Charter Oak vinyl siding with shake accents in the gables.
- THE RESULTThe home now wears a cohesive three-color palette that ties the stone, roofing, and garage doors together, with fewer places for water to find its way in.
Vinyl siding was the practical answer here because the homeowner wanted a long-lasting exterior with very little upkeep beyond an occasional power wash. We also treated the color selection as part of the work, since the front of the house had too much white competing with the stone and the roof. Our rule of thumb on a siding project is three main colors: the window and trim color, the body color, and an accent color for the shake in the gables.
Project Summary
| Client Profile: | Patrice, homeowner of a 1996 three-story home with a walkout basement |
| Project Location: | Inver Grove Heights, MN (Twin Cities metro) |
| Primary Objective: | Replace dated, mismatched exterior with low-maintenance Professional Siding Services and a unified color palette |
| Material Selection: | Charter Oak Vinyl Siding Installation in Riviera Dusk with Deep Espresso shake accents in the gables |
| Key Outcome: | Full tear-off, sheathing repair, and new siding installed starting May 6, 2026 |
Inspecting The Existing Siding Conditions
Every siding project starts the same way for us: we tear off what is there before we commit to anything. Only with the old siding down can we see the sheathing clearly, and on this home that step let the crew find and repair any rot before new material went up. House wrap went on next, and we aim to have it in place before the end of the day so the walls are protected if a Minnesota rain moves through overnight.
The walkout side of the house added its own wrinkle. Exposed block runs along the foundation where the grade drops, and furring that block out to carry siding would have meant drilling into the foundation, added cost, and a visible hump where the siding stepped out. We ran the siding down to the wood framing above it and left the block as it was, which keeps the wall flat and the detail clean.
How We Installed The Vinyl Siding
This home has nail fin windows, meaning each window has a fin that fastens to the sheathing. The original install covered those fins with wood boards, which then had to be caulked on both the inside and the outside of every board. We removed all of those boards, taped the window openings with window tape, lapped the house wrap in, and ran the siding channel right up to the window, which cuts down on the paths water can take and removes a recurring maintenance item.
"We had a great experience with Budget Exteriors for new siding on our home. The team did the job much faster than expected but didn't reduce the quality of the work. Even after the clean-up, they ensured everything was picked up, including stray nails. I couldn't be happier with the end result!" - (Patrice, homeowner)
Color was the other moving piece. The order went through a few revisions before the homeowner settled on the final combination, which is normal on a project this visible, and our team handled the change orders so the manufacturer's run matched what was approved.
Results For This Inver Grove Home
The finished exterior reads as one house instead of three ideas. White windows and white trim carry the first color, the body siding carries the second, and the Deep Espresso shake in the gables gives the eye an accent that now picks up the existing stonework and ties in the garage doors and roofing.
Charter Oak vinyl is the material we recommend most often for Twin Cities homes because it asks very little of you afterward. A power wash every so often is usually all it needs, and it holds its color without the scraping and repainting that wood trim demands through our freeze-and-thaw winters. On a big home like this one, the install itself ran the typical 5 to 10 days from tear-off to final trim.
Thinking About New Siding This Year?
We have been replacing siding on Twin Cities homes since 1988, from simple one-story ramblers to three-story walkouts like this one. Our team handles the tear-off, sheathing repairs, house wrap, color selection, and finish work, and we hold an A+ BBB rating for the way we do it.
Is your home in Inver Grove Heights, Bloomington, or Minneapolis ready for new siding? Call us today to get started with a free estimate and a no-pressure consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does vinyl siding installation take in Inver Grove Heights?
Once our crew is on site, a large home usually takes about 5 to 10 days from tear-off to finish. Getting to that start date depends on material availability, which can range from about two weeks to eight weeks. Our siding manufacturer runs one color at a time and then distributes it, so some colors are in stock and others have to be produced.
Why remove the wood boards around nail fin windows?
Those boards cover the window fin and have to be caulked on both the outside and the inside of the board, which gives you two seals to maintain at every opening. By taking the boards off, taping the opening, and running the siding channel to the window, there is far less chance of water penetration. It also gives the window a cleaner look with less framing around it.
What maintenance does Charter Oak vinyl siding need?
Very little. For most homes, an occasional power wash is all it takes to keep the siding looking new. If you live on a busy road where traffic kicks up dust, washing it a few times is worth the effort; otherwise, rain handles most of the work for you.