Siding in Somerville, Massachusetts

Somerville's older triple-deckers are leaky by modern standards, and a re-side is the cheapest moment to fix that. With the cladding off, crews can add house-wrap and rigid foam over the sheathing, or specify insulated vinyl, to tighten the envelope before the new siding goes on.

Somerville is in Eversource territory, so the full Mass Save program applies. The insulation and air-sealing behind new siding is typically subsidized at 75% or more after a free Home Energy Assessment, while the siding itself is not rebated. The 0% Mass Save HEAT Loan can finance the qualifying weatherization. As one of the more electrification-forward cities in MA, Somerville is a natural place to bundle weatherization into a re-side. (The federal 25C credit that used to add 30% of insulation materials expired at the end of 2025.)

Somerville requires a building permit for a full re-side through the Inspectional Services Department. Properties in the city's local historic districts (parts of Spring Hill and the Tufts University area) need Historic Preservation Commission review for visible changes in material, profile, or color. Because nearly all of the city's wood-frame stock predates 1978, removing painted clapboard triggers EPA RRP lead-safe rules and requires a Lead-Safe certified contractor. Asbestos-cement shingles on mid-century homes require a licensed abatement contractor and MassDEP-compliant disposal before re-siding.

Somerville siding costs sit in line with the inner Boston metro — generally higher than the outer suburbs because of density and tight-lot access. A standard vinyl re-side on a single-family typically lands $14,000–$26,000; insulated vinyl runs $17,000–$31,000. Fiber-cement (HardiePlank) is usually $22,000–$46,000 depending on trim, and cedar runs higher. Triple-deckers cost more per job because of the three-story wall area and lead-safe clapboard handling, and condo conversions add HOA coordination that can stretch timelines.

Somerville's roughly 37,000 housing units carry a median build date close to 1940, and the siding mix is dominated by the city's signature triple-deckers and pre-war two-families across Davis Square, Union Square, and Winter Hill. Most still wear wood clapboard under decades of paint, and a growing share have been converted to condos where the exterior is shared among unit owners.

Vinyl covered a lot of that clapboard in past decades and remains common, but Somerville's strong preservation streak and dense, character-driven streetscapes mean fiber-cement (HardiePlank) is an increasingly popular upgrade — it keeps the clapboard profile while shedding wood's repaint cycle. Some mid-century homes carry asbestos-cement shingles that need licensed removal before re-siding.