How to Choose a Siding Contractor in Wichita

1. Check licensing and registration

• MABCD license. In Wichita, unincorporated Sedgwick County and the small cities in its jurisdiction, the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department licenses contractors, including a roofing and/or siding contractor license category. The siding permit application asks for the contractor's license number. Call MABCD (316-660-1840) or ask the contractor for the license number and verify it.
• Kansas roofing registration. If the same company will work on your roof, Kansas requires roofing contractors to register with the Attorney General. MABCD also asks for the state roofer registration certificate for roofing and roofing-and-siding licenses.
• Other cities. Towns outside MABCD's jurisdiction, such as many in Butler, Harvey, Reno and Sumner counties, may have their own contractor registration. Ask the city.
• Lead-safe certification. For homes built before 1978, firms disturbing painted surfaces beyond small areas must be EPA lead-safe certified.

2. Ask for insurance certificates

Ask for current certificates of general liability insurance and workers' compensation (or proof of exemption). Have the insurance agent send them directly to you, or call the agency to confirm they are active. If a worker is hurt on your property and the contractor has no workers' compensation, it can become your problem.

3. Get written quotes on the same scope

Two or three quotes are plenty if they are comparable. Give every contractor the same scope, and make sure each quote lists:

• Manufacturer, product line, profile, thickness or gauge, and color.
• Squares of siding and linear feet of trim, soffit and fascia.
• Tear-off, disposal and number of layers removed.
• Water-resistive barrier and flashing (windows, doors, roof-to-wall).
• How sheathing repairs are priced if rot is found.
• Permit, cleanup, gutters, lights and other detach-and-reset items.
• Start window, payment schedule and change-order process.
• Manufacturer warranty and the contractor's own written workmanship terms.

A much lower quote usually means something is missing: thinner product, no house wrap, no trim, no permit, or a plan to charge for "extras" later.

4. Ask how they install

• Do you follow the manufacturer's installation instructions, and will that keep the warranty valid?
• Who will be on the job: your own employees or subcontractors? Who is my contact day to day?
• How do you handle flashing at windows, doors and roof lines, including kick-out flashing?
• For fiber cement or engineered wood: how do you handle clearances, joints and cut edges?
• For vinyl: how do you nail and gap for expansion?
• How do you protect landscaping, and do you sweep the yard for nails?

5. Check track record

Ask for addresses of recent jobs in your area that you can drive by, ideally a few years old. Look up the business name with the Kansas Secretary of State to confirm it is registered, and search for complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Kansas Attorney General's consumer protection division. Online reviews are useful, but look for patterns rather than single comments.

6. Read the contract

• Everything promised verbally should be in writing.
• Deposits should be reasonable. Be cautious of large upfront payments, especially in cash.
• Payment milestones should match progress (for example, a balance due on completion and final walkthrough).
• Change orders should be written and priced before extra work is done.
• Ask for lien waivers from the contractor (and major suppliers) when you make final payment.

7. Know your cancellation rights

If you sign a contract at your home with a door-to-door seller, K.S.A. 50-640 gives you until midnight of the third business day after signing to cancel covered sales, and the seller must give you written notice of the right. If you sign an assignment of insurance benefits, K.S.A. 50-6,143 lets you cancel within five business days.

Red flags

• Pressure to sign today, or a "storm special" that expires tonight.
• Offers to cover or waive your insurance deductible.
• No physical business address, out-of-state plates after a storm, or a phone number that only takes voicemail.
• Reluctance to provide a license number or insurance certificates.
• Requests for full payment upfront.
• Vague quotes with no product names or quantities.
• Pressure to sign an assignment of benefits before you understand it. The Kansas Insurance Department specifically warns about this.

Printable checklist

1. MABCD license number verified (or local city registration).
2. Kansas roofing registration, if roof work is included.
3. EPA lead-safe certification for pre-1978 homes.
4. Liability and workers' compensation certificates from the agent.
5. Written quote with product, quantities, barrier, flashing, permit and cleanup.
6. Sheathing repair pricing explained.
7. Manufacturer warranty and written workmanship terms.
8. Reasonable deposit and progress-based payments.
9. Recent local jobs to look at.
10. Lien waivers at final payment.

Ready to get a quote? Send the form on this page, and run through this checklist with any quote you compare.

Related services

• Siding Replacement: Tear off worn or damaged siding and re-side the house in vinyl, fiber cement, engineered wood or steel.
• Siding Installation: New siding for additions, new builds, garages and shops, installed to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Hail Damage Siding Repair: Check, document and repair hail-cracked vinyl, dented steel and chipped fiber cement after a storm.

Sources: MABCD, contractor licensing; MABCD Form 62, roofing and siding permit application; Kansas Attorney General, roofing contractor registration; K.S.A. 50-640 (door-to-door sales, three-day cancellation); K.S.A. 50-6,143 (assignment of insurance benefits to a contractor); Kansas Insurance Department, "After the storm"; EPA, Renovation, Repair and Painting (lead-safe) program.

Good to know: Requesting a quote is free and there is no obligation. Ask for a written quote that lists the material, the scope, permits and the warranty terms.