NOAA's values for the Joplin station
NOAA's engineering weather data includes a station at Joplin itself, listed at an elevation of 981 feet. For that station it publishes:
- a 1% summer design temperature of 94°F, with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 75°F;
- a 99% winter design temperature of 10°F;
- about 756 hours in an average year with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F, and about 2,062 hours above 67°F;
- a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet);
- a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.5 inches per hour;
- about 52 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year.
Those are the station's published values, not readings taken at your house.
Joplin in the public record
The U.S. Census Bureau's QuickFacts gives a population estimate for Joplin of 53,930 on July 1, 2025 (V2025), and a median value of owner-occupied housing units of $168,300 for 2020-2024.
The NOAA Storm Prediction Center ranks the Joplin tornado of May 22, 2011, seventh among the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history, with 158 deaths.
The order a re-siding job runs in
Knowing the sequence makes it easier to spot what a proposal covers and what it skips.
1. Site protection. Tarps go over beds and walks, and anything fragile comes off the walls inside, since hammering can shake pictures loose. 2. Removal. Old cladding comes off wall by wall. If a proposal instead puts new siding over the old, ask why, and how window and door trim will be extended to the new depth. 3. Sheathing exposed. With the wall open, soft, stained or delaminated sheathing shows. The proposal should carry a per-sheet replacement price so this step doesn't turn into a surprise invoice. 4. Water-resistive barrier. Housewrap or a comparable barrier goes on with upper sheets overlapping lower ones, seams taped where the maker calls for it, and tears patched rather than ignored. 5. Openings. Windows and doors get a sill pan, side flashing and head flashing, layered so each piece sheds onto the one below it. 6. Starter and trim. Starter strip, corner posts, window surrounds and channels go up before the field. 7. The field. Courses run from the bottom up, with laps and joints laid out to the product's instructions. 8. Penetrations. Mounting blocks for lights, hose bibs, meters, dryer and bath vents are set and sealed. 9. Finish and cleanup. Paint on fiber cement or wood where it applies, a magnetic sweep for nails, haul-away and a walk-through with you.
Ask the crew lead to phone you at step 3, so you can see the bare sheathing before it disappears again.
Keeping panels on the wall
Wind pulls siding off from an edge, not from the middle of a panel. Put these to each company:
- What fastener, of what length, at what spacing, does the manufacturer specify for this product, and will the crew follow it?
- For vinyl: will nail heads sit with a slight gap so panels can slide with heat and cold, instead of being driven tight?
- How is the top course held under the soffit, and how are gable-end pieces secured?
- Are corner posts and starter strip fastened to the same schedule as the field?
- What wind rating does the proposed product carry, and can I see the manufacturer's literature for it?
Letting water drain and walls dry
Some water always gets past cladding; what counts is whether it can leave again. Ask whether the bid includes a drainage gap, such as a rainscreen mat, furring strips or a drainable wrap, and what each would add to the price. Look for kick-out flashing wherever a roof edge stops against a sidewall, drip caps over trim and band boards, and downspouts that empty well away from the foundation. The bottom course should keep the clearance its maker lists above soil, mulch, patios and lower roofs. Wood and engineered products should be primed on every face and every cut end before they go up.
Movement with heat and cold
All cladding grows and shrinks with temperature. Vinyl needs gaps at channels and corner posts, sized for the temperature on installation day. Fiber cement butt joints take a flashing strip behind them or the gap and sealant the maker specifies. Dark colors run hotter than light ones in sun, so ask whether your color is approved for the product. Paint and caulk carry temperature and humidity limits on the label, and a careful crew schedules around them.
Materials side by side
- Vinyl. From the installer: loose fastening and room to expand. From you later: gentle washing; care with ladders and mowers.
- Fiber cement. From the installer: dust control when cutting, sealed cut ends, joint flashing. From you later: repainting on the finish maker's schedule.
- Engineered wood. From the installer: sealed field cuts, clearance at the base. From you later: watching edges and touching up paint.
- Wood. From the installer: back-priming and careful flashing. From you later: paint or stain on a steady cycle.
- Steel or aluminum. From the installer: correct fasteners and trim details. From you later: touching up scratches; living with dents.
Permits and paperwork
Ask the contractor which local permits the job needs. Then work through these with each company:
- Which city permits does the job need, and who pulls them?
- What state license, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Will your own employees do the work, or a subcontractor, and who is in charge on site?
- Can you show proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation before work starts? Your own insurer can tell you what to look for.
What a written proposal should name
Expect to see, in writing: removal and disposal or a plain over-cladding note; the product name, profile, thickness and color; the barrier and every flashing; trim, soffit and fascia; the per-sheet sheathing price; permits; gutter removal and rehanging; cleanup; a start date and payment schedule; and separate product and workmanship warranties. Line two proposals up item by item before comparing their totals.