Milwaukee/Mitchell, 22 miles north: NOAA's figures
For Racine, the nearest station in NOAA's engineering weather data is Milwaukee/Mitchell, at an elevation of 692 feet and about 22 miles north of Racine. The values below are that station's:
- a 99% winter design temperature of 0°F;
- a 1% summer design temperature of 86°F, with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 72°F;
- a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph, given as a 3-second gust at 33 feet;
- a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.0 inches per hour;
- about 53 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year.
They are Milwaukee/Mitchell readings, quoted as NOAA lists them.
Racine's population in Census QuickFacts
The U.S. Census Bureau's QuickFacts gives a population estimate for Racine of 77,908 on July 1, 2025 (V2025). In the decennial counts, QuickFacts lists 77,816 residents on April 1, 2020 and 78,860 on April 1, 2010.
Settle the scope yourself first
A siding job can mean patching one wall or stripping the whole house, and estimates drift apart quickly when each company guesses at what you want. Before anyone comes out, decide and write down:
- whether you want a repair, a single elevation redone, or the entire exterior;
- which trim pieces belong in the job: corner boards, window and door casings, frieze boards, soffit and fascia;
- whether gutters and downspouts will come down and go back up, or be replaced;
- the damage you have seen, with dated photos, including any stains on interior walls near windows;
- the color, profile and exposure you want, or the existing siding you need to match.
Give every bidder the same sheet. If someone recommends a different scope, ask them to price yours too, so the comparison stays fair.
What the tear-off may turn up
Pulling off old cladding exposes the sheathing, the old building paper and the framing behind them, and nobody can promise what that will look like until the wall is open. Plan for it in writing:
- Ask for a unit price to replace damaged sheathing, per sheet, and for rotted framing, per linear foot.
- Ask that the crew stop and show you any hidden damage, with photos, before they cover it again.
- Ask how they will deal with older layers under the current siding, and whether all of them come off.
- Ask how they handle the debris, the dumpster placement and the nails that drop in the yard.
If a bidder proposes going over the existing siding instead of removing it, ask what that hides, how flashing at windows would be handled, and whether the product's maker allows it.
The layers you won't see later
The panels are the part everyone looks at, yet much of the job's value sits behind them. Ask each contractor to describe, in order, what goes on the wall:
- the water-resistive barrier, its brand, and how its seams and laps are taped;
- flashing at the heads, sills and sides of windows and doors, and the sequence it goes in;
- whether a drainage gap or rainscreen mat will sit between the barrier and the siding;
- kick-out flashing where a roof edge dies into a sidewall;
- how vents, hose bibs, meters, lights and cable entries will be blocked out and sealed.
Ask whether any added foam insulation under the siding is part of the bid, and how it changes trim depth around windows and doors.
Fasteners and wind ratings
Siding products publish a wind rating, and that rating assumes a specific installation. Questions to ask:
- What wind rating does this product carry, and which nailing pattern does it depend on?
- What fastener type, length and spacing will the crew use, and is it corrosion-resistant?
- How are the starter strip, the top course and the panels under the soffit secured?
- Which wind requirements, if any, apply at this address, and who inspects them?
- Will the contract say the maker's installation instructions will be followed in full?
Weighing the main siding products
- Vinyl goes up fast and doesn't need paint. It moves as temperatures swing; ask how the crew will leave it room to move on the nails and at the ends. Ask about panel thickness and whether an insulated version is quoted.
- Fiber cement takes paint well and resists rot, but it is heavy and its cut ends need the sealing its maker calls for. Ask how cutting dust will be controlled.
- Engineered wood is lighter than fiber cement and arrives primed or prefinished. Ask how cut edges will be sealed and what clearance the maker calls for between the bottom edge and soil or roofing.
- Wood clapboard or shingle can be repaired piece by piece, but it needs repainting or restaining on a regular cycle.
- Steel or aluminum panels don't rot. Ask how a dent would be fixed and whether replacement pieces will match later.
For any of them, ask for the printed installation instructions and the warranty, and read what voids that warranty.
Edges, corners and openings
Where siding stops is where water tends to find its way in. Ask how the crew will finish inside and outside corners, the joints where panels meet trim, and the strip just above the foundation. Ask what clearance the product's maker requires above grade, decks, steps and roof surfaces, and what the crew will do where soil or mulch sits too high against the wall. Around each window and door, ask whether the existing casing stays, gets wrapped, or is replaced, and how the new trim will shed water at its top edge.
License, permit and coverage questions
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Which city permits does the job need, and who pulls them? Will there be an inspection?
- Can you show proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation? Your own insurer can help you read the certificate.
- Will your own crew install the siding, or a subcontractor? Who will be the person in charge on site?
- How will you protect plantings, windows, the roof edge and the driveway while work is going on?
A proposal you can compare
Ask for every bid in writing, and check that each one lists the same things: the scope from your sheet, the product name with its profile, thickness and color, the barrier and flashing details, trim, soffit and fascia work, the unit prices for hidden damage, gutter work, permits, daily cleanup and final nail sweep, the start and finish dates, the deposit and payment schedule, and both the manufacturer's warranty and the installer's warranty on workmanship. If a line is missing from one bid, ask about it before comparing the totals.