Siding, Windows, Doors, Decks and Porches for Massachusetts and New Hampshire Homes
Siding that has faded, cracked or started letting water in, drafty windows, a front door that sticks every winter, or a deck that has seen better days? New England Exterior Pros is a free referral service for homeowners in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Call (978) 788-0374 or send the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Contractors screened first
- One company per area
Ask About Exterior Service in Your Area
Tell us about the house and the outside work it needs. A person reads it and replies with what happens next.
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What we refer
What does the house need?
Siding
Vinyl, fiber cement and wood siding replaced or repaired, with the lead-safe rules older houses bring.
Window Replacement
Replacement and new-construction windows, sized and installed to the energy and egress rules your town uses.
Exterior Doors
Entry, storm, patio and sliding doors, swapped in existing openings or framed into new ones.
Decks & Porches
New decks, rebuilt porches and stairs, with the footings, setbacks and permits they usually need.
Not sure where to start?
(978) 788-0374Paint peeling off the clapboards, fog trapped between the panes, a slider that won't lock, porch boards going soft underfoot: tell us what you're seeing and we'll help you work out which kind of job it is.
How it works
One request instead of a week of phone tag
Busy exterior crews fill their calendars well ahead, especially once the weather turns good, and plenty of homeowners leave message after message before anyone calls back. Tell us your town and the job, and the request comes to us. No exterior contractors are participating yet; we're signing them up one area at a time, and until then we answer every request ourselves.
Each area has one participating company at most. We don't install siding, set windows, build decks or pull permits, and we don't sign contracts. The price, the schedule and the agreement are between you and the contractor.
- Describe the job. Your town, what part of the outside needs work, roughly when the house was built if you know, and anything you've noticed, such as water stains, rot or old cement shingles.
- A person reads it and answers. Every request is read by a person, who writes back with what to do next.
- Most exterior jobs need a permit. The Massachusetts contractor chart marks siding, window replacement, new doors and decks as building permit work; in New Hampshire, your town building department decides. The contractor normally handles the application.
Service area
The towns we cover
Each town page covers the local building department and which exterior jobs it says need permits, historic district review of siding, windows and porches, deck setbacks and wetland buffers, and the kinds of homes you find there. Towns with a local guide so far: Greater Lowell, MA (Lowell, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, Billerica, Westford, Tyngsborough and Pepperell), Andover, Lawrence & Haverhill, MA (Methuen, Lawrence, Andover, North Andover and Haverhill), Woburn, Reading & Melrose, MA (Woburn, Lexington, Burlington, Wilmington, North Reading, Reading, Wakefield, Melrose, Stoneham and Winchester), Nashua Region, NH (Nashua, Hudson and Merrimack), Salem, Derry & Londonderry, NH (Pelham, Salem, Windham, Derry and Londonderry), Manchester & Bedford, NH (Manchester and Bedford) and Portsmouth, Dover & Rochester, NH (Portsmouth, Dover and Rochester). We add towns across New England as we can cover them properly.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts exterior rules and every town we cover →
New Hampshire
State rules
How the two states handle exterior work
Massachusetts: registered contractors, written contracts, permits
Registration. A contractor who bids on or does work on an existing owner-occupied home of one to four units in Massachusetts must be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor (OCABR contractor resources). The program leaves out new construction and investment, vacation or second homes (OCABR homeowner resources). Look a contractor up on the state Contractor Hub.
The contract. A job over $1,000 needs a written contract with the contractor's registration number, start and completion dates, the work and materials, the total price and a payment schedule. The deposit can't exceed one-third of the price unless special-order materials, such as custom-size windows, cost more, and a contract signed at your home can be cancelled until midnight of the third business day (M.G.L. c.142A §2, c.93 §48).
Permits and supervisors. The state's chart lists siding and window installation or replacement as building permit work needing at least a Window/Siding construction supervisor license; decks, exterior stairs, structural carpentry and new door installation also need a permit and a licensed supervisor; and replacing a door needs a permit if it is an exit door. The chart is general guidance, and the building official has the final say (HIC contractor resources). If the registered contractor pulls the permit, you stay eligible to apply to the Guaranty Fund, which can cover up to $25,000 of actual losses (as of November 2026), and to state arbitration (OCABR).
Older exteriors. In a home built before 1978, replacing windows always falls under the federal lead renovation rule (EPA RRP for contractors), and paid work disturbing more than 20 square feet of exterior paint must be done by a licensed lead-safe renovation contractor (MA Department of Labor Standards). Cement or "transite" siding is suspect asbestos: it should come off whole and intact as far as feasible, never broken, sawed, sanded or drilled, and MassDEP must get an AQ 04 notification at least ten working days before removal starts (MassDEP asbestos FAQ).
Windows and energy. The Stretch and Specialized Code table lists a window U-factor of 0.30 for Massachusetts' climate zone (225 CMR 22); ask the installer for the NFRC label on the windows you're buying. Mass Save offers $75 per window when ENERGY STAR Most Efficient windows replace single-pane ones, for purchases from January 1 through December 31, 2026, with applications due by February 28, 2027 and other conditions attached (Mass Save windows).
New Hampshire: vet the contractor yourself
No state license. The Attorney General's office says "contractors do not need to be licensed" in New Hampshire and tells homeowners to ask for references from past jobs and suppliers, and for proof of insurance (NH Attorney General, 2022).
The contract. The same advice calls for a written contract with the scope, materials, total price and payment schedule before any work or payment, and treats a down payment over 50% of the final cost as a warning sign. When a contract to build or repair a home exceeds $5,000, the contractor must give you written notice of the state's construction defect law, under which a homeowner serves written notice of a claim at least 60 days before suing and the contractor has 30 days to respond (RSA 359-G).
Permits come from your town. Towns and cities issue building permits, and a town may keep codes stricter than the state's (RSA 155-A:2). The state building code moved to the 2024 editions on July 1, 2026, with a concurrence period through December 31, 2026; from January 1, 2027 every permit request follows the new codes (Town of Merrimack code page). Egress and energy questions for new windows go to the town building official.
Older exteriors. Anyone paid to disturb paint in a pre-1978 home must be EPA-certified, and window replacement always counts (EPA RRP). Hired removal of asbestos-cement siding needs a state-licensed asbestos contractor; an owner who lives in a single-family home that isn't rented may do the work personally under a homeowner exemption, which doesn't apply within six months of selling the house and carries its own wetting, packaging, notice and disposal rules (NHDES asbestos, Env-A 1800). Building or changing a deck in the protected shoreland may need an NHDES shoreland permit (NHDES shoreland FAQ).
Historic districts in both states
Local historic districts are set up town by town. In a Massachusetts local historic district, work that changes a building's exterior architectural features needs a certificate from the district commission before the town can issue a building permit (M.G.L. c.40C §6). In New Hampshire, ask the town whether your street is in a historic district. Either way, check before you order materials.
Massachusetts exterior rules in full · New Hampshire exterior rules in full
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by January 2027.
FAQ
Common questions
Does it cost anything to use New England Exterior Pros?
No. Asking is free for homeowners. The contractor prices the job, and the price and the contract are between you and that company.
A storm just damaged the house. Can you send someone tonight?
We are not an emergency service. We review it and reply by the next business day. If a storm has torn siding loose or broken a window or door, stay clear of hanging pieces and broken glass, and keep away from any downed wires; call your electric company or 911.
Will a bunch of contractors start calling me?
No. Your request goes to one company at most, the one that covers your town. We never send it out to a list.
What exterior work do you refer?
Work on the outside of owner-occupied homes: siding replacement and repair, replacement windows, entry, storm, patio and sliding doors, and new or rebuilt decks, porches and exterior stairs. Commercial buildings and new homes built from the ground up are outside what we refer.
Does a siding or window contractor need a license?
In Massachusetts, a contractor working on an existing owner-occupied home of one to four units generally must be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor, and the state's chart lists a construction supervisor license for siding, window, deck and door installation work. In New Hampshire, the Attorney General says contractors do not need to be licensed, so references and proof of insurance carry more weight there.