Siding Installation in Kenner, LA
Big Easy Roofing installs siding across Kenner and east bank Jefferson Parish. A wall is a set of layers rather than a skin, and the layer that keeps it dry is the one behind the cladding. That is the part nobody is shown at the quoting stage and the part that decides how the wall performs.
Kenner siding installation at a glance
Published national guides (HomeAdvisor) put installed siding at $3 to $18 per square foot; the spread is mostly material. What actually decides how the wall performs is not on that list. It is the water resistive barrier behind the cladding and the gap that lets water drain out. A written Kenner estimate follows a proper look.
Published national band
National siding-cost guides such as HomeAdvisor publish this material band; it is not researched for the Kenner market specifically. The spread is mostly the material. Access, the amount of trim work and whatever is found once the old cladding is off all move it in either direction. Every figure here is a published band, not a quote.
The siding is not the waterproofing
Cladding sheds the bulk of the rain and takes the sunlight. It is not expected to be watertight, and no siding product is. What keeps the wall dry is the continuous barrier behind it doing its job.
The gap is not a gap in the work
Water that gets past the cladding needs somewhere to run down and out, and the assembly needs air to dry. A drainage space behind the cladding is the normal way to provide both. Cladding fitted tight against the barrier, with no drainage designed into it, gives water no way out and the wall no room to dry.
Openings are where walls are most at risk
Windows, doors and anything cut through the wall are where the barrier has to be interrupted and then made continuous again. Lapped in the direction water travels, the detail works. Sealed instead of lapped, it has a shelf life.
Typical whole home
Longer where trim is being rebuilt or where the sheathing underneath turns out to have taken water. That is a scope change found on the day rather than something visible from a kerbside estimate.
The permit question is a different one here
The state rule that settles the permit question on our roofing pages is written about roofs. Siding is wall cladding, so it does not carry over and we do not pretend it does. In Kenner that question goes to the Inspection and Code Enforcement Department.
Every figure on this page is an estimate, not a quote, and is subject to Big Easy Roofing sign off. Cost and timescale depend on size, pitch, access, weather, materials and whatever is found once work starts, so call Big Easy Roofing on (504) 800-8196 and we will come out and give you an estimate for your own roof.
Every figure on this page is an estimate, not a quote, and is subject to Big Easy Roofing sign off. Call Big Easy Roofing on (504) 800-8196 about siding on a Kenner home.
A wall in layers, and what each one is actually for
Rain control on a wall is three jobs done by different layers: deflect most of the water, drain whatever gets past, and let the assembly dry. Read that way, the siding is doing the first job only, and the two that matter most happen behind it.
| Layer | Where it sits | What it actually does | How it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cladding, the siding itself | Outermost | Deflects the bulk of the rain and takes the sun off everything behind it | Treated as the waterproofing, so nothing behind it is ever checked |
| Drainage gap | Directly behind the cladding | Gives water a path back out and gives the assembly a way to dry | Left out, so the barrier and the cladding sit wet against each other |
| Water resistive barrier | On the face of the sheathing | The actual drainage plane. This is the layer keeping the wall dry | Torn during work, or lapped the wrong way so it directs water inward |
| Flashing at every opening | Heads, sills and penetrations | Carries water out onto the face of the cladding instead of behind it | Sealed rather than lapped, which is the same failure as on a roof |
| Sheathing and framing | Structural, behind it all | Carries the load and stays sound as long as the four layers above work | Only ever found once the old cladding comes off |
This is the published building science view of rain control as deflection, drainage and drying, not a house theory. Every figure on this page is an estimate and none of it is a quote.
Why the permit answer here is not the one on our roofing pages
Every other service page in this cluster answers the permit question with the same state rule, because that rule is written about roofs. It does not reach wall cladding. Rather than let it look as though it carries over, this page says plainly that it does not.
The state rule we cite elsewhere is roof specific
Louisiana requires any municipality or parish that issues construction permits to permit and inspect roof construction and reroofing. That is the sentence our roofing pages rely on, and siding is not roof construction, so it does not settle anything here. Borrowing it would be the same mistake as borrowing a neighbouring parish rule.
So the answer comes from the office, not from us
In Kenner that question goes to the Inspection and Code Enforcement Department on (504) 468-4062, option 1, Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Kenner does not use MyGovernmentOnline: applications go in by email to kennerpermits@kenner.la.us or are dropped at 1926 18th Street. We ask before the work is scoped rather than after, and we tell you what they said.
The City publishes no fee schedule
The Kenner Permits and Licensing page says only that cost varies, and lists no dollar amount tied to any particular kind of work. So nobody can tell you the permit cost up front, and any contractor who quotes you one has made it up.
If the address is inside Rivertown
Rivertown is the one part of Kenner where the Historic District Design Commission has an active review role. Whether exterior cladding on a Rivertown property triggers a Certificate of Appropriateness is not settled on any City page we have read; the honest step is a call to the Kenner Planning Department on (504) 468-7240 at the address, before the paperwork starts.
Where siding stops being our trade
Siding abuts stucco, masonry and structural framing. Where water is getting in through failed mortar, a cracked render or a structural problem behind the wall, new cladding over the top of it changes nothing and hides the evidence.
We will tell you that is what you have and what kind of trade handles it. We would rather lose the job than wrap a problem in new siding.
If the wall is wet and you do not know why yet
Water showing on an interior wall has not necessarily come through the wall. It gets in at the roof to wall junction as often as anywhere else, travels down inside the assembly and appears well below and to one side of the entry point.
That is what leak detection is for, and the junction itself is flashing work rather than cladding work. Neither is a reason to re side a house.
What a Climate Zone 2A wall has to be able to do
The Louisiana Energy Code puts every parish in the state in Climate Zone 2A, the hot and humid band. For a wall that is not a detail. It sets which way moisture tends to move through the assembly for most of the year, and therefore what the layers have to allow.
For most of the year the drive runs inward
Outdoor air here is usually hotter and wetter than the conditioned air inside, so moisture tends to move from outside toward the cooled interior rather than outward. That is the reverse of the cold climate case most generic siding advice is written for.
The practical consequence is that a wall here needs to be able to dry, and the permeability of the layers is a climate decision rather than a preference. Published building papers and housewraps are generally vapour permeable; fully adhered sheet membranes and trowel applied coatings generally are not.
Wind driven rain attacks the openings first
Rain arriving sideways gets behind details that shed vertical rain perfectly well. On a wall those details are the window heads, the sills and anything penetrating the cladding, which is why the lapping at the openings matters more than the material choice.
If your wall only wets in particular weather, that is worth telling us. It points at the openings rather than at the field of the wall and narrows the search a great deal.
Sunlight is what ages the cladding itself
The siding takes sustained ultraviolet light and daily heat cycling all year. That is what fades it, moves it and opens the joints between boards or panels over time.
It also means fixings and joints need room to move. Cladding installed with no allowance for that will telegraph every seasonal cycle back at you.
Big Easy Roofing Process
Four steps. Two of them are about the layers behind the cladding, which is where the money either does something useful or does not.
01 Confirm the permit answer with the department
The state rule that settles this on our roofing pages does not reach wall cladding. We call the Kenner Inspection and Code Enforcement Department on (504) 468-4062 option 1 about the specific scope, and where the address is inside Rivertown we also call the Planning Department on (504) 468-7240.
02 Open up and look at the barrier and the sheathing
The condition of what is behind the old cladding is not knowable from the kerb. It is a common source of scope change on a siding job and we would rather find it early.
03 Make the drainage plane continuous again
Barrier lapped in the direction water travels, flashing at every head, sill and penetration carrying water out onto the face rather than behind it.
04 Fit the cladding over a drainage gap
So anything that gets past the siding has a path down and out, and the assembly can dry rather than holding water against the sheathing.
Everything else we do in Kenner
The rest of the Big Easy Roofing services available in Kenner, each with its own page, crew and written scope. Siding meets the roof at the wall junction, which is a detail that has to shed water correctly from both sides, so the two jobs are worth scoping together rather than one at a time.

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Read MoreKenner Siding Installation FAQs
What the layers behind the cladding actually do, why the openings are where walls are most at risk, and why the permit answer here is not the one on our roofing pages.
Topic
Question not here?
Ask us about the siding on your Kenner home. No charge and no obligation.
Call (504) 800-8196Is siding waterproof
No, and it is not designed to be. Cladding deflects the bulk of the rain and takes the sunlight. The layer that keeps the wall dry is the water resistive barrier behind it, and the gap between the two is what lets anything that gets past drain away and the assembly dry out. A wall is a set of layers rather than a skin.
What is a drainage plane
It is the continuous surface behind the cladding that water runs down and off, usually a building paper or a housewrap over the sheathing. It only works if it is continuous and if it is lapped in the direction water travels, which is why the detailing at the openings matters more than the brand on the wrap.
Does the gap behind the siding actually matter
Yes. Water needs somewhere to go and the assembly needs air to dry. Cladding fitted tight against the barrier gives it neither, so anything that gets past stays in contact with the wall. The gap is part of the design rather than a tolerance in the workmanship.
Do I need a permit for siding in Kenner
That question goes to the department that covers the address, and we ask it rather than guess. The Louisiana rule we cite on our roofing pages, La. R.S. 37:3737(I), is written about roof construction and reroofing, so it does not settle anything about wall cladding. In Kenner the Inspection and Code Enforcement Department is on (504) 468-4062 option 1 and applications go by email to kennerpermits@kenner.la.us.
What if the address is inside Rivertown
Kenner's Historic District Design Commission has an active review role in Rivertown for new and renovated structures. Whether exterior cladding on a Rivertown property triggers a Certificate of Appropriateness is not settled on any City page we have read this year, so the honest step is a call to the Kenner Planning Department on (504) 468-7240 at the specific address before the paperwork starts. We make that call rather than guess. The Rivertown boundary is on the same Kenner roof repairs page.
What will the permit cost
Nobody can tell you up front, because the Kenner Permits and Licensing page says only that cost varies and lists no dollar amount for any kind of work. If a contractor quotes you a firm Kenner permit fee before any review has happened, the number did not come from the City.
What does siding cost
National siding-cost guides such as HomeAdvisor publish an installed band of $3 to $18 per square foot; the spread is mostly the material. That is not a figure researched for the Kenner market specifically, and the actual price for a given Kenner home moves with access, trim work and the condition of what is behind the old cladding. A written estimate follows a proper look at the wall.
My interior wall is damp. Do I need new siding
Probably not, and it is worth finding out before spending anything. Water gets in at the roof to wall junction as often as through a wall, then travels down inside the assembly and shows up well below and to one side of where it entered. Detection answers that first.
Can you side over stucco or damaged masonry
We will not do that as a way of hiding a problem. Where the failure is in render, mortar or the structure behind the wall, cladding over the top of it changes nothing and removes the evidence. That is a different trade and we will say so rather than take the job.
Get the wall built in layers not just wrapped in new cladding
Siding deflects the weather. The barrier behind it and the drainage gap between them are what keep the wall dry, and the lapping at the windows and doors is where walls are most at risk. We open up, look at what is behind the old cladding, and tell you what is there before anybody prices a material. If you would rather start in writing, tell us what the job involves and we will come back with an estimate.
Call (504) 800-8196





