Service area · Milwaukee County
Painting, windows and roofing for West Allis homes
C&L Property Improvements is based in Muskego, about 13 road miles southwest of West Allis, and takes on painting, roofing, window, siding and remodeling work across the city. Most of the housing here was built before 1980, which shapes both how the work is done and which rules apply to it.
- Population
- 60,325 (2020 Census)
- Median year built
- 1956 (±1 year)
- Housing built before 1980
- 83.9% of units
- Owner-occupied
- 55.5% of occupied homes
- Drive from Muskego
- About 13 miles, ~19 min
- Re-roofing a house
- No City permit unless structural
A city that doubled in 1954
West Allis grew up around heavy industry. The Encyclopedia of Milwaukee describes how “thousands of houses dotted the landscape” around the Allis-Chalmers works, and how annexation culminated in adding the entire west side in 1954, the year the city doubled in size. The Census figures carry the same two layers: 25.8% of today's housing units were built before 1940, and the median home dates to 1956.
That gives two kinds of house to work on. The pre-war share overlaps the bungalow era, roughly 1900 to 1930 by the Encyclopedia's dating, when bungalows filled the city's outer “bungalow belt” and its first-generation suburbs, West Allis among them. Those houses carry many coats of paint on wood trim, porches and window casings, and plaster walls inside; the National Park Service notes plaster was the standard wall surface until the 1930s or 40s. The post-war houses are plainer and easier to open up, but they are still old enough to matter for lead.
With 83.9% of units built before 1980, the first question on almost any job in West Allis is the year the house was built. Wisconsin's lead-safe renovation rule (DHS 163) covers paid work on homes built before 1978 once it disturbs more than 20 sq ft of paint outside or 6 sq ft in a room, and it covers every window replacement regardless of size. A real scrape-and-prime of one porch passes that 20 sq ft line quickly. Before hiring anyone, ask for the company's DHS lead certification and the renovator's certificate, and look both up on the DHS list.
What homeowners in West Allis most often need
Trim, porch and window-casing paint
On older West Allis houses, peeling starts where water sits: board ends, sills, porch rails and the bottom edge of trim. The Forest Products Laboratory notes paint fails first at ends and edges. A repaint that lasts is mostly preparation: washing, scraping back to sound paint, repairing soft wood and spot-priming bare spots before finish coats. The exterior painting page covers each step.
Exterior PaintingSame-size replacement windows
The City needs no building permit to swap a window or door for one of the same size, so the paperwork is light. The craft is not: the gap around a new unit has to be insulated and air-sealed, and the head flashed, so the wall behind stays dry. Because each window replacement on a pre-1978 home is regulated lead work, expect containment at every opening. More on windows and doors.
Windows & DoorsA roof that stops at two layers
West Allis “only allows two layers of roofing material on a house,” so a roof that already has two comes off to the deck. Tear-off is also the moment to add ice-and-water membrane at the eaves; the state code requires it only on newer homes with low-slope roofs, but it is sound practice on any roof here. A written estimate should say how many layers come off and what happens if decking is rotten. See roofing.
RoofingKitchens: know which side of the line you are on
The City draws a clear line. New counters and cabinets that leave the space as it is need no permit; moving or removing walls, soffits or drywall does. The soffit detail matters in older kitchens, where taking down the box above the upper cabinets is a frequent request. Settle early which side of the line your plan is on. See kitchen remodeling.
Kitchen RemodelingWhat West Allis requires
For exterior work on a house, West Allis asks for fewer permits than many of its neighbors in Milwaukee County. The City's permit page says “a building permit is not required to re-roof a dwelling unless the project involves structural changes,” treats re-siding as maintenance that generally needs no permit, and exempts window or door replacement “with the same size window or door.” Interior remodels need a permit once they alter the space.
Two caveats. Re-siding can still require an electrical permit if the electric meter has to be moved or altered. And an exemption from a permit is not an exemption from the rules: the two-layer roof limit and the state lead-safe rule apply either way. Ordinances change, so confirm with the City's Code Enforcement Department before work begins; permits are filed through the City's OpenGov portal.
City of West Allis Code Enforcement Department (opens in a new tab)
Sources
- 1.City of West Allis, Do I need a permit (opens in a new tab)
- 2.Encyclopedia of Milwaukee, City of West Allis (opens in a new tab)
- 3.Encyclopedia of Milwaukee, Milwaukee bungalow (opens in a new tab)
- 4.Wisconsin DHS, Lead-safe renovation FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- 5.NPS Preservation Brief 21, Repairing Historic Flat Plaster (opens in a new tab)
- 6.USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Finishing Wood Exteriors (AH-647) (opens in a new tab)
- 7.2020 Census, P.L. 94-171 (opens in a new tab)
- 8.ACS 2020–2024 5-year, tables B25034/B25035/B25003 (opens in a new tab)
- 9.OSRM route from Muskego City Hall (opens in a new tab)
Questions from West Allis
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in West Allis?
Not for a straight re-roof on a house. The City requires a building permit only when the project involves structural changes. It does allow only two layers of roofing, so a roof that already has two must be torn off completely.
My house was built in 1948. Does that change how it gets painted?
Yes. Paid work on a home built before 1978 falls under Wisconsin's lead-safe rule once it disturbs more than a small area of paint, so the job needs containment, restricted scraping and sanding methods, and a set cleanup. The lead-safe renovation guide explains what a compliant job looks like.
Can I replace kitchen cabinets without a permit?
In West Allis, yes, as long as you are only replacing counters and cabinets and not altering the space. Removing a wall, a soffit or drywall turns it into permitted work.
How far is West Allis from C&L?
C&L is based in Muskego, about 13 miles away by road, or roughly 19 minutes without traffic. Estimates are free and done at the house.
Free estimates · Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–6 p.m. · Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
A free estimate in West Allis.
What needs doing, roughly how old the house is, and when you would like it done. C&L will set up a time to look at it in person.