Burlingame Siding & Windows Replacement

Burlingame is a city of established, well-kept older homes, and its exterior walls tend to show their age in ways worth taking seriously. Bay Area Siding Company is a Larkspur-based siding and window contractor working across the Peninsula, and we take on full re-sides start to finish: pulling the old cladding, checking what's behind it, rebuilding the weather barrier and flashing, and setting new siding to the manufacturer's specifications.

Ready to move forward? Request an estimate or call (415) 619-5167 and we'll talk through your walls.

When a re-side beats another repair

A lot of Burlingame's housing dates to the 1910s through the postwar years — Craftsman bungalows in the Easton Addition, Tudor and Spanish-revival homes through the older central blocks, ranch houses toward the north end. Wood siding and older stucco on homes of that vintage were often built before continuous water-resistive barriers were routine, so once the surface starts failing the problems tend to run deeper than a coat of paint. Signs it's time to stop patching:

• Boards that cup, split, or pull loose, or stucco that has cracked and spidered across a wall
• Fresh paint that blisters or peels within a season or two
• Wood you can press a screwdriver into, or trim that crumbles at the corners
• Interior damp, staining, or a musty edge on walls that back the exterior
• Original T1-11, hardboard, or aluminum that has simply reached the end of its life

Why tear off instead of laying new over old

Cladding over the top of failing material buries the exact things a re-side is supposed to fix. On a home that predates modern wall detailing, taking the old surface off is the only way to actually see the sheathing, catch concealed rot around windows and at the base of walls, and confirm there is a functioning barrier and flashing behind everything. Covering over also piles on weight and can seal moisture inside. Tear-off costs more at the outset and leaves you with a wall that is sound from the framing out.

Picking a material

We install a range of siding systems and would rather walk the trade-offs with you at the house than push one product. A place to start reading:

• James Hardie fiber cement — noncombustible, holds a factory finish, and mimics traditional profiles well (see our Burlingame James Hardie page)
• Fiber cement — the wider category across manufacturers
• LP SmartSide — engineered wood with a natural grain
• Vinyl siding — a lower-upkeep option where the look and the home suit it

We also work in CertainTeed, wood, and aluminum. On Burlingame's period homes, matching the original profile and proportions matters as much as the material itself.

What to expect: our process

1. Consultation — we look over the existing walls and talk through goals, look, and budget.
2. Measure and spec — exact measurements and a written scope of work.
3. Permit (and review if it applies) — we pull the City of Burlingame building permit and flag anything that may need Planning or historic review before we start.
4. Tear-off and substrate inspection — old cladding comes off and we inspect sheathing and framing before a single new board goes up.
5. Weather-resistive barrier and flashing — the barrier and flashing that actually keep the wall dry, detailed at every window, door, and transition.
6. Install to spec — siding hung to the manufacturer's clearance, fastening, and joint requirements.
7. Finish and walkthrough — trim, caulk, finish, cleanup, and a final review together.

Burlingame-specific things to know

Permits. Exterior re-siding is permitted work through the City of Burlingame's Building Division, part of Community Development at City Hall on Primrose Road. What's required depends on the scope — a straightforward re-side is different from work that changes the wall assembly — so we confirm the specifics with the Building Division at the counter rather than guessing.

Design review and historic character. Burlingame cares about how its streets read, and its Planning Division runs a residential design-review process aimed mainly at new construction, larger additions, and significant changes to what shows from the street. A like-for-like re-side often falls outside that, but changing a home's material or exterior style — especially on a prominent facade — can bring it into play. Separately, the city keeps a Historic Resources program (Municipal Code Chapter 25.35): if your home is on Burlingame's Historic Register, exterior alterations run through Design Review, minor changes with the Planning Director and major ones with the Historic Preservation Commission. We tell you early if any of this touches your project so it doesn't surprise the timeline.

A "City of Trees" job site. Burlingame's nickname is earned, and the city protects its mature and heritage trees under its tree ordinance. On lots with big canopies close to the house, we plan staging, scaffolding, and material handling to work around protected trees rather than through them.

Climate. This is a mild, marine-influenced part of the Peninsula — cool damp winters, seasonal rain, fog off the Bay, and salt air on the eastern, bayfront-leaning blocks. It's not a heat-stressed or snow-loaded climate; the real enemy of an older wall here is persistent moisture, which is exactly why the barrier and flashing behind the siding earn their keep.

What affects the cost

We don't post prices because no two of these jobs are alike. The honest drivers are the size and shape of the home, how many stories and how tight the access, the material and profile you choose, what the tear-off uncovers in the way of rot or missing barrier, whether trim and windows are being integrated at the same time, and any review the project triggers. A walkthrough is the only way to price it with a straight face.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to replace siding in Burlingame? Re-siding is permitted work through the City of Burlingame Building Division. The exact requirements track the scope, so we confirm them with the city and pull the permit as part of the job.

Will re-siding my Burlingame home trigger design or historic review? It can, depending on the home. A like-for-like re-side often does not, but changing the material or exterior style on a street-facing wall may involve the Planning Division, and any exterior alteration to a home on Burlingame's Historic Register goes through the city's Historic Resources design-review process. We check before we start.

Should I re-side over the old material to save money? On Burlingame's older homes we generally advise against it. Covering over hides the sheathing, framing, barrier, and flashing — the things a re-side exists to inspect and correct. Full tear-off costs more up front but is what actually fixes the wall.

How long will a full siding replacement take? It depends on the home's size, the material, what we find at tear-off, and permitting. We give you a realistic window once we've measured and scoped it.

Get started

Let's get your Burlingame re-side moving. Request an estimate or call Bay Area Siding Company at (415) 619-5167. We'll assess the walls, talk materials, and lay out the process. You can also see finished work in our project gallery, explore the wider Peninsula service area, or, if windows are on the list too, read about Burlingame window replacement.