Corte Madera Siding & Windows Replacement

Corte Madera is a small Central Marin town of two distinct worlds — cottages tucked into the redwoods on Christmas Tree Hill and Chapman Park, and level neighborhoods that run down toward Corte Madera Creek and the bay. Bay Area Siding Company replaces siding across both. We are a Larkspur-based siding and window contractor working just up the road, and a full re-side with us means the whole assembly: stripping the old cladding, inspecting what's behind it, renewing the weather barrier and flashing, and installing new siding to the manufacturer's specification.

Ready to move forward? Request an estimate or call (415) 619-5167 to walk through your project.

When a re-side beats another repair

A lot of Corte Madera's housing is genuinely old — Christmas Tree Hill traces back to an 1890s subdivision, Chapman Park to villa lots platted around 1900 — and those walls have often been patched, repainted, and re-nailed for generations. At some point the patching stops paying off. Look for:

• Boards that cup, split, or feel spongy when you press on them
• A fresh paint job that blisters or peels within a season or two
• Trim, sill, or corner boards you can sink a screwdriver into
• Musty odors or discoloration on the inside of an exterior wall
• Aging T1-11, hardboard, or thin aluminum that has simply reached the end of its life

One or two of these can sometimes be spot-repaired. Several of them together usually mean the wall behind the siding needs attention, and that is a tear-off conversation.

Why we pull the old siding rather than cover it

Siding over siding is tempting because it looks cheaper on paper, but it seals in the exact things you most need to see on an older Marin home: the condition of the sheathing, whether there is a working water-resistive barrier, and whether the flashing at windows and transitions was ever detailed correctly. In the damp bay-side flats especially, hidden moisture and rot don't announce themselves until a wall is opened. Adding a layer also loads more weight onto the structure and can trap water against the framing. Tearing off costs more at the outset and leaves you with a wall that is sound from the sheathing outward — which is the point.

Picking a material for your home and your setting

We install several siding systems and will talk you through the trade-offs on-site. Where your house sits in Corte Madera genuinely matters to that choice:

• James Hardie fiber cement — noncombustible fiber cement, a common pick for the wooded hillsides (see our Corte Madera James Hardie page)
• Fiber cement — the wider category, other manufacturers included
• LP SmartSide — engineered wood, warmer to work with on cottage profiles
• Vinyl siding — a lower-maintenance option where the look and the setting suit it

We also work in CertainTeed, natural wood, and aluminum. For homes on Christmas Tree Hill or up the wooded slopes of Chapman Park, combustibility becomes part of the decision, not just appearance — more on that below.

What to expect: our process

1. Consultation — we look at your existing walls, the exposure, and what you want out of the project.
2. Measure and spec — exact field measurements and a written scope of work.
3. Permit — we pull the Town of Corte Madera building permit and flag any WUI or flood-zone review your parcel triggers.
4. Tear-off and substrate inspection — the old cladding comes off and we assess sheathing, framing, and any concealed rot before anything new goes up.
5. Weather-resistive barrier and flashing — a code-compliant WRB and correct flashing at every opening and transition.
6. Install to spec — new siding hung per the manufacturer's published instructions and clearances.
7. Finish and walkthrough — trim, caulk, cleanup, and a final review together.

Corte Madera-specific things to know

Who issues the permit. Exterior re-siding is permitted work through the Town of Corte Madera's Community Development Department, Building Division (the Town's Building Division line is (415) 927-5062). As of January 1, 2026, Corte Madera is enforcing the 2025 California code suite — Building, Residential, Existing Building, Energy, Green Building, and the Wildland-Urban Interface code — so the standards your project is held to are current. We handle the submittal; confirm the exact scope and any reach-code items with the Town for your address.

The wooded hillsides and fire exposure. Christmas Tree Hill and the upper reaches of Chapman Park climb through groves of redwood, California bay, and eucalyptus on narrow roads and stairways — beautiful, and genuinely fire-exposed. Central Marin Fire Department serves the town, and CAL FIRE released updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps in 2025 along with revised Wildland-Urban Interface maps for Corte Madera. Where a parcel falls in a designated hazard zone or the WUI, California Building Code Chapter 7A governs exterior wall coverings and generally points toward noncombustible or ignition-resistant assemblies. Whether and how 7A applies depends on your parcel's designation, the product, and the scope, so it is something we confirm with the Town and the fire authority rather than assume. If your home is on the hill, tell us early — it shapes the material list.

The flats and moisture. Down near Tamalpais Drive and toward Corte Madera Creek, the ground is low and level, and parts of town carry FEMA flood-zone designations tied to the creek and the bay margin. The practical siding issue there is water and marine damp: careful clearance at grade, good drainage detailing, and flashing that keeps the wall dry matter more than they would inland. It's worth confirming your parcel's flood status with the Town, since it can affect scope.

Doing more than one part of the envelope? We also handle window replacement in Corte Madera, and we serve the wider Marin service area. You can see finished jobs in our project gallery.

What affects the cost

Every wall is different, so we don't post prices. The honest drivers are the size and shape of the house; how much concealed rot or sheathing repair turns up at tear-off; the material and finish you choose; the number of stories and how easy the walls are to reach — hillside lots with narrow access and stairs take more setup; whether fire-zone assembly detailing applies; and window or trim integration if that's part of the job. We price it after we've measured and seen the walls.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to replace siding in Corte Madera? Yes. Re-siding is permitted through the Town of Corte Madera Building Division, and the town is now on the 2025 California codes. We pull the permit as part of the job.

My house is up on Christmas Tree Hill — does that change my siding choices? It can. Homes in a designated fire-hazard zone or the Wildland-Urban Interface are subject to Chapter 7A, which favors noncombustible or ignition-resistant wall coverings. We confirm your parcel's designation with the Town before we spec materials.

Should I just side over the existing material to save money? For Corte Madera's older cottages and bay-flat homes we generally recommend a full tear-off, because it's the only way to check the sheathing, weather barrier, and flashing and fix what's wrong. Covering over hides the problems that cost the most later.

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

Get your Corte Madera siding project moving

Call (415) 619-5167 or request an estimate. We'll look at your walls, talk through materials that fit your setting, and lay out the process end to end.