Fairfax homes live in the trees — canyon cabins, hillside cottages, and Craftsman bungalows tucked under a heavy canopy at the western end of the Ross Valley. That setting is the whole appeal, and it is also hard on an exterior wall. Bay Area Siding Company is a Larkspur-based siding and window contractor a few minutes down Sir Francis Drake, and we do the complete re-side: tear-off, substrate inspection, water-resistive barrier, flashing, and cladding installed to spec.

Thinking about a full re-side? Request an estimate or call (415) 619-5167 and we'll walk the house with you.

When a re-side beats another repair

Much of Fairfax started as early-1900s summer cabins that were later winterized and added onto, so a lot of the town's walls are patchworks of eras — original board, later plywood, and a few remodels' worth of trim. In a damp, shaded canyon that traps moisture, those walls take a beating. Replacement usually wins over one more patch when you notice:

• Boards that cup, split, or feel spongy where the canopy keeps a wall wet
• Paint that blisters or sheds a season or two after it went on
• Dark staining, moss, or a musty smell along the base of a wall or under eaves
• Dry rot you can find with a screwdriver around windows, at deck ledgers, or at grade
• Mixed, mismatched cladding from decades of additions that no longer sheds water as one system

Why we tear off instead of re-cladding over the top

Adding a new layer over tired siding buries the questions that actually decide whether the wall lasts — and on a shaded Fairfax lot those questions are almost always about water. Only a tear-off lets us see the sheathing, find the rot that hides behind trim and at wall-to-deck transitions, verify there's a real weather-resistive barrier, and add the flashing many older cabins never had. Cover-overs also pile weight on the wall and can seal moisture in against wood that is already damp. It costs more the honest way; it also gives you a wall that drains.

Picking a material for a wooded lot

We install a range of systems and talk the trade-offs through on site. A few starting points:

• James Hardie fiber cement — noncombustible fiber cement that suits a fire-zone lot and shrugs off canyon damp; the Fairfax James Hardie page goes deeper
• Fiber cement, broadly — the wider category, including other makers
• LP SmartSide — engineered wood, when a warm wood look is the priority off the hazard-zone parcels
• Vinyl siding — a lower-upkeep option where it fits the home and the zone

We also work in CertainTeed, wood, and aluminum. In Fairfax, material choice is not only about matching a cottage's character — much of the town sits in a fire hazard zone, which narrows the shortlist (more below).

What to expect: our process

1. Consultation — we look at the existing walls, the exposure, and what you want out of the project.
2. Measure and spec — precise measurements and a written scope for the whole assembly, not just the boards.
3. Permit and any design review — Fairfax requires a construction permit for work under the building code, and many single-family projects also go through the Town's Design Review Board.
4. Tear-off and substrate inspection — old cladding off, then a real look at sheathing, framing, and any concealed rot.
5. Weather barrier and flashing — water-resistive barrier plus flashing at windows, decks, and penetrations, detailed for a wall that stays wet longer.
6. Install to spec — cladding set per the manufacturer's clearance and fastening instructions.
7. Finish and walkthrough — trim, caulk, cleanup, and a final review together.

Fairfax-specific things to know

Permits and design review. The Town of Fairfax Department of Planning and Building Services runs building and planning out of 142 Bolinas Road, and it enforces the California building codes — so a re-side that touches the wall assembly needs a permit. Fairfax also routes many single-family exterior projects through its Design Review Board, so a change in material or profile is worth raising with the Town early rather than at the counter.

Fire hazard zones and the WUI code. This is the piece Fairfax owners should not skip. The town wraps around wooded hillsides and single-road canyons like the Cascades, and much of it falls inside a Fire Hazard Severity Zone or the wildland-urban interface. Fairfax has adopted the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (municipal code § 8.06.011), which applies to new buildings in any Fire Hazard Severity Zone or WUI area the Town designates. Where those rules reach an exterior wall, California's fire-exposure standards (Chapter 7A) generally call for noncombustible or ignition-resistant cladding — fiber cement, stucco, or metal rather than untreated wood — and the requirement covers the whole wall: trim, soffits, and the barrier beneath. Whether and how it applies turns on your parcel's designation and the scope of work, so we confirm it with the Town instead of assuming.

A canopy that keeps walls wet. Fairfax's charm is its shade, and shade means slow-drying walls, especially in the canyons and on north faces. Drainage detailing and clearance at grade matter more here than on an open lot, and they're a big reason we favor tear-off over cover-over.

Doing more than siding? We also handle window replacement in Fairfax, and you can see finished exteriors in our project gallery. For the wider area, here's our Marin service page.

What affects the cost

There are no online prices because no two Fairfax homes are alike. The real drivers are how much concealed rot turns up at tear-off, the number of stories and how tight canyon or hillside access is, whether the parcel's fire-zone status pushes you toward a noncombustible assembly, integrating windows and trim at the same time, the material and finish you choose, and whether the project goes through Design Review. We price it after we measure.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to replace siding in Fairfax? Yes. The Town of Fairfax requires a construction permit for work covered by the building code, and many single-family exterior projects also go through the Design Review Board. We handle the paperwork.

My house is in a fire hazard zone — does that limit my siding? It can. Fairfax has adopted the California WUI Code, and where it and Chapter 7A apply, exterior walls generally need noncombustible or ignition-resistant materials rather than untreated wood. The specifics depend on your parcel and scope, which we confirm with the Town before we spec.

Should I re-side over the old material to save money? On a shaded Fairfax lot we almost always recommend a full tear-off. Covering over hides the rot and missing flashing that the damp canyon setting tends to create, and it can trap moisture against wood that's already wet.

How long will the job take? It depends on the home's size, the material, how much substrate repair we find, and permitting. We give you a realistic timeline once we've measured and seen the walls.

Get started

Call (415) 619-5167 or request an estimate. We'll walk the house, talk through materials and the fire-zone question, and lay out the process.