Gilroy Wood Siding

Nothing quite replaces real wood on the right house. On Gilroy's older downtown and near-downtown homes — the Victorians and early-1900s houses that give those blocks their character — wood clapboard, shingle, and board-and-batten are original to the architecture, and there are homeowners who want to keep or restore that authenticity rather than swap it for a manufactured lookalike. Bay Area Siding Company installs and replaces real wood siding for people who value the natural material and go in clear-eyed about what it asks in return. This page is honest about both halves of that.

Want to talk through a wood re-side or restoration? Request a bid or call (415) 619-5167.

Why homeowners still choose wood

• The look. Genuine cedar or redwood has a depth of grain and a way of taking stain and paint that no engineered or plastic product fully matches. On a period Gilroy home, it's the correct material.
• Profiles for the architecture. Clapboard (bevel) for a farmhouse or Victorian, shingle/shake for a Craftsman or a cottage, board-and-batten for a vertical rustic look — wood does all of them naturally.
• Repairable. A damaged board or a run of shingles can be replaced piece by piece and blended in, which matters on a home you intend to keep original.
• Renewable and natural. For owners who prioritize a natural material, that's a real value.

The trade-offs, stated plainly

Wood is the highest-maintenance siding we install, and pretending otherwise does no one any favors. It needs to be kept painted or stained on a regular cycle, and Gilroy's hot, high-UV summers are hard on finishes — a wall that isn't maintained will check, cup, and eventually rot, and wood is vulnerable to insects in a way manufactured products aren't. The second consideration is fire. Wood is combustible, and that's not an abstract point in Gilroy: homes near the western foothills or the grassland edge toward Henry W. Coe can fall inside designated Fire Hazard Severity Zones, where California Building Code Chapter 7A may require a noncombustible or ignition-resistant exterior wall covering — which solid wood generally is not. If your parcel carries that designation, wood may not be permitted for the wall covering, and we'd point you to fiber cement instead. On the flat valley lots where most of Gilroy sits, fire zoning typically isn't a constraint, and we confirm your parcel with the City either way before committing.

Wood vs. the wood-look alternatives

If you love the look but not the upkeep, two products get you close. LP SmartSide is engineered wood with a real-wood texture, treated against rot and pests, needing far less maintenance (LP SmartSide). Fiber cement can be had in wood-grain and shingle profiles that read convincingly from the curb, noncombustible and low-maintenance (fiber cement, James Hardie). Choosing real wood over these is a decision to accept the maintenance in exchange for genuine authenticity — a fair trade on the right home, but one to make deliberately. For the full comparison, see Gilroy siding replacement; budget-focused readers can also compare vinyl.

Installation and restoration

On a full wood re-side we remove the old cladding to the sheathing and substrate, inspect and repair the water-resistive barrier and the flashing at windows, doors, and penetrations, and only reach the framing if the sheathing itself has failed. New wood is then installed with correct fastening, gapping, back-priming where appropriate, and finish clearances — details that make an outsized difference to how long a wood wall lasts. On a restoration of an original Gilroy home, the work is often selective: replacing failed boards or shingles, re-flashing problem areas, and re-establishing a sound finish while preserving the intact original material. We scope which approach your house needs.

Cost drivers

Wood is generally a premium material to install and carries ongoing maintenance cost, which is part of the honest picture. Up-front, the number depends on the species and profile, the home's size and stories, how much substrate or flashing repair surfaces at tear-off, whether it's a full re-side or a selective restoration, and access on upper stories and detailed elevations. We price after a walkthrough.

Permits in Gilroy

Exterior re-siding is permitted through the City of Gilroy Building Division under the adopted 2025 California Building Standards Code, and we manage the permit. The fire-zone question is the one that most affects whether wood is even an option: on a parcel inside a mapped Fire Hazard Severity Zone, Chapter 7A may rule out a combustible wall covering, so we confirm your address against the City's adopted 2025 maps before recommending wood.

FAQ

Can I put wood siding on my home if I'm near the Gilroy hills? Possibly not. Parcels in a designated Fire Hazard Severity Zone may fall under Chapter 7A, which generally requires a noncombustible or ignition-resistant wall covering — and solid wood usually isn't that. We check your parcel's designation with the City of Gilroy first and suggest fiber cement where fire code rules wood out.

How much maintenance does wood siding really need? Real maintenance: repainting or restaining on a regular cycle, prompt repair of any failed boards, and vigilance about moisture and insects. In Gilroy's sun, staying on that cycle is what separates a wood wall that lasts from one that rots. If that upkeep isn't for you, engineered wood or fiber cement gives a similar look with far less.

Can you restore the original wood siding on my older Gilroy home? Often, yes — selective board and shingle replacement, re-flashing, and refinishing can preserve the original character rather than replacing everything. We assess what's salvageable during the walkthrough.

Do you handle the permit? Yes — re-siding is permitted through the City of Gilroy Building Division, and we pull and manage it.

Get a wood siding quote for your Gilroy home

Call (415) 619-5167 or request a bid. We'll assess your walls, confirm whether wood is permitted on your parcel, and lay out real-wood and wood-look options. Doing windows too? See Gilroy window replacement. Browse our project gallery or the South Bay service area.