Nothing else looks quite like real wood, and on the right Palo Alto home it's worth what it takes to keep it. Cedar and redwood clapboard, shingle and shake, board-and-batten — natural wood siding gives a depth, grain, and warmth that manufactured products approximate but never fully match, and it's a renewable, repairable material you can refinish rather than replace. Bay Area Siding Company installs and details wood siding across Palo Alto. It's also the most demanding cladding on this list, so this page is as much about whether wood is right for your home as how we install it.

Considering wood siding? Request a bid or call (415) 619-5167.

The case for real wood

Wood earns its premium on appearance and authenticity. On a period or high-design Palo Alto home — a Craftsman in Crescent Park, a traditional house in Old Palo Alto, an architect-designed modern — genuine cedar or redwood carries the look the architecture was built for. It can be milled and installed in almost any profile, it takes stain or paint in any direction, and individual boards or shingles can be replaced when they fail, so damage rarely means a whole-wall project. On an Eichler or mid-century home originally clad in vertical tongue-and-groove redwood board or scored redwood plywood, real wood is the historically faithful material — and where the city's advisory Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines encourage retaining original character, keeping true wood cladding is one way to honor them. We design around those guidelines where they apply.

The maintenance and fire realities — stated plainly

Wood's trade-offs are real, and on the Peninsula they're worth spelling out:

• Maintenance is the highest of any cladding. Wood has to be refinished on a cycle — stain or paint is what keeps water out — and neglected wood eventually cups, splits, and rots. Palo Alto's damp winters (California Energy Code Climate Zone 4) make a disciplined finish schedule non-negotiable.
• Rot and pests are lifelong concerns; detailing at grade, at horizontal surfaces, and around penetrations is what keeps them at bay.
• Combustibility is the big one for Palo Alto specifically. Wood is combustible, so on a parcel along the western foothill edge that sits inside a mapped Wildland-Urban Interface or Fire Hazard Severity Zone, real wood is usually the wrong call — noncombustible fiber cement is the fire-conscious material there, and Chapter 7A of the California Building Code may govern the wall assembly. Whether 7A applies depends on your parcel's designation and scope, which we confirm with the City before speccing. On the flatter, non-fire-zone parts of the city, wood remains a legitimate choice.

Honest alternatives to weigh

If you love the look but not the upkeep or the fire exposure, two materials deserve a look before you commit. LP SmartSide engineered wood keeps most of the real-wood texture with far less decay risk and less maintenance. Fiber cement — including James Hardie — gives you clapboard and shingle profiles that are noncombustible and hold paint far longer, which is the right answer on fire-zone parcels. For the lowest-maintenance shingle look, some homeowners choose CertainTeed polymer or vinyl shakes. If real wood is still what you want after weighing all that, we'll do it right. Compare everything on the siding replacement hub.

Installation and permitting

Wood rewards careful installation and punishes shortcuts. A wood re-side in Palo Alto requires a City of Palo Alto building permit, and we do a full tear-off: the old cladding comes off to the sheathing so the water-resistive barrier and flashing can be inspected and corrected. We then install the WRB and flashing, set the boards or shingles with correct fastening and exposure, detail the joints and terminations, and prime/finish so the wood is protected from day one. Getting the flashing, clearances, and finish right is what separates wood that lasts decades from wood that fails early. We handle the permit and confirm any design-review or fire-zone considerations for your scope.

What drives the cost

Wood is typically the highest-cost cladding, and the number moves with species and grade (clear vertical-grain cedar or redwood costs more than knotty), profile (custom milling and shingle work add labor), wall area, stories and access, the finish specification, and how much substrate or flashing repair appears at tear-off. We provide specifics after seeing the home.

FAQ

Is wood siding a good idea in Palo Alto? On the flatter, non-fire-zone parts of the city and on period or high-design homes, yes — if you'll keep up the finish. On a foothill parcel in a mapped fire-hazard zone, wood is usually the wrong choice and we'd recommend noncombustible fiber cement.

How much maintenance does wood really need? It needs refinishing on a regular cycle — the paint or stain is the moisture barrier — plus attention to any rot or pest issues. It's the highest-maintenance cladding, which is why many homeowners choose engineered wood or fiber cement instead.

Can you match my Eichler's original redwood siding? Often, yes. We can install real vertical board or shingle profiles that match the original character, and we design around the city's advisory Eichler design guidelines where they apply. Where fire zone or maintenance is a concern, we'll show you engineered-wood and fiber-cement alternatives that echo the same look.

Do I need a permit for wood siding in Palo Alto? Yes. Re-siding requires a building permit from the City of Palo Alto; we prepare and file it for your scope.

Ready to talk wood siding?

Get real wood detailed and finished to last — or an honest steer toward a better fit for your parcel. Request a bid or call (415) 619-5167. We also handle siding replacement and window replacement in Palo Alto, serve the wider Peninsula, and post finished work in our project gallery.