San Anselmo LP Smartside Siding

Many San Anselmo homeowners want their house to keep looking like wood. The town's Craftsman bungalows, Tudor cottages, and shingle-style houses were built with wood siding, and much of the Ross Valley streetscape still reads that way. LP SmartSide is an engineered wood siding made from treated wood strands. It gives you a wood-grain texture and paintable boards without the upkeep of solid cedar or redwood. Bay Area Siding Company is a siding and window contractor based in Larkspur, a few minutes down the valley, and we install LP SmartSide as part of full re-siding projects throughout Marin.

Considering SmartSide for your home? Request a bid or call (415) 619-5167. We'll look at your walls and tell you whether it fits.

What LP SmartSide actually is

SmartSide is not solid lumber, and it is not fiber cement. LP makes it from wood strands treated through its SmartGuard process, then bonds and presses them into lap boards, panels, trim, and shake-style profiles. The treatment helps the product resist moisture, fungal decay, and termites. That matters in a valley where shaded walls stay damp for much of the winter.

What homeowners notice first:

• It looks and feels like wood. The embossed grain takes paint the way a wood board does. This is why SmartSide often reads more naturally than vinyl on a period house.
• It's lighter than fiber cement. Boards are easier to handle, cut, and fasten. That can help on the steep lots and tight side yards common in San Anselmo.
• It resists impact well. Engineered wood absorbs knocks from ladders, balls, and branches better than more brittle claddings.
• It comes in long lengths. Longer boards mean fewer butt joints across a wall, which gives a cleaner look.

The honest trade-offs

SmartSide is a good product for the right house. It is not the answer for every house, and the Ross Valley makes some of its limits more relevant than they would be elsewhere.

It needs paint maintenance. SmartSide is a paintable wood-based product. The paint film protects it, so plan on periodic repainting like any painted wood exterior. On shaded, north-facing, or creek-side walls, check the finish more often and touch up any breaks in the paint promptly.

Installation details decide how long it lasts. Engineered wood tolerates moisture well when it is installed to LP's published instructions. It does poorly when those instructions are ignored. The critical details include:

• clearances above grade, roofs, and hard surfaces
• sealing field-cut edges
• correct fastening
• proper gapping and flashing at joints and openings

We follow the manufacturer's current instructions on every job rather than working from memory, because those details carry the warranty.

It is not a noncombustible material. This is the key distinction from fiber cement, and it matters on San Anselmo's hillsides. More on that below.

For a full side-by-side comparison, see our LP SmartSide hub, the James Hardie and fiber cement pages, and our wood siding and vinyl siding overviews.

Where SmartSide fits in San Anselmo

The cottage blocks and the flats

In the Yolanda District, around Winship Park, and in the older blocks near downtown, SmartSide works well. It can replace failing wood lap, tired hardboard, or aging T1-11 while keeping the painted-wood character these streets are known for. Lap profiles and matching trim let us rebuild eaves, corners, and window surrounds in proportion with the original house.

On the lower flats near San Anselmo Creek, the base of the wall is where the work matters most. The area has a documented flood history, and ground-level dampness is persistent. With engineered wood, we pay close attention to three things:

• the bottom course's clearance above soil and hardscape
• keeping splash-back off the siding
• making sure water behind the cladding has a way out

If your parcel sits in a mapped flood hazard area, floodplain rules on materials below the flood elevation may also apply. We confirm that with the Town before we lock in the scope.

The wooded hillsides

Seminary Hill, the Bald Hill slopes, and neighboring Sleepy Hollow sit in wooded terrain with real wildfire exposure. Cal Fire has been updating Fire Hazard Severity Zones for local-responsibility areas across the Ross Valley. Whether ignition-resistant construction requirements apply to your re-side depends on your parcel's designation and the scope of the work. Ross Valley Fire and the Town of San Anselmo make that determination, not the siding brand.

If you're on or near a hillside, tell us at the start. When fire-zone provisions apply, we'll check which products are acceptable for your parcel. Often we'll steer the conversation toward noncombustible fiber cement. SmartSide is a strong choice on many San Anselmo homes, but we won't recommend it by default where the fire question hasn't been settled.

How a SmartSide re-side goes

The process is straightforward, though every house is different.

1. Inspection and permit. After a walk-through and written scope, we handle permitting through the Town of San Anselmo's Building Division. Exterior re-siding generally requires a permit, and we confirm the submittal for your scope.
2. Removal and substrate review. The old cladding comes off down to the sheathing, which exposes the water-resistive barrier (WRB) and flashing for inspection. This step matters on pre-1940 homes, which were often built before modern drainage detailing. Framing is only exposed if damaged sheathing has to be replaced, and we discuss that with you before expanding the scope.
3. WRB and flashing. Then comes a continuous water-resistive barrier with flashing at windows, doors, penetrations, and wall-to-roof transitions.
4. Installation and finish. We install SmartSide and trim to LP's instructions, seal cut edges, and paint on a schedule that protects the primed surface. A walkthrough closes out the job.

Planning new windows at the same time? The walls are open, so it's efficient to coordinate. See our San Anselmo window replacement page.

What drives the cost

We don't publish prices, because San Anselmo homes vary a lot. The main factors are:

• total wall area and number of stories
• profile choice (lap, panel, or shake-style)
• how much trim is being rebuilt
• whether the product is primed or prefinished, and the paint scope
• the condition of the sheathing once the old siding is off
• access on steep or narrow lots
• permit requirements

Hidden substrate repair is the biggest unknown on older homes. We explain how we handle it before work begins.

FAQs

Does LP SmartSide hold up in San Anselmo's damp, shaded conditions? It can, when it's installed correctly. The SmartGuard treatment is designed to resist moisture, decay, and termites. Long-term performance depends on correct clearances, sealed cut edges, good flashing, and keeping the paint in good condition. Shaded and creek-side walls need the most attention.

Can I use SmartSide on a hillside home near Seminary Hill or Sleepy Hollow? Possibly. It depends on your parcel's fire hazard designation and the scope of the work, which Ross Valley Fire and the Town confirm. Where ignition-resistant requirements apply, fiber cement is often the simpler path. We'll help you find out early.

Will it look right on a Craftsman or Tudor cottage? Usually, yes. Painted lap or shake-style SmartSide with properly scaled trim can keep a period home's character, which is a big reason homeowners choose it over vinyl.

How is it different from James Hardie? SmartSide is engineered wood: lighter, more impact-resistant, and with a warm wood texture. Hardie is fiber cement: heavier and noncombustible. Our San Anselmo James Hardie page covers that side of the decision.

Talk it through for your home

Whether you're re-siding a creek-side bungalow or weighing options for a hillside house, we'll give you a straight answer on whether SmartSide makes sense. Call (415) 619-5167 or request a bid. For the broader re-side decision, see siding replacement in San Anselmo. You can also browse our project gallery or view our full Marin service area.