San Anselmo Wood Siding

Many of San Anselmo's homes were built before 1940. The Craftsman bungalows, Tudor cottages, and shingle-style houses in the Yolanda District, Winship Park, and the blocks around downtown were mostly clad in real wood from the start. When those walls need new siding, the question is usually whether to go back to wood or switch to something that asks less of you.

Bay Area Siding Company is a siding and window contractor based in Larkspur, and we install wood siding throughout the Ross Valley. We'll tell you plainly where it's the right call and where another material will serve you better.

Considering wood for your home? Request a bid or call (415) 619-5167 to set up a walkthrough.

Why homeowners here still choose wood

No manufactured product fully reproduces the grain, shadow line, and weathered depth of real cedar or redwood. On a house whose value is tied to its period character, that matters. Wood has several practical advantages beyond looks:

• It's repairable. A damaged board or a few rotted shingles can be cut out and replaced individually. That suits older homes, where selective repair keeps more original fabric in place.
• It takes paint and stain on your terms. You can choose a solid-color paint, a semi-transparent stain that shows the grain, or shingles left to weather naturally where that suits the house.
• It matches what's already there. If only one elevation or an addition needs new cladding, wood blends with existing wood far more convincingly than a substitute.
• It's a renewable material, which matters to some homeowners.

For a broader look at species, grades, and finishes, see our wood siding overview.

Profiles that suit San Anselmo's older homes

Getting the profile right is most of the battle on a period house. The common options we install are:

• Clapboard / bevel siding. This is the familiar tapered horizontal board found on many Craftsman and cottage-style homes. Exposure width and corner treatment make a big difference to how authentic the result looks.
• Shingles and shakes. These are cedar shingles in straight or staggered courses, sometimes with decorative patterns in gables. They are the defining skin of shingle-style houses and common on cottages.
• Board-and-batten. This vertical profile shows up on outbuildings, rustic hillside homes, and some remodels.

On a walkthrough we look at what's original, what was added later, and what the house wants to look like when it's done. Sometimes the right answer is replicating an original profile. Sometimes it's correcting an earlier, mismatched re-side.

The honest trade-off: upkeep in a damp, shaded valley

Wood is the most maintenance-hungry siding we install, and the Ross Valley doesn't make it easier. The town sits in a tree-shaded valley with wet winters. North-facing and creek-side walls stay damp longer than sun-exposed ones, and slow drying is the enemy of any wood exterior. The heartwood of cedar and redwood has natural decay resistance, but no wood is immune to rot, and paint or stain needs renewing on a regular cycle.

What we do to give wood a better chance here:

• Finish all sides before installation where the product and finish system call for it, so the back and cut ends aren't left raw.
• Keep the bottom courses up off grade and away from splash. This matters most for homes on the lower flats near San Anselmo Creek, where the base of the wall is the most vulnerable zone.
• Detail the water-resistive barrier and flashing carefully at windows, doors, penetrations, and trim.
• Discuss a drainage or ventilated gap behind the siding on elevations that stay wet. It can help the back of the boards dry, and whether it's warranted depends on the wall and the budget.
• Use corrosion-resistant fasteners suited to the species, since some woods react with ordinary steel and stain around the nail heads.

Plan on periodic inspection, spot repairs, and refinishing. If that commitment sounds unappealing, LP SmartSide engineered wood or fiber cement will give you a wood look with less upkeep. We'll show you both side by side.

Hillside parcels: where wood needs a second look

Combustibility is wood's other real limitation. Homes on the wooded slopes, including Seminary Hill, the Bald Hill side, and neighboring Sleepy Hollow in unincorporated Marin, sit in terrain with genuine wildfire exposure. Cal Fire has been updating Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for local-responsibility areas across the Ross Valley.

Where California's wildland-urban interface provisions (CBC Chapter 7A) apply to a project, they govern specific assemblies such as exterior wall coverings. Untreated wood siding may not meet those requirements. There are compliance paths that can involve particular tested products or wall assemblies, but whether any of this applies depends on your parcel's designation and the scope of work. Ross Valley Fire and the Town of San Anselmo make that determination, so we confirm it before a material is finalized.

On a fire-exposed hillside lot, James Hardie or other noncombustible fiber cement is frequently the more sensible choice, and it still comes in lap and shingle profiles that respect an older home. On the flats and in town, wood is generally a simpler conversation, though we still confirm with the Town.

Repair, re-side in wood, or switch?

The right choice depends on the condition of the wall and your priorities:

• Selective repair makes sense when damage is limited to a few boards, a corner, or the bottom courses, and the rest of the siding is sound.
• A full re-side in wood fits when the original cladding is worn out but the home's character, or your own preference, calls for the real thing.
• Switching materials is worth weighing when maintenance is the main complaint or the parcel has fire exposure.

Our San Anselmo siding replacement page covers the broader re-siding decision. If you're weighing a fiber-cement alternative, see fiber cement siding in San Anselmo.

How a wood siding job goes

A wood project usually runs through four stages:

1. Walkthrough and written scope. We look at the existing walls, agree on a profile and species, and put the scope in writing.
2. Permit. Re-siding in San Anselmo generally requires one through the Town's Building Division, and we confirm the requirements and pull it.
3. Tear-off and inspection. The old cladding comes off to the sheathing and substrate so we can inspect the WRB, flashing, and any concealed rot. Damaged sheathing gets addressed before anything new goes on.
4. Installation and finishing. We install the new barrier, flashing, and wood siding, then prime or finish it. The job closes with trim, caulking, cleanup, and a walkthrough with you.

What drives the cost

We don't post prices because wood projects vary widely. The main factors are:

• Material: species and grade (clear versus knotty cedar or redwood, shingle versus lap), and how much wall area there is.
• Detail work: the amount of trim, gable detail, and custom profile matching.
• Hidden conditions: how much rot or sheathing repair turns up once the old siding is off.
• Access: steep or tree-crowded lots add time.
• Finish: whether you want factory-primed boards or on-site finishing.
• Fire-zone requirements: any that apply can change the product itself.

Photos of finished work are in our project gallery.

San Anselmo wood siding FAQs

Do I need a permit to replace wood siding in San Anselmo? Generally, yes. Re-siding is an exterior alteration handled by the Town of San Anselmo's Building Division. The exact submittal depends on scope, so we verify with the Town and pull the permit.

Can I use cedar shingles on a Seminary Hill or Bald Hill home? It depends on the parcel. If the property falls in a designated fire hazard zone and the work triggers Chapter 7A provisions, untreated wood shingles may not comply. We confirm with Ross Valley Fire and the Town, and we'll show you compliant alternatives if needed.

How often will wood siding need refinishing? It varies with finish type, sun exposure, and how damp the wall stays. Shaded walls in the Ross Valley tend to need closer attention than sunny ones. We'll talk through a realistic maintenance plan for your specific elevations.

Can you match my home's original siding? Often, yes. Where the original profile, exposure, and species can be sourced, we can replicate it for a partial re-side or an addition so the new work blends in.

Want real wood on your San Anselmo home, installed and detailed for the valley's wet winters? Call (415) 619-5167 or request a bid. Replacing windows at the same time? See window replacement in San Anselmo. We serve homeowners across Marin County.