Santa Rosa Wood Siding

Real wood still has a place on Santa Rosa homes. Some houses were simply built for it, like an older bungalow near downtown, a shingled cottage in Bennett Valley, or a ranch home in Rincon Valley with original redwood lap. No manufactured product fully matches the grain, depth, and patina of cedar or redwood. Bay Area Siding Company installs and replaces natural wood siding throughout Santa Rosa. We will also tell you plainly where wood is a good fit and where another material would serve you better.

Planning a wood siding project in Santa Rosa? Call (415) 619-5167, or request a bid.

Why homeowners in Santa Rosa still choose wood

Wood siding is a deliberate choice, and the people who choose it usually have a clear reason:

• Architectural fit. Craftsman, period, and mid-century homes were designed around wood cladding. Keeping or restoring it preserves proportions, shadow lines, and trim details that substitutes can flatten.
• Repairability. A damaged wood board can be cut out and replaced with a matching board, primed, and painted. Many other claddings can't be patched that cleanly.
• A natural, renewable material. Cedar and redwood are the traditional Northern California siding species. Both are valued for natural resistance to decay and for how well they take stain or paint.
• Character that ages. Well-maintained wood can look better at year twenty than at year one. That is part of why owners of older Santa Rosa homes often want to keep it.

The trade-offs are just as real. Wood needs the most upkeep of any cladding we install. It is vulnerable to rot where water sits and attracts woodpeckers and insects. It is also combustible, which matters a great deal in parts of Santa Rosa. More on that below.

Wood siding profiles we install

Clapboard / bevel lap. Horizontal boards that overlap, thicker at the bottom edge. This is the classic look on older bungalows and farmhouse-style homes. Cedar and redwood are the usual species.

Shingles and shakes. Sawn shingles give a crisp, uniform coursing. Split shakes are rougher and more rustic. Both suit cottage, Craftsman, and some contemporary designs, and both can be stained or left to weather.

Board-and-batten. Wide vertical boards with narrow battens over the joints. It is popular on modern-farmhouse builds and accessory structures.

Tongue-and-groove and channel profiles. These are common on mid-century and ranch homes. Some Santa Rosa houses from that era have plywood panel siding instead of solid boards. If yours has grooved T1-11 that is swelling or delaminating, see our Santa Rosa T1-11 siding page. Replacing failed T1-11 is a different conversation than installing solid wood.

For a broader look at species, grades, and finishes, visit our Bay Area wood siding hub.

The fire question: where wood fits in Santa Rosa, and where it may not

It's impossible to discuss wood cladding in Santa Rosa without addressing wildfire. The 2017 Tubbs Fire destroyed thousands of structures in the city, including much of Coffey Park and large parts of Fountaingrove. Rebuilding and home-hardening continue today.

Santa Rosa has a designated Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Area. Where California Building Code Chapter 7A applies, exterior wall coverings generally must be noncombustible or ignition-resistant, or meet the standard as part of a tested assembly. Ordinary untreated cedar or redwood does not meet that standard on its own. Some fire-retardant-treated wood products are rated for exterior use as ignition-resistant material. Whether a particular product qualifies depends on its testing and listing. Chapter 7A applies to specific assemblies and scopes of work, not automatically to every board on every house. Your address, the extent of the re-side, and the product all affect what's required.

Here is how we handle it in practice:

• Before we price wood, we check your parcel. We confirm whether your property falls in the WUI Fire Area or a mapped fire-hazard zone, then confirm with the City of Santa Rosa what applies to your scope.
• If Chapter 7A applies, we'll discuss rated fire-retardant-treated wood options where they fit your design and budget. We'll also show you alternatives that keep a wood look: fiber cement siding in cedar-texture lap, shingle, or board-and-batten profiles is noncombustible. For the specific brand, see James Hardie siding in Santa Rosa.
• If your home is outside the mapped areas, natural wood remains an option. Many owners still weigh fire resistance anyway, and we'll give you a straight comparison.

We don't give insurance advice. If cladding choice affects your coverage, ask your carrier.

Living with wood in an inland climate

Santa Rosa summers are hot and bright, and winters bring rain. Both conditions affect wood siding.

Sun. High summer UV breaks down stains and paints faster on south- and west-facing walls. Unfinished cedar turns silver-gray over time. Some owners like that look, and others don't. Plan on refinishing the sunniest elevations more often than the shaded ones.

Winter rain. Wood's main enemy is water that gets trapped. Common trouble spots are the bottom edges of boards, butt joints, window heads, and anywhere siding sits too close to grade or a roof line. Rot almost always starts at those details, not in the middle of a board.

Woodpeckers and pests. Holes in cedar and redwood siding are a common complaint in Sonoma County. Prompt repair and a sound finish help.

That's why installation details matter as much as the species. On a full replacement, we remove the old cladding down to the sheathing so the water-resistive barrier (WRB) and flashing can be inspected. We correct any damaged sheathing. Then we install new WRB, flash windows, doors, and penetrations, and keep proper clearances at grade and roof intersections. We prime all sides and cut ends, which is often skipped, and fasten to the manufacturer's and species' recommendations. Framing is exposed only if the sheathing itself has failed and has to come off, which is a larger scope we'd discuss with you first.

Repair, partial replacement, or full re-side?

Wood's repairability gives you options that other materials don't:

• Spot repair. Replace a handful of rotted or pecked boards, match the profile, and blend the finish. This makes sense when damage is isolated and the rest of the wall is sound.
• Elevation replacement. Re-side the one or two walls that take the worst sun or rain and keep the original siding elsewhere.
• Full re-side. This is the right call when rot is widespread, the WRB behind the siding has failed, or you're changing profile or material. Our Santa Rosa siding replacement page covers the whole-house decision and every material we install.

For older homes near downtown, note that Santa Rosa has designated historic preservation districts, such as the McDonald Avenue area. Exterior changes there can involve additional city review. We check before specifying materials so a like-for-like wood repair or replacement doesn't stall at permit.

How a wood siding job typically goes

We start with an on-site look at your walls, probing suspect areas and noting which elevations take the most weather. You'll get a written scope covering species, grade, profile, finish, and the flashing and trim details. We handle the City of Santa Rosa building permit where required. Tear-off, sheathing and WRB inspection, installation, and priming or finishing follow. We finish with a walkthrough. If you're also replacing windows, doing both while the walls are open makes the flashing easier to coordinate. See Santa Rosa window replacement.

What drives the cost of wood siding

We don't quote prices online because wood jobs vary widely. The main cost drivers are:

• Species and grade. Clear, vertical-grain cedar or redwood costs far more than knotty grades.
• Profile. Shingles and shakes take more labor per square foot than lap siding.
• Finish. Factory-primed or pre-stained boards cost differently than field priming and finishing.
• Sheathing condition. Damage behind the old siding adds to the scope.
• Trim and detailing. Corner boards, window and door casings, and period details add labor.
• Height and access. Two-story walls and tight lots take longer.
• Fire-zone requirements. A rated, treated product or a different cladding may be required on your parcel.

Compare materials side by side on our Bay Area siding replacement hub, or look at LP SmartSide if you want a wood texture with less upkeep than solid wood.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use natural wood siding on my Santa Rosa home? It depends on your address and scope. Outside the WUI Fire Area and mapped fire-hazard zones, natural cedar or redwood is generally an option. Inside them, Chapter 7A requirements may call for an ignition-resistant or noncombustible wall covering. We verify your parcel and confirm with the City of Santa Rosa before we specify anything.

Is cedar or redwood better? Both are traditional Northern California choices with good natural decay resistance. The choice usually comes down to availability, grade, cost, and the look you want. We'll show you samples of each.

How often will I need to refinish wood siding? It depends on the finish, the species, and exposure. Sunny south- and west-facing walls in Santa Rosa usually need attention sooner than shaded ones. We'll explain what to expect for the finish you choose.

Can you match the existing wood siding on my older home? Often, yes. Many lap and shingle profiles can be matched or closely milled, and wood's repairability is one of its advantages. Very old or unusual profiles may take some sourcing, and we'll tell you up front.

Talk to us about wood siding in Santa Rosa

Whether you're keeping original redwood lap, adding cedar shingles, or deciding between wood and a fire-resistant alternative, we'll give you a clear recommendation for your specific property. See completed work in our project gallery, and find other services near you on our Wine Country service-area hub.

Call Bay Area Siding Company at (415) 619-5167, or request a bid.