Sonoma Wood Siding

Some houses in Sonoma should be wood. A lap-sided Victorian a few blocks off the Plaza, a shingled bungalow, or a board-and-batten farmhouse up the valley each has proportions, shadow lines, and grain that wood carries naturally. Bay Area Siding Company installs natural wood siding, including cedar and redwood clapboard, shingles and shakes, and board-and-batten. We'll also tell you plainly when wood fits your parcel and your appetite for upkeep, and when another material would serve you better. We're a Larkspur-based (Marin) siding and window contractor working throughout the North Bay wine country.

Want to know whether wood is right for your house? Request a bid or call (415) 619-5167.

Why homeowners here still choose real wood

Plenty of products imitate wood. Real wood offers a few things the imitations can't match:

• Authenticity on period homes. Around the Sonoma Plaza, a National Historic Landmark district, and on older houses throughout town, original cladding was usually wood. Matching board width, exposure, and profile in the same material is often the most faithful way to restore a facade.
• Repairability. A damaged wood board can be cut out and replaced on its own, and new wood can be feathered into old. That matters on a house you intend to keep for decades.
• Finish flexibility. You can paint it, stain it solid or semi-transparent, or let cedar shingles weather. You can change the color later without replacing anything.
• A renewable material with a character that deepens as it ages, provided it is cared for.

If your home has historic or preservation status, raise it at the start. Approved profiles, exposures, and finishes can shape what we specify, and that conversation happens with the City before anything is ordered.

The profiles and species we work with

• Clapboard / lap siding. This is the classic horizontal board seen on many older homes near downtown. We match exposure and board thickness so new work sits comfortably next to existing trim and windows.
• Shingles and shakes. These suit bungalows, Craftsman-influenced homes, and accent gables. Sawn shingles give a crisper line, and split shakes give a more rustic texture.
• Board-and-batten. Vertical boards with narrow battens over the seams are a natural fit for barn-style and rural valley homes, plus outbuildings.
• Species. Western red cedar and redwood are the usual choices because their heartwood resists decay and insects better than common framing lumber. Grade matters: clearer, heartwood-rich material costs more but holds finish and resists rot better. We'll show you real options rather than a single default.

The honest trade-offs in a Sonoma climate

Wood asks more of an owner than any other siding we install, and Sonoma's weather is part of the reason. Long, hot, sunny summers break down paint and stain faster on the south and west walls. Wet winters then test any joint, end grain, or ground-level board that isn't well protected. In practice that means:

• Recurring finish maintenance. Expect to repaint or re-stain periodically, more often on sun-facing elevations. The interval depends on the product, the exposure, and how well the wood was primed.
• Moisture vigilance. Rot tends to start where water lingers: the bottom course near soil or hardscape, window sills, and butt joints. Good detailing reduces this but does not eliminate the need to watch for it.
• Pests. Even decay-resistant species benefit from sound finishes and good clearances.

We reduce these risks at install. We back-prime and end-seal boards, keep proper clearance above grade, flash openings and transitions carefully, and use corrosion-resistant fasteners. Still, if "never think about the siding again" is the goal, wood isn't that product. LP SmartSide gives a convincing wood texture with less upkeep, and fiber cement goes further still.

Fire exposure: where wood gets complicated

This is the part of the conversation Sonoma homeowners most need to hear straight. The 2017 Nuns Fire burned through the valley and surrounding hills. In early 2025, Cal Fire's statewide update was reflected in the City of Sonoma's revised Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, and it expanded the High and Very High fire-hazard areas within and around the city.

Ordinary wood siding is combustible. If your parcel carries a High or Very High designation, California Building Code Chapter 7A can govern the exterior wall covering on the regulated portions of your project. Chapter 7A generally calls for:

• noncombustible material,
• ignition-resistant material, or
• an assembly that meets the code's fire-performance requirements.

Standard untreated cedar or redwood typically won't satisfy that on its own. Some fire-retardant-treated wood products, labeled for exterior use, are marketed for these situations. Whether a specific product and installation meets the requirement for your address is something we confirm with the City of Sonoma rather than assume.

Where wood can't be used on a regulated project, many owners move to James Hardie fiber cement, which is noncombustible and available in lap, shingle, and panel profiles that echo traditional wood. Our Sonoma James Hardie page covers that option locally.

On parcels outside those designations, wood remains a legitimate choice. The fire history is simply context worth weighing.

Repair, partial replacement, or a full re-side?

Because wood is repairable, a full tear-off isn't always necessary. Isolated rot at a few boards or one elevation can often be handled by replacing those sections and refinishing to match.

A full re-side makes more sense when problems appear across the house, such as:

• widespread splitting,
• paint that won't hold anywhere, or
• signs that moisture is getting behind the cladding.

On a full re-side, removing the old siding exposes the sheathing and substrate, the water-resistive barrier (WRB), and the flashing. That lets us check for hidden rot and replace a barrier that many older homes either lack or have outlived. Framing only comes into play if the sheathing itself has failed, and we'd walk you through that before opening anything further. For the broader re-side decision in town, see siding replacement in Sonoma.

Pairing new siding with new windows? Doing both at once lets the openings be flashed as one system. See our Sonoma window replacement page.

Permits and what the job looks like

Siding work in the city runs through the City of Sonoma Building Division. The Division adopts the current California Building Standards Code, and the city moved to the 2025 edition effective January 1, 2026. We confirm permit and any fire-zone or historic requirements for your address during scoping.

From there, the job typically runs in this order:

1. Material selection and ordering.
2. Protection of landscaping and the site.
3. Removal and inspection.
4. Any substrate repair and WRB/flashing work.
5. Installation.
6. Priming or finishing, depending on the finish plan.

What drives the cost of wood siding

We don't post prices, because wood projects vary more than most. The main factors are:

• Species and grade. Clear heartwood costs well above knotty grades.
• Profile. Shingles are labor-intensive.
• Wall area and complexity. Gables, bays, and trim details add time.
• Condition behind the siding. Substrate repairs add scope.
• Finish system. Factory-primed or prefinished boards differ from field finishing.
• Access. Steep or hillside lots take more setup.
• Fire-zone material requirements, if they apply to your parcel.

A walkthrough gets you an accurate number.

Sonoma wood siding FAQ

My house is in a High fire-hazard area. Can I still use wood siding? Possibly, but not standard untreated wood on the regulated assemblies. Chapter 7A generally requires noncombustible or ignition-resistant materials or a qualifying assembly, and applicability depends on your parcel and scope. We confirm the requirements with the City of Sonoma. We'll also compare fire-retardant-treated wood with fiber cement alternatives.

Can you match the existing wood siding on my older home near the Plaza? Usually, yes. We match board width, exposure, and profile as closely as available stock allows. If the home has historic or preservation status, tell us early so the approved details are settled before ordering.

How often will wood siding need refinishing here? It depends on the species, the finish, and the exposure. Sun-facing walls in Sonoma's hot summers typically need attention sooner than shaded ones. We'll explain the maintenance you should realistically expect for the product you choose.

Is cedar or redwood better? Both are decay-resistant choices with different color, grain, and availability. We'll show you samples and current options for your project.

Talk to us about wood siding in Sonoma

If you want the real thing on your home, and a straight answer about whether your parcel allows it, we can help. See examples of our work on our projects page, browse the wood siding hub, or explore more of our wine country service area.

Request a bid or call (415) 619-5167.