Tiburon Multifamily Exterior Siding & Windows Renovation

Tiburon's condominium associations, townhome communities, and apartment owners have a harder job than a single homeowner planning a re-side. You answer to a board, a reserve budget, and residents who still live in their units during the work. You also answer to a Town that looks closely at how buildings read against the peninsula's hillsides and shoreline.

Bay Area Siding Company plans and carries out multi-unit siding and window projects with all of that in mind. We are a Marin-based contractor working out of Larkspur, a short drive up the 101 corridor. We replace siding and windows on multifamily and commercial buildings, and we build each project around three things: phasing, communication, and a clean path through permitting.

Board meeting coming up, or a bid package to fill? Request a bid or call (415) 619-5167 to schedule a site walk with your manager or building committee.

Who this page is for

We usually hear from one of four groups:

• HOA boards and building committees deciding whether a failing exterior calls for a full re-side, targeted replacement, or a window program.
• Community association managers who need a contractor who can prepare a clear scope, attend a board meeting, and handle resident notices.
• Apartment owners reinvesting in a property, whether that means cutting recurring repair calls, improving curb appeal, or bringing an aging envelope up to date.
• Small commercial and mixed-use owners with siding or storefront-adjacent windows at the end of their service life.

If your building is a single-family home, the Tiburon siding replacement page and Tiburon window replacement page are a better fit.

One building, one approval path, many owners

In Tiburon, a building permit for siding or for added or replaced windows is only part of the picture. The Town notes that separate Design Review approval is also required for many exterior items.

On a multi-unit building, the whole community usually moves together:

• a new cladding material,
• a color change across every elevation, or
• a switch in window frame material or grid pattern.

Those are the kinds of visible changes that tend to trigger review.

For associations, that raises a second approval track: your own governing documents and architectural standards. We help you line the two up in a practical order:

1. The board settles on a direction.
2. Sample boards and color options go in front of the committee.
3. The approved selection goes to the Town, with the submittal package built around it.

The exact review track depends on your parcel and scope. We confirm it with the Town of Tiburon's Community Development Department rather than guess, and we build that timeline into the schedule we give the board.

Architectural consistency matters here too. When units are replaced piecemeal over years, a complex often ends up with mismatched windows and patched siding. A coordinated program restores a uniform look. It also gives the association one set of products, colors, and details to maintain going forward.

Working around residents who are home

Most Tiburon multifamily work happens with people living inside. We plan for that from the first walk-through.

• Phasing by building, stack, or elevation. We sequence the job so only part of the property is disrupted at a time. Each section is opened, rebuilt, and closed before we move on.
• Resident notice and access windows. We work with your manager on written notices. For window replacement, where we need entry into each unit, we schedule access by unit or floor so residents know when to expect the crew.
• Weather-tight daily close-up. Open wall sections are protected at the end of each day. Nobody's unit is left exposed overnight.
• Parking, staging, and pathways. Tiburon lots and access drives can be tight. We plan material staging and dumpster placement with the board so walkways, garages, and emergency access stay usable.
• A single point of contact. Your manager gets one person to call about scheduling, resident questions, and change decisions.

What a tear-off actually reveals

On a full re-side, the old cladding comes off to the sheathing. That exposes the sheathing, the water-resistive barrier (WRB), and the flashing at windows, doors, decks, and roof-to-wall transitions, so all of it can be inspected.

On older multi-unit buildings, that is often where the real story is:

• a WRB that has broken down,
• window openings that were never properly flashed, or
• localized moisture damage at sills and balcony connections.

The framing is only exposed where the sheathing itself has failed and has to be replaced. That is a larger scope, and we flag it to the board before proceeding.

We document conditions as walls are opened. This lets the association make informed decisions on any concealed-damage repairs instead of discovering them after the fact.

A note on balconies and walkways. California law requires periodic inspection of exterior elevated elements on many apartment buildings (SB 721) and condominium associations (SB 326). We are not the inspector. If your building has inspection findings or planned balcony or deck work, share them early. The siding and flashing around those elements can then be sequenced sensibly with whoever is handling the structural or waterproofing scope, so nothing gets rebuilt twice.

Salt air, wind, and hillside fire zones

Much of Tiburon sits on a peninsula that takes wind-driven bay moisture and salt air from several directions. That exposure is hard on paint, fasteners, sealant joints, and metal window frames and hardware over time. For a building the association expects to maintain for decades, it is worth weighing:

• corrosion resistance in fasteners and trim details,
• how well the finish holds up, and
• how easily the product can be repaired or repainted later.

Parts of Tiburon are also mapped in Fire Hazard Severity Zones, up through Very High in places, and in Wildland-Urban Interface areas along the vegetated slopes and open space. In those areas, California Building Code Chapter 7A can govern exterior wall coverings and glazing:

• Walls: generally leaning toward noncombustible or ignition-resistant assemblies.
• Windows: generally calling for multi-pane units with tempered glass, among other requirements.

Whether and how it applies depends on the property's mapped designation, the products, and the scope. We confirm that with the Town and the Tiburon Fire Protection District during scoping. For a board, the answer can shape the material shortlist, so it is worth settling before anyone falls in love with a sample.

Material and window options for multi-unit buildings

We install several siding systems and help boards compare them on lifespan, maintenance cycle, appearance, and fit with fire and design requirements:

• James Hardie and other fiber cement — noncombustible, rot- and pest-resistant, and holds paint well. It is often a strong fit where fire rules or long repaint intervals are a priority.
• LP SmartSide — engineered wood with a real-wood texture. It is lighter than fiber cement and needs periodic paint.
• Vinyl — typically the most budget-conscious, with no repainting. Whether it suits depends on the building, the design guidelines, and the fire-zone status. Brand options include CertainTeed.
• Wood — a natural look, but with the highest upkeep and combustibility concerns on WUI parcels.

For windows, we install Anlin, Milgard, Andersen, Marvin, Pella, and aluminum products. We also handle both retrofit (insert) installs and new-construction (full-frame) installs. Retrofit keeps the existing frame and limits interior disruption, which residents appreciate. Full-frame opens the wall so flashing can be fully renewed, which is usually warranted where there has been water intrusion.

Energy requirements under Title 24 vary by climate zone and code cycle, so we confirm current numbers at permit time. See the window replacement hub for brand comparisons.

What drives the budget

We don't publish prices because multi-unit projects vary too much. The main cost drivers are:

• building count, height, and access (including scaffolding or lifts on sloped sites),
• total wall area and complexity,
• material choice,
• extent of concealed damage found at tear-off,
• the number and type of windows and the install method,
• fire-zone requirements,
• phasing constraints, and
• Design Review and permitting scope.

We write bids so boards can compare them line by line. Where it helps, we can also break a project into phases that align with the association's reserve planning.

FAQs

Does a Tiburon HOA re-side need Town Design Review as well as a permit? Often, yes. The Town requires a building permit for siding and window replacement and notes that separate Design Review is required for many exterior items. Material and color changes across a building are typical triggers. We confirm the specific track with the Community Development Department for your parcel and scope.

Can residents stay in their units during the project? In most cases, yes. We phase the work by building or elevation, close up open walls daily, and coordinate unit access for windows through your manager.

Will you present to our board? Yes. We can walk the property with your committee, review options and samples, and explain the scope and phasing at a board meeting.

Our complex is near open space. Does that limit our siding options? It may. If the property is in a mapped fire-hazard or WUI area, Chapter 7A can affect acceptable wall coverings and glazing. We verify applicability with the Town and the Tiburon Fire Protection District before finalizing materials.

Get a bid for your Tiburon property

Whether you're weighing a full re-side, a building-wide window program, or both, we'll give your board a clear, phased scope it can act on. Request a bid or call (415) 619-5167. You can also browse our projects or see more of our work across Marin County.