Roofing & Exterior
Real Cedar, for People Who Know What They're Signing Up For
Nothing looks like real wood, and nothing else needs its upkeep either. We install bevel, channel, tongue-and-groove, and shakes beautifully — behind a rainscreen, fastened to last — and tell you the whole maintenance truth first.
Free inspection & photo report · Fixed, line-item bids· Written workmanship warranty
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- Written workmanship warranty
Signs to watch
Is this you?
Your home was built for wood
Craftsman, cabin, and NW Contemporary architecture visibly loses character under vinyl or panel. Real cedar is often what the house is asking for.
Your existing wood siding is failing in spots
Wood fails wall by wall — south and west faces go first. Repair versus full replacement is a real decision with real money attached, and we'll show you which the house needs.
You want it and can maintain it
Cleaned and re-stained on schedule, wood siding gives decades of the best-looking wall on the street. Skip the upkeep in this climate and it grays, cups, and rots early.
You want the look without the upkeep
Engineered wood and fiber cement fake the grain convincingly with a fraction of the maintenance. We install those too, and we'll show you both side by side.
Your options
The profiles, and the whole truth about wood
Western red cedar is the Northwest standard — naturally rot- and insect-resistant — in bevel (clapboard), channel rustic, tongue-and-groove, and board-and-batten, plus cedar shakes and shingles for texture. The details that decide whether it lasts: stainless or hot-dipped fasteners (electro-galvanized ones bleed rust streaks in a few years), a rainscreen gap so the back of the board can dry, primed or sealed field cuts and back-priming where it counts, and correct clearance to the ground. Finish is a semi-transparent or solid stain, not paint, refreshed on a cycle we'll put in writing. Real wood is combustible, so in fire-risk zones we'll walk you through treated assemblies or steer you to fiber cement — and tell you why. Skip the maintenance and cedar dies young; we make sure you know the schedule and cost before you sign anything.
The method
How we do it
- 01
Honest suitability review
Shade, tree cover, fire exposure, and your appetite for upkeep — some homes shouldn't have wood siding, and we'll say so before you spend.
- 02
Species, grade, and profile selection
You'll see the actual boards and stain samples, not brochure photos — grade and cut change how wood weathers as much as the finish does.
- 03
Rainscreen, install, and finish
Housewrap, a furred rainscreen gap, flashing at every opening, then boards fastened and cut ends sealed, stained to lock it in. Most homes: one to two weeks.
Straight numbers
Cedar costs, complete
Real cedar sits at the upper end of siding cost — material is premium, and the install is craft work that runs slower than lap-and-go products. Then budget for periodic cleaning and re-staining, which is the price of the look, not an optional extra. Engineered-wood and fiber-cement lookalikes land below cedar with far less maintenance. We'll price the real thing and the alternatives honestly so you're choosing with eyes open.
Where we do this work
Cedar & Wood Siding: straight answers
How long does cedar siding last in the Northwest?
Maintained — cleaned and re-stained on schedule, behind a rainscreen — decades. Neglected under a fir canopy on a shaded wall, it can gray, cup, and rot in a fraction of that. The maintenance isn't optional in this climate; it's what you're trading for the look.
Can you repair just the bad sections instead of re-siding the whole house?
Often, yes. Wood fails unevenly — sunny south and west walls go years before shaded north ones. Sectional repair and re-stain can buy a decade at a fraction of full replacement. We'll show you in photos which walls have life left and which don't.
Do I really need a rainscreen behind wood siding?
In this climate, we strongly want one. A rainscreen gap lets the back of the board dry after our rains instead of trapping moisture against the sheathing — it's a big part of why some cedar walls last and others rot from behind. Skipping it is the shortcut we won't take.
Is cedar a fire risk where I live?
Real wood is combustible, and east of the Cascades and in the wildland-urban interface that's a real consideration — some jurisdictions restrict it. Treated assemblies exist, but in high-risk zones we'll usually steer you toward fiber cement and explain the trade-off rather than sell you a wall you'll worry about.
Get the cedar & wood siding conversation started.
Free 20-minute inspection. Photo report you keep either way. Zero pressure.