Rotten siding repaired and matched to what’s on your house

Not usually. If the rot is in one area, we cut out the damaged boards and the wet wood behind them and match the siding profile. Replacing the whole wall is only worth it when the rot is widespread. We tell you which one it is at the inspection.

Look for boards that are dark, soft or crumbly, paint that keeps bubbling, and gaps at corners or near the ground. Press a screwdriver into the board. If it sinks in, the wood is rotten. We check with a moisture meter, and the inspection is free.

Siding rot almost never starts as a flaw in the siding material itself, it starts at the details around it. Caulking at joints, corners, and trim fails long before homeowners notice, usually within five to ten years depending on sun exposure, and once that seal opens up, water gets behind the siding instead of running off it. A missing or damaged house wrap behind the siding removes the one layer meant to stop that water from reaching the sheathing underneath. Siding installed too close to grade, or behind a raised garden bed or deck that was added later, sits in a permanent splash zone. And on homes without a rain screen gap, a small air space that lets any water that does get behind the siding actually dry out, moisture just sits directly against the wall assembly with nowhere to go.

You don't need to remove siding to find most of this early. Bubbling or peeling paint in one specific spot, rather than evenly across a wall, usually means moisture is trapped behind the finish right there. Press on the siding near the bottom courses, at corners, and below window sills, solid siding resists, rotted siding gives with a soft, slightly spongy feel. Dark staining or discoloration running down from a horizontal seam is a strong sign water is getting behind the siding at that joint and running down inside the wall. A musty smell near an exterior wall, especially noticeable from inside an adjacent room, often means the problem has already been active for a while.

We default to repairing the smallest section that actually needs it, not the whole wall, when a moisture reading and a physical inspection support that call. A contained area of rot gets the damaged boards or panels removed and replaced, matched to the existing siding profile and reveal, with the underlying house wrap and flashing corrected at the same time so the same failure doesn't just recur in a year. Where rot has spread across a wider area, usually a sign the underlying moisture barrier failed broadly rather than at one joint, re-siding that full wall section is the honest recommendation, and we'll say so plainly rather than patching over a problem that's going to keep resurfacing. Replacement over patching, when the underlying cause calls for it, is a standing part of how we make this call, not an upsell.

Depends entirely on how far the underlying moisture problem has spread, not just how much visible rot you can see. A moisture reading at several points around the affected area tells us which one you actually need.

Usually a missed rain screen gap or a house wrap detail that wasn't lapped correctly during construction, newer homes aren't immune, they just fail differently than older ones.

In most cases yes, we source matching material and profile before starting, and we'll tell you upfront if an exact match isn't realistic so there are no surprises.

No, that traps the moisture that's already there and hides how the problem is progressing. It needs to be opened up and actually addressed.