Services

Professional Siding Installation & Repair in Seattle

Siding is your home’s rain jacket, and in Seattle the rain jacket never gets a season off. Bullock Builders is a family-owned, licensed, and bonded contractor based in Ballard, and siding is one of our two most active trades alongside roofing. Our in-house siding crews install and repair exteriors across King, Snohomish, Skagit, Pierce, Kitsap, and Island counties, with 70+ years of combined Pacific Northwest experience behind every wall we wrap.

Our stance is the same here as everywhere: we will tell you honestly what your home needs. If a repair and a repaint will carry your siding another decade, we will say so. When full replacement is the smarter spend, we will show you why with photos you can verify yourself.

Siding Materials for the Pacific Northwest

Not every siding product belongs in our climate. Here is how the main options stack up west of the Cascades:

Fiber Cement: Our Specialty

Fiber cement siding, in both lap and panel formats, is our specialty and our most common recommendation for Puget Sound homes. It is made of cement, sand, and cellulose, which means it does not rot, moss and insects leave it alone, and it holds paint far longer than wood. It stands up to wind-driven rain, resists fire, and keeps its crisp lines for decades. The catch is that it is heavy and unforgiving to install, and its warranty depends on correct clearances, flashing, and fastening. This is exactly why installation quality matters more than brand, and why we keep the work in-house.

Plank Siding Done Right

Lap plank siding is the classic Northwest look, from Craftsman bungalows in Wallingford to new builds in Shoreline. We install plank systems with the full weather detailing they require: correct overlaps, gapped and flashed butt joints, and clearances at roofs, decks, and grade. A plank wall installed casually might look fine for two years and rot quietly for the next ten. Ours are built to be opened up in thirty years and found dry.

Vinyl: The Budget Option, With Caveats

Vinyl siding costs less upfront and never needs paint, and for some budgets and rental properties it is a reasonable call. But it is less durable in wind, can crack in cold snaps, and cannot be repainted when the color fades. We will install it when it is the right fit for your goals, and we will tell you plainly what you are trading for the lower price.

Wood: Beautiful, Demanding

Cedar and other natural wood sidings are gorgeous and authentically Northwest. They are also the most maintenance-hungry choice in a climate that grows moss on parked cars. Expect regular staining or painting and honest vigilance about moisture. For homeowners committed to the look and the upkeep, we install and repair wood siding with the craftsmanship it deserves.

What Seattle Weather Demands From a Wall

Seattle does not get the coldest weather in the country, but it may get the wettest walls. Months of drizzle, wind-driven rain off the Sound, and shaded elevations that never fully dry create a specific set of demands:

Cladding that tolerates constant surface moisture without swelling or rotting
A drainage path behind the siding so water that gets past the surface can escape
Paint and finish systems that bond well and resist algae
Details that shed water at every window, door, and trim board, because the water will find any detail that does not

Material choice matters, but the wall assembly matters more. A mediocre product installed correctly will outlast a premium product installed wrong.

Our Installation Process: Flashing, Ventilation, Moisture Management Our Installation Process: Flashing, Ventilation, Moisture Management

This is the heart of the page, because it is the heart of the work. When we re-side a home, here is what happens behind the boards:

Tear-off and inspection. We remove the old cladding and inspect the sheathing. Rot and hidden damage get documented with photos and repaired properly, not covered over.
Weather-resistive barrier. A quality housewrap or equivalent barrier goes on with correct laps and taped seams. This is your wall’s last line of defense, so we treat it that way.
Flashing at every opening. Windows, doors, penetrations, and horizontal trim get metal or membrane flashing that directs water out and over, never in and behind. Kick-out flashing where rooflines meet walls prevents one of the most common and expensive rot patterns in Seattle homes.
Rainscreen ventilation where it earns its keep. A ventilated gap behind the siding lets the assembly drain and dry. In our climate this small detail adds years of life, and we will recommend it whenever your home will benefit.
Correct fastening and clearances. Manufacturer specs on nails, gaps, and clearances are not suggestions; they are the warranty. Our crews follow them exactly, and your project lead photographs the work before anything is sealed up.
Caulk, paint, and cleanup. Joints get sealed where the manufacturer calls for it, finish coats go on in workable weather windows, and the site gets left clean. Every step follows the same checkpoints laid out in our process.

Keeping Your Siding Healthy: A Maintenance Guide

Good siding asks little, but it does ask:

Wash it annually. A gentle rinse with a garden hose and soft brush removes the algae film that Seattle shade encourages. Skip the pressure washer, which drives water into joints.
Watch the caulk lines. Sealant at trim and penetrations dries out over years. Recaulking a few joints is cheap; the rot behind a failed joint is not.
Keep plants back. Shrubs touching siding hold moisture against it. Maintain a gap so the wall can dry.
Check clearances. Soil, bark mulch, and new patios creep upward over time. Siding needs breathing room above grade.
Repaint on schedule. Fiber cement goes many years between paint jobs; wood needs attention sooner. Fading and hairline checking are your early warnings.
Look up after storms. Wind can crack or loosen individual boards. One replaced plank today beats a wet wall cavity next winter.

If you spot soft spots, bubbling paint, or persistent damp patches, have us look at it. Inspections and estimates are free, and small repairs are a service we are glad to do.

Two problem areas deserve extra attention on Seattle homes. The first is the weather side, usually the south and southwest elevations, which take the brunt of wind-driven rain and sun and age faster than the rest of the house. The second is anywhere a deck ledger, roofline, or hose bib penetrates the wall, because penetrations are where water wins if details fail. When we inspect siding, those are the first places we look, and they should be the first places you look too.

Energy Efficiency Benefits

New siding is also your best chance to upgrade the wall itself. With the cladding off, we can add exterior insulation, air-seal penetrations, and correct gaps that have been leaking heat since the house was built. The result is a warmer home in winter, quieter rooms year-round, and lower heating bills in a region where damp air makes drafts feel colder than the thermometer says. Fresh siding with tight detailing also takes a real bite out of maintenance costs, because a dry wall is a cheap wall.

New siding transforms curb appeal too. Browse the project gallery to see before-and-after exteriors across the Puget Sound area, and if you want to spread the cost out, ask about our financing options.

Get Siding Estimate

If your siding is faded, cracked, soft, or simply overdue, we would like to look at it. Request your free siding estimate or call or text (206) 802-8110. A five-star rated, family-owned Seattle contractor will give you a straight answer about repair versus replacement, an honest number, and an exterior built for the next thirty years of Northwest weather.