"Victor discovered that the Hardie Plank was too thin and the nails were going through the boards. He was honest and told me this instead of pretending to do the job. I especially appreciated his honesty."
Portland, OR
Siding Contractor Portland, OR - Pre-War Walls and What Is Behind Them
On a pre-war Portland house, what is behind the siding decides the job. We open a section before quoting so you see it too, rather than hearing about it in week two.
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No trip charge, and no pressure to buy more than your house needs.
Siding work in Portland at a glance
Quality Master works on siding across Portland, OR, mostly on the pre-1940 bungalows, foursquares, and cottages that make up the inner east side. Walls of that age were built without a modern drainage plane, so what we find behind failing siding matters more than what goes back on. Portland does not require a building permit to replace siding unless the assembly must be fire resistive. We install James Hardie and LP SmartSide, and we repair original cedar where the house is worth keeping original. Oregon CCB 243945.
- Neighborhoods: Sunnyside, Richmond, Woodstock, Sellwood, Alberta, St. Johns, Montavilla, Hollywood
- About 26% of Portland housing predates 1940
- Pre-war walls were built without a modern drainage plane
- No building permit needed for siding unless it must be fire resistive
- Materials: James Hardie, LP SmartSide, vinyl, original cedar repair
Manufacturer-certified, and licensed where you live
Licensed & verifiable
WA QUALIML786JF · OR CCB 243945. Check us at Washington L&I.
Permits in Portland
Portland Permitting & Development does not require a building permit to reroof in a material of similar weight, including replacing roof sheathing.
Owner on every job
Victor Santiago walks each project before we call it finished.
Siding in Portland
Siding Portland, OR: what is behind the wall decides the job.
Roughly 26 percent of Portland's houses were built before 1940, and on the inner east side that share is far higher. Bungalows, foursquares, and cottages from the 1890s through the 1930s were built to a different logic than anything in a Clark County subdivision: no housewrap, no rainscreen, and in many cases no sheathing behind the cladding at all, just siding nailed straight to the studs.
That means a Portland siding job is decided by what comes off, not by what goes on. Once the old cladding is down we are looking at whether there is sheathing, whether the studs are sound at the base of the wall where a century of splash has landed, and whether anyone has previously wrapped the house in something that trapped moisture rather than draining it. Aluminum and vinyl over-cladding installed in the 1960s and 1970s is common here and it is frequently hiding the reason it was installed.
The right answer is not always a full replacement. On a house with intact original cedar and good bones, repairing and refinishing what is there preserves the thing that makes the house worth money, and we will say so. On a house where the wall assembly has been failing behind over-cladding for thirty years, a full James Hardie or LP SmartSide replacement with a proper drainage plane is the honest recommendation. The difference is visible in an hour of opening a few sections and not visible at all from the street.
Portland's permitting is worth knowing. Replacing or repairing siding does not need a building permit unless the assembly is required to be fire resistive, which is the same relaxed posture that applies to Portland roofing. That is published on portland.gov rather than being our interpretation. Gutters come off with the fascia either way, and new seamless runs go back while the access is staged.
Verified reviews
What customers say about our siding work.
"Hired Victor and his team to fix an issue with our siding and window trim. Outstanding communication, exceptional work, and helped to answer every question I had."
Before you hire anyone
What Portland homeowners ask us before signing.
What happens when you find rot underneath?
We open a section before quoting, not after, so you see what is there. The repair rate goes in the written estimate up front, which turns a bad discovery into a number you already agreed rather than a renegotiation with your house half wrapped.
Will the James Hardie warranty actually hold?
Only if it is installed to Hardie's published blind-nailing, clearance and gap specs, and only by a certified installer. We are certified and we build to those specs. An uncertified crew can leave you with siding that looks right and coverage that was void from day one.
How long is my house going to be open?
We work one elevation at a time and dry it in before moving on, so the house is never open across the board. We give a written day count with the estimate rather than a range, and we schedule around forecasted dry days.
Are you licensed here?
Washington QUALIML786JF and Oregon CCB 243945, bonded and insured. Both are public record - look us up before you sign anything, and ask any other bidder for the number that matches your state.
Book a free siding inspection Written, itemized, no obligation.
Portland siding FAQ
Siding contractor Portland, OR questions, answered.
Do I need a permit to replace siding in Portland?
Generally no. Portland Permitting & Development does not require a building permit to replace or repair siding unless the assembly is required to be fire resistive. That is published on portland.gov and you can check it yourself. Structural repair discovered underneath is a different matter and may need one, which we would tell you before proceeding.
What is different about siding a pre-1940 Portland house?
There is often nothing behind the cladding. Houses of that era were built without housewrap or a rainscreen, and many have siding nailed directly to the studs with no sheathing at all. That means the wall has no drainage plane, so what we find when the old siding comes off decides the scope. It is not knowable from the outside.
My house has aluminum siding over the original. Is that a problem?
Often, yes, and it is common on Portland homes that were over-clad in the 1960s and 1970s. The concern is not the aluminum itself but what it was installed to cover and what has happened behind it since. Over-cladding that traps moisture against original wood does slow damage for decades. We open a few sections before quoting rather than guessing.
Should I keep the original cedar or replace the whole wall?
It depends on the house and we will give you a straight answer. Intact original cedar on a sound wall is part of what makes a pre-war Portland home worth what it is worth, and repairing it is often the better call. Where the assembly behind has been failing for thirty years, a full replacement with a proper drainage plane is the honest recommendation even though it costs more.
Is fiber cement right for a historic Portland house?
It performs well and it is non-combustible, but it is not automatically right for a house whose character is part of its value. James Hardie makes profiles that read closer to original lap and shingle than vinyl does. We will lay out the trade-off rather than assuming you want the highest-margin option.
Are you licensed in Oregon?
Yes, Oregon CCB 243945, alongside Washington registration QUALIML786JF. Both are public record and checkable through the Oregon Construction Contractors Board and Washington L&I. Ask any contractor crossing the state line for the number that matches your state.
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Original wood sash is repairable in a way a modern unit is not, and on a character house that is often the better answer. We will tell you honestly whether yours is worth keeping.
Decks in Portland, WA
Bolting a deck to a hundred-year-old house is the part that actually matters, because a ledger that lets go takes people with it. We open it up and check before designing anything.
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The full siding breakdown for Vancouver, WA and the whole service area.
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Siding elsewhere in Portland metro, OR
Siding Contractor Portland, OR - free written estimate.
Portland, OR homeowners: call us or send a quick form, and we'll have someone out to measure and quote within a couple of days.