Three Options, One Whole-House Answer

About This Project

This home stands on the high side of Anacortes with the marina and Guemes Channel filling its windows. Its original LP SmartSide cladding had lost its watertightness after decades of weather, and the south wall — the one that takes the brunt — was visibly failing.

So our proposal did something unusual: it priced three honest paths on one page. Re-side just the failing south wall in primed Hardie. Re-side that wall in pre-finished Hardie. Or re-side the entire home. No pressure toward the big number — the partial options were real, engineered, and cheaper. The owners read all three and chose the whole-house answer, approving the quote within the week.

Built Right, Permitted Right

The City of Anacortes requires a permit for siding replacement, and plenty of companies quietly skip it. We pulled it and paid for it — which means a city inspector reviewed this work, and the owners hold paper that says so.

The tear-off confirmed what the failing SmartSide suggested: compromised sheathing in multiple areas, all of it repaired at no additional cost — that was written into the proposal before demolition began, not negotiated afterward. Then the rebuild: Tyvek across every wall, flash-taped openings, custom light blocks, Z-flashing, a joint flashing behind every plank seam, OSI Quad MAX where caulk belongs and none at the seams, and pre-finished HardiePlank in Boothbay Blue — Cedarmill texture, seven-inch reveal — with HardieTrim surrounds. The rotting wooden 2x12 band boards came off, replaced by 5/4×12 Arctic White HardieTrim wrapping the home in clean white lines that will never need a scraper.

The Arches and the Extras

This house has arched windows — and an arched garage-door surround — that had spent their whole lives without z-flashing, because most contractors assume a curve can't be flashed. Ours can: Astro flexible PVC z-flashing curved over every arch, under AZEK trim heat-formed into single continuous curves with our heat-blanket system. No stacked seams, no charge, because it's simply the correct way to waterproof an arch.

Two more details rode along: the tired steel door on the south wall was replaced outright, and the bow window's generous trim package was painted the body color at our shop before installation — so the street face reads as one calm surface instead of a grid of outlines.

What They Kept, and What They Skipped

An honest project page should show the scope as it was chosen, so here it is: the owners kept their existing windows and their garage door, and opted not to have the eaves, soffits, and roof fascias repainted — painting was never part of our contract, and we recommended a painter for when they're ready. That's why, in a few of these photos, the original weathered finish shows above and beside the brand-new walls.

We'd rather publish that than crop it out. A re-side is a scope decision, not a magic trick — we build exactly what's chosen, photograph it honestly, and the paintbrush can come later on the owners' schedule. What matters underneath is done: sound sheathing, a sealed envelope, flashed arches, and a permit on file with the city.