Siding Installation in Vancouver, WA

Do You Need a Permit to Replace Siding in Vancouver?

Usually not. The City of Vancouver lists "re-roof or siding (not including sheathing)" among work that needs no permit on a one- or two-family home, and its code covers siding replacement where no structural repair is needed. The catch is in the parentheses: if the old siding comes off and the sheathing or framing behind it has to be replaced, that work is no longer exempt. Gorilla Works opens up the wall, shows you what is there, and handles the permit if one is needed.

Four in Ten Vancouver Homes Were Built Before 1980

The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey counts 85,421 homes in the City of Vancouver with a median year built of 1988. The biggest building decade was the 1990s, with 17,940 homes, and the 1970s come right behind at 15,474. Altogether 40.2% of the city was built before 1980, and 4,219 homes date to before 1940.

That means two very different siding jobs. On an older house the original wood siding has had decades of rain driven into its joints, and what we find behind it is the big question. On a 1990s or 2000s house it is often the siding the house was built with, now 25 to 35 years old. Either way, tearing it all the way off is the only way to see the sheathing, and it is the step that decides whether your job stays permit-free.

Historic neighborhoods. Hough, just north of downtown, was listed on the Washington Heritage Register in 2003 as the largest collection of pre-World War II housing left in Vancouver, mostly built between about 1890 and 1945. Parts of the city sit in the Design Review Area, where exterior remodeling can need design review before a permit, and homes in a Heritage Overlay District need the Planning Official's sign-off for exterior changes visible from the street. Officers Row, on the National Register since 1974, is the best-known example. We check your address before we quote.

From Tear-Off to Final Trim

1. Estimate and written price. We measure every wall, check the Design Review Area and heritage map, and give you a written price with the product and trim spelled out.
2. Tear-off and haul-away, listed on your written estimate: everything strips to the sheathing and leaves Clark County with us.
3. Look at the bones together. A pre-war Hough house hides surprises behind its siding; soft framing gets shown to you first, and the Washington-side permit for that repair is ours to run.
4. Moisture barrier and flashing, lapped so water runs out, never in.
5. Hardie goes up to the letter of the manufacturer's fastening instructions, caulked and trimmed out.
6. Walkthrough before we cross back over the river, with the limited 5-year workmanship warranty in writing.

New windows at the same time? It is the best moment to do both, since the trim and flashing go in once. See window replacement in Vancouver, WA.

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Siding Across Vancouver and Clark County

The City of Vancouver recognizes 71 neighborhood associations. We serve all of them, from Hough, Arnada, Shumway, Carter Park and Esther Short near downtown to Bagley Downs, Fourth Plain Village, Ogden, Old Evergreen Highway, Cascade Highlands and Fisher's Landing East, plus Hazel Dell, Salmon Creek and Felida to the north. Every Vancouver ZIP from 98660 to 98687.

We also build fences here: fence installation in Vancouver, WA.