Siding & Window Replacement in Grass Valley and Nevada County
Whole-house siding and window replacement, from the sheathing out, by one licensed general contractor.
⛨ Licensed & Insured - CSLB #935362 ⚲ Local Contractor
Whole-House Siding and Window Replacement
Siding is what everyone sees. What matters is what's behind it.
When the old siding comes off, the wall tells you what it needs. Sometimes the sheathing is solid and the job moves straight to new wrap and new siding. Sometimes there's damage that has to be made right first. Nobody knows which until the wall is open.
That's why whole-house siding and window replacement goes better with a general contractor. Green Bee handles the siding, the windows and everything in between, and you hear about what we find before it gets covered back up.
Some homeowners come to us for the look. Others want better fire resistance for their insurance, or a tighter, more efficient house. A whole-house replacement can do all three.
WHAT WE INSTALL
Choosing Your Siding and Windows
Fiber Cement
Meets the fire ratings insurers look for. We install any fiber cement brand we can source locally. Manufacturers such as James Hardie, Allura and Nichiha make it in lap, board and batten, shingle and shake, and large-format architectural panels, with matching trim and soffits. Mixing styles on one house gives it an architectural look.
Cedar
The most common wood siding in our area today, including as the replacement for original redwood. Stained and sealed, it holds up well and keeps a natural wood look.
Engineered Wood
Another wood-look option we install. We'll walk through how it compares to fiber cement and cedar for your home at the site walk. We don't install vinyl siding.
Matching the Original
On older homes, new siding in the profile the house was built with keeps its historic character. When that profile isn't made anymore, we source local cedar and have it milled to match.
Windows
Milgard, Andersen and Pella windows are common in our area, and we can install any other line available in our region. We work with a number of distributors, so you can choose the windows you prefer.
ZIP or Peel-and-Stick
With the walls open, you can upgrade to ZIP sheathing with its built-in weather and air barrier, or add a Henry peel-and-stick air barrier over standard sheathing. One or the other, chosen for your home.
Local expertise
Permits, Codes and What Open Walls Make Possible
Permits and Title 24
Siding on its own doesn't always need a permit. New windows bring in California's Title 24 energy code, and adding shear to the walls is structural work, so either one means a permit. When your project needs one, we handle it.
Adding Shear
If the walls need more shear strength, this is the time to add it. We bring in a civil engineer to define what the structure needs, including whether the frame should be bolted to the original foundation.
Fire Ratings
We install siding to the fire codes that apply to your property. Fiber cement meets the fire ratings insurers look for, which is why many homeowners choose it when they replace the siding on the whole house.
Electrical and Plumbing
Open exterior walls are a prime chance to update wiring and plumbing, especially around kitchens and bathrooms. Many homeowners add grounded outlets along exterior walls while access is this easy.
TRUSTED LOCALLY
Why Homeowners Choose Green Bee
✔ Any siding type: fiber cement, cedar, engineered wood, or a match to the profile your home was built with
✔ Fiber cement siding that meets the fire ratings insurers look for
✔ Milgard, Andersen and Pella windows, or any other line available in our region
✔ ZIP sheathing or a Henry peel-and-stick air barrier as upgrades while the walls are open
✔ Paint as part of our service
✔ Honest updates, calls returned, and problems named early
✔ Almost two decades of construction experience, building in Nevada County since 2009
✔ Licensed, bonded and insured, and an NCCA member
✔ One-year workmanship warranty, extended to five years through our annual maintenance program
Learn more
about our team.
Investment
How Much Does Siding Replacement Cost?
Whole-house siding replacement can start around $35,000 on a smaller, simpler home. Adding windows, sheathing upgrades and structural work can take a project well past $100,000. Two homes the same size can land far apart once the old siding comes off.
What moves the number:
- The siding you choose, and whether you're matching the profile your home was built with
- What we find behind the old siding. On some homes it's significant, and on others there's nothing.
- Whether you add ZIP sheathing or a peel-and-stick air barrier while the walls are open
- How many windows you're replacing, and which line you choose
- The height of the house and access around it, including whether scaffolding is needed
An accurate number starts with a site walk. We'll look at the house with you and tell you what we see.
Our process
How a Siding and Window Project Works With Green Bee
Site Walk
You walk the house with us and tell us what you want, whether that's a new look, better fire resistance, or a tighter, more efficient house. We listen first, then tell you what we see.
Choosing Materials
We help you pick the siding, the profile and the windows. We also go over the upgrade choice between ZIP sheathing and a peel-and-stick air barrier, so you know what each one does before you decide.
Plan and Permits
You get a detailed quote and a plan. Siding on its own doesn't always need a permit. New windows bring in California's Title 24 energy code, and adding shear to the walls is structural work, so either one means a permit. When your project needs one, we handle it.
Opening the Walls
This is where surprises show up. If we find damaged sheathing or framing, you hear it from us first, with options and numbers, before anything gets covered back up. It's also the easiest time to add shear or update the wiring and plumbing in those walls.
Rebuilding the Wall
Sheathing, the weather barrier, flashing and windows go in, in the order your home needs. The new windows are usually the first thing that makes the house feel different.
Siding and Paint
The siding goes on, then the paint, which is part of our service. Some days the house looks half done. You get honest updates, and your calls get returned.
Final Walkthrough
We walk the finished house with you and close out anything on your list.
Warranty
You get a one-year workmanship warranty, extended to five years through our annual maintenance program. We're still around after the scaffolding comes down.
Featured project
A Whole-House Exterior, Start to Finish
This foothill home came to us in its original cedar shingles. The owners wanted better fire resistance and a more energy-efficient house. We took the shingles off, along with the flared detail at the base of the second floor and the old deck, and pulled the walls back to the sheathing. The dry rot we found was minor and was repaired before anything went back on.
Then we built it back tighter. The walls got a Henry peel-and-stick air barrier for an airtight envelope. Closed-cell foam went into the attic and the soffits were closed in, so the attic no longer trades air with the outside.
The new exterior is James Hardie fiber cement throughout: board and batten on most walls, lap siding in places for an architectural look, and Hardie soffits. Twenty-seven Milgard Tuscany windows in black went in with it. It's an affordable vinyl window, and the black frame makes it look like an upgrade. We finished it with paint.
The result is a house that looks new, holds its air, and is clad in siding that meets the fire ratings insurers look for.
On a 1930s home in downtown Grass Valley, the owner chose new siding in the same profile the house was built with, so it still looks like it belongs on its street. Black-framed windows gave it some new character without changing what it is.
See more of our work in our
Remodeling & Additions Gallery.
FAQ
Common Questions About Siding and Window Replacement
How much does siding replacement cost?
Whole-house siding replacement can start around $35,000 on a smaller, simpler home, and adding windows, sheathing upgrades and structural work can take a project well past $100,000. An accurate number starts with a site walk.
Is fiber cement siding fire resistant?
Fiber cement siding, like James Hardie, meets the fire ratings insurers look for. It's why a lot of homeowners choose it when they replace the siding on the whole house. We install it to the fire codes that apply to your property.
Do I need a permit to replace siding or windows?
Siding on its own doesn't always need one. Replacing windows brings in California's Title 24 energy code, and adding shear to the walls is structural, so either one means a permit. When your project needs one, we handle it.
What windows do you install?
Milgard, Andersen and Pella are common in our area, and we can install any other line available in our region. We work with a number of distributors, so you can choose the windows you prefer.
Should I replace siding and windows at the same time?
Usually, yes. Both tie into the sheathing, wrap and flashing behind them. Doing them together means each layer goes in once, in the order your home needs.
Can you match the siding on an older or historic home?
Yes. On older homes in places like downtown Grass Valley, Nevada City and Auburn, we match the original profile so the house keeps its historic character, including having local cedar milled to match when the original isn't made anymore.
Can you add shear or update electrical while the siding is off?
Yes, and it's the easiest time to do it. Added shear is designed with a civil engineer and permitted. Electrical and plumbing updates, like grounded outlets on exterior walls, go in while the walls are open.
Do you take on small siding repairs?
Our focus is whole-house siding and window replacement. If you're planning to redo the exterior, we'd like to walk it with you.
Service Areas
We replace siding and windows throughout:
Granite Bay
Surrounding Nevada County communities
Ready to Talk About Your Siding and Windows?
We'll walk the house with you and tell you what we see.
