Wood siding on old Columbia.
Columbia is one of Bellingham's classic early-1900s neighborhoods, a tight-knit grid of foursquares and bungalows north of downtown with original wood siding and the kind of detailed trim they don't build anymore. On homes this age, the siding is often still mostly sound up high but failing at the bottom courses, where decades of splash-back and ground moisture have softened the boards and the sill. The job here is usually less about a full tear-off and more about matching what's there and fixing the rot where it's started.
That repair-and-match work takes a careful hand. We source or mill bevel siding to match the original profile, replace the rotted bottom courses and any soft sheathing behind them, redo the flashing at the sills and windows, and detail the wall so old sheathing can still breathe. Where a full re-side makes sense, we'll often put new wood or fiber cement on a rainscreen so the next century of moisture has somewhere to go. Either way, the aim is to keep Columbia's homes looking like Columbia's homes.
What we see on Columbia homes.
Common home styles
Early-1900s foursquares and bungalows with original bevel wood siding, detailed trim, and the occasional cottage, on a tight downtown-adjacent grid.
Popular projects
Repair-and-match wood siding, rot repair at the bottom courses and sills, trim and detail replacement, and full re-sides on a rainscreen when the old cladding is past saving.
Climate & siding considerations
Columbia's century-old homes have original wood siding and old sheathing that needs to breathe. We detail repairs so the wall can dry, and put any full re-side on a rainscreen to manage our wet climate.