Dry Rot Repair in Seattle, WA
Rotted siding, soft trim or water-damaged wood? We find the source, repair the damage and protect your home from future moisture.
- From $600
- Free on-site estimate
- 24-month warranty
Before
AfterCorner rebuilt, sided and painted
Prefer to talk? Call (425) 600-7002
Soft trim, rotted siding or a spongy corner? We repair the wood and stop the leak behind it. A soft window sill or a bubbling corner board is usually the last sign of water that has been getting behind the paint for years. We open the area, follow the moisture back to where it came in, remove every piece of decayed wood and rebuild the framing, sheathing, flashing and trim so the wall can shed water again. We serve homeowners across Seattle and nearby Shoreline and Lake Forest Park.
Why rot repair comes up so often in Seattle
Old-growth cedar on a 1910s bungalow resists decay surprisingly well, so when we find dry rot on a Seattle Craftsman it usually traces back to a specific water path: a window sill with no slope, a failed paint seam at a corner board, or a downspout splashing the lowest course. We probe the trim, sills and sheathing around the soft spot, open the wall to find where the damage ends, and replace only what is truly gone. Then we fix the reason the water got in, whether that means flashing, caulk joints or drainage, before we prime and paint.
Most of the Seattle homes we work on are north of the Ship Canal. Ballard, Wallingford, Greenwood and Ravenna are full of Craftsman bungalows and foursquares from the early 1900s, along with brick-and-stucco Tudors from the 1920s and 30s. Many still wear their original old-growth cedar lap siding or shingles, nailed straight to board sheathing with no house wrap behind. Farther north, Lake City, Northgate and Maple Leaf filled in after the war with ramblers and daylight basements. Narrow city lots, alleys and tight side yards are the norm, and newer three-story townhomes with rooftop decks and mixed siding have replaced many older houses near the commercial streets.
Seattle’s winters are long, gray and drizzly rather than stormy, so exterior wood rarely gets a full drying day from October into spring. On homes near the water, wind off Puget Sound or Lake Washington pushes rain sideways into the exposed walls. Tight lot spacing works against drying too, because a wall that faces a neighbor five feet away almost never sees direct sun. The result is slow, steady decay at window sills, siding butt ends, deck ledgers and porch floors rather than one dramatic failure.
Our crew comes out from our Woodinville office, and we also work in nearby Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Edmonds and Kirkland.
What else we fix in Seattle homes with rot problems
When to call about rot repair in Seattle
- Siding that bows, pulls loose or is stained below windows
- Rot found by a home inspector before a sale
- Mushroom-like growth, stains or a musty smell near walls
- Wood that feels soft when you press it with a screwdriver
- Gaps, cracks or swelling at corners and window sills
Our rot repair process, step by step
Probe and document
We test soft areas with an awl and a moisture meter and photograph everything before we quote.
Find the leak
We trace where the water comes from, so the repair fixes the cause, not just the wood.
Cut out all the rot
Damaged siding, sheathing and framing come out back to solid, dry wood.
Rebuild and flash
New framing and sheathing, house wrap, and the flashing that was missing.
Close up and paint
Siding and trim to match, caulked and primed or painted. Debris hauled away.
Recent rot repair projects near Seattle
What we do in Seattle
Siding at the corners
Corner boards and the bottom course hold water against the sheathing.
Fascia and soffits
Clogged gutters and no drip edge keep the fascia wet all winter.
Roof-to-wall joints
Missing kick-out flashing sends roof water straight into the wall below.
Door thresholds and jambs
Doors without a sill pan leak into the subfloor and jamb.
Deck ledgers and rim joists
Where the deck meets the house, poor flashing rots the rim from inside.
Sill plates and lower walls
Soil, bark and splash-back rot the framing at the bottom of the wall.
Neighborhoods and permits in Seattle
Conditions change block to block. Magnolia and the Ballard bluffs take open wind off the Sound, so west and south walls weather fastest. Laurelhurst and View Ridge face Lake Washington with similar lake-driven rain. Ravenna and the Thornton Creek corridor through Lake City sit under big trees in damp ravines, where moss and shade keep siding wet. Phinney Ridge and Queen Anne get more sun but more wind, while dense Fremont and Wallingford blocks shade each other.
Small like-for-like repairs often don’t need a permit, but structural work, new decks, and larger siding or window replacements usually do. The City of Seattle handles permits through its Department of Construction and Inspections, and homes in historic districts may need extra review. We check with the City of Seattle before starting and tell you up front if a permit is part of the job.
Repair options for rotted wood
| Option | When it fits | How long it lasts | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consolidate and fill | Shallow soft spots in trim that has not gone through the board | A few years, longer with good paint | $ |
| Replace the damaged section | Rot limited to part of a board, sill or corner | As long as new wood, when the leak is fixed | $$ |
| Replace the full board or trim run | Rot through the board or spread along it | 20+ years with flashing and paint | $$ |
| Rebuild framing and sheathing | Rot that reached studs, plates or sheathing | For the life of the wall, when the leak is fixed | $$$ |
What rot repair typically costs in Seattle
| Project | Typical scope | Price range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small repair | A window sill, a corner board or one short trim run | $600 – $1,800 | 1 day |
| Medium repair | A section of siding and sheathing around a window or corner | $2,000 – $6,000 | 2–4 days |
| Large repair | Part of a wall opened up, with studs or plates replaced | $6,000 – $15,000 | 1–2 weeks |
| Whole-house rot work | Several areas around the house plus flashing upgrades | $15,000+ | 2+ weeks |
These are typical 2026 ranges we see for rot repair in Seattle and nearby cities. Your price depends on what we find once the area is open, access and height, and the materials you choose. Every estimate is free, in writing and based on an on-site inspection with photos.
Rot repair in Seattle: cost and timing
Most common causes
Paint and caulk that gave up
Once paint cracks at joints and end grain, wood soaks up rain and stays wet through the winter.
Gutters that overflow
Clogged or undersized gutters dump water onto fascia, trim and the lower wall every storm.
Wood too close to the ground
Siding, trim and posts that sit in soil, bark or splash zones never get a chance to dry.
What drives the price in Seattle
The price of rot repair in Seattle depends on how far the damage goes once the wall is open, how much framing has to be replaced, how high the work is and what siding and trim have to be matched. A window sill or a single corner is a short job; rot that has spread behind a whole wall takes more. You get a written price after the free inspection, and we show you photos before any extra work.
Typical timeline
Small rot repairs are usually done within a few days. Bigger jobs with framing, a full wall or several spots around the house tend to run a week or two, with weather and paint cure time setting the pace.
Backed by a 24-month workmanship warranty
Written scope
You know exactly what is included before work starts, with photos of what we found.
Our own crew
The people who quote your job are the people who do it, start to finish.
Clean site daily
Debris is hauled away and your yard is left the way we found it.
24 months covered
If our workmanship fails within two years, we come back and make it right.
What homeowners near Seattle say
5.0 average from 113 reviews on Google, Thumbtack, Angi, HomeAdvisor and Yelp. Read all our Google reviews · Leave a review
Questions Seattle homeowners ask about rot repair
Can you repair original cedar siding on my old Seattle house instead of replacing it?
How much does rot repair cost in Seattle?
Can you repair rot found in a home inspection?
How do I know if I have rot and not just peeling paint?
What is the difference between dry rot and wet rot?
More from our crew in Seattle
Rot repair near Seattle
Rot repair services for Seattle homes
Tell us about your rot repair project in Seattle
- Licensed, bonded & insured
- Free on-site estimates
- 24-month workmanship warranty
Book a free rot repair inspection in Seattle
We inspect the damage on-site, show you photos of what we find and give you a written price before any work starts.