Seattle Dry Rot Repair & Restoration — Find It All. Fix It Right. Photo Document Everything.

Yes — that’s the most common way we do it. One crew opens the wall, completes the Seattle dry rot repair (framing, sheathing, WRB), and re-sides the same elevation, so you pay for one mobilization and get one warranty covering both.

Press on siding boards — especially around window frames. Healthy siding feels firm. Dry rot feels spongy.

In Seattle’s mild, damp climate, dry rot fungi are active for 6–8 months out of the year. A small pocket of rot can easily double or triple in affected area by spring.

Most standard policies do not cover dry rot that results from gradual moisture infiltration. We photograph every stage of our inspections for evidence records.

Not necessarily. If the rot is localized, targeted restoration can work. We give you an honest assessment of both options.

No — in Seattle you do not need a permit to replace rotted siding with the same material in a residential structure, as long as you’re not changing the structural envelope or upgrading insulation. Per Seattle SDCI, like-for-like residential siding replacement is exempt from permit requirements. You will need a permit if the rot has spread into structural framing (studs, sheathing replacement over a large area, header repairs) or if you’re changing siding material in a way that affects fire ratings or insulation. We pull permits for any structural framing repair we discover under a tear-off and document the inspection passes for your records.

Dry rot repair in Seattle typically runs $80–$200 per linear foot of affected wall, with a typical localized repair (one wall section, no framing damage) landing at $1,500–$5,000 and major repairs (full wall, structural framing) running $8,000–$25,000. Costs depend on how deep the rot has spread — siding-only repair is cheap, sheathing replacement is moderate, and structural stud or header replacement is expensive. We always tear off a small inspection panel first and document with photos before recommending scope — you see exactly what you’re paying to fix. Dry rot caught early is almost always cheaper to repair than to ignore for another year.

Small surface-level dry rot in trim or fascia can be a DIY repair with a wood hardener like Abatron LiquidWood and a two-part epoxy filler — but anything that has spread into siding boards, sheathing, or framing requires a contractor. The reason is hidden scope: visible rot is rarely the full extent. By the time a board looks soft, the rot has usually traveled to adjacent studs, sill plates, or sheathing. A pro tear-off lets you see how far it’s gone and rebuild correctly — flashing, WRB, sheathing, and cladding all reinstalled to current Seattle standards. A DIY patch over hidden rot will look fine for 6 months and then fail through the patch.

Both are fungal decay of wood. Dry rot (Serpula lacrymans) is the aggressive cubed-crack-pattern fungus that can spread through dry wood once it’s established. Wet rot is more common — the softer, often brown/stringy decay you get in consistently-wet wood. In practice, homeowners and contractors use “dry rot” as a catch-all for any siding-related wood decay in Seattle. Both need the same treatment: expose, remove, rebuild with proper moisture control.

Old-timers would spray borate solutions. Modern WA building code requires removal and replacement of rotted structural material, not just chemical treatment. The fungus can survive in dry-looking wood. The only reliable fix is to cut out the affected material and replace it with dry, properly-protected lumber.

38+ inches of annual rain + temperatures that rarely drop below freezing = ideal fungal growth conditions. A wall cavity that gets wet in October dries slowly (or never) by April. Combined with construction practices from the 1970s-1990s that didn’t prioritize moisture management (no rainscreen, inadequate flashing, Inner-Seal LP), you get the perfect storm. Modern WRB and rainscreen installation prevents it going forward.

Yes, but it’s expensive per-square-foot because most of the labor is in tear-off and reassembly. Usually the math works better to do the repair as part of a re-side — you’re already in the wall. If you only need one wall repaired, we can do that; just expect the linear cost to be higher than if it were part of a larger project.