Rotted siding & trim
Failing boards pulled and replaced in matched species before the finish goes on.
Services
Light Carpentry & Repair
Rot repair, trim replacement, and exterior carpentry handled as part of your painting project — so the work is coordinated and the finish holds up.
What’s in scope
Repair work that disappears under the finish.
The repairs we handle as part of paint and wood restoration projects. If your scope falls outside these, we’ll point you to someone we trust.
Fascia, soffit & rake board
The roofline rot that makes a paint job fail early, fixed and re-flashed.
Window & door trim
Rotted casings, split sills, and failing mitres rebuilt in matched profile.
Deck boards & railings
Loose boards, soft pickets, and rotten rail caps swapped — not painted over.
Cedar & Hardie repairs
The right cut, fastener, and caulk for each, finished to match the siding.
Caulking & flashing
The joints and details where water gets in, sealed as part of the repair.
What’s not
- New decks, pergolas, or outdoor structures built from scratch
- Framing, structural, or load-bearing work
- Interior cabinetry, built-ins, or finish carpentry
- Roofing repairs
How we do it
The repair process, step by step.
A repair only lasts if the cause is fixed and the new wood is sealed and finished properly. Here's how we handle it — coordinated with the paint so the patch disappears.
Step 01
Find it at the quote
Repairs start before the proposal. On the site visit we probe for rot, soft spots, and failing trim — the things that quietly undo a paint job — and write any repair work into the quote as its own clear line item. You see the cost up front, not as a surprise mid-project. If we find more once prep starts, nothing gets built or billed without a written change order first.
Step 02
Remove the failed material
We cut out the rotted or failing board, trim, or section back to sound, dry material. Removing all the compromised wood matters — leaving damp or punky wood behind just lets the rot spread under the new piece. We inspect what's behind it for hidden moisture or damage while it's open, so the repair fixes the cause, not just the symptom.
Step 03
Replace in matched material
The new piece goes in using the same species, profile, and dimension as the original — rough or smooth cedar in the matching width, or the same Hardie line and texture. Cut and fit on-site so it sits flush with the surrounding surfaces. Matching the material is what makes the repair vanish once the finish goes on, instead of standing out as an obvious patch.
Step 04
Fasten & weatherproof
We fasten with the right corrosion-resistant hardware for the material, then seal the repair against the weather — caulking joints, re-flashing where needed, and detailing the spots where water tends to get in. Most exterior rot starts at an unsealed joint, so closing those up is what keeps the same failure from coming back. The envelope goes back tighter than before.
Step 05
Prime & seal for finish
New wood gets primed and sealed — all faces, including the cut ends that drink up moisture — so the finish coat bonds and the repair is protected from day one. This is also why we pair carpentry with painting: the repair only stays protected if it's coated properly right after. Bare patched wood left for a season is the start of the next rot problem.
Step 06
Hand off to the finish
With the repair primed and weatherproofed, it flows straight into the paint or stain work, finished to match the rest of the house. One crew owns the whole thing, so there's no gap between the carpenter and the painter where the work stalls or the accountability slips. The result is a surface that's sound underneath and seamless on top.
Honest about scope
If the repair is big enough to be its own project, we’ll say so.
There’s a line where a repair becomes a build — and past it, you’re better served by a dedicated carpenter or GC. If your project needs more than repair-level carpentry, we’ll tell you at the site visit and recommend someone in the corridor we’d use ourselves.
Frequently asked
Light carpentry questions.
Get a site visit
Got rot or failing trim?
We’ll flag everything that needs repair on the quote — so painting day isn’t the day you find out.