Siding in East County works harder than siding almost anywhere else in the metro. Wind drives rain sideways into every seam, and the south and west walls take the brunt. Tell us what your walls look like now and licensed Gresham siding crews come back with material options and pricing.
Fiber cement is the regional workhorse: dimensionally stable, paint holds well, and it shrugs off wind-driven rain. Vinyl costs less and never needs painting, though wide walls can show waviness. Engineered wood installs faster and looks like real lap siding but demands religious attention at cut ends. Any of them performs if flashing and clearances are right.
On local homes the failures cluster in predictable places: the first course near grade, around windows without head flashing, at deck ledger connections, and behind gutters that overflow every fall. Pull one board and you often find soaked sheathing. A good bidder opens a test area before quoting, rather than assuming the substrate is sound.
Siding sheds bulk water; the housewrap, flashing, and drainage plane behind it handle what gets through. In a wind-driven-rain climate that assembly matters more than the material you can see. Ask whether they use a rainscreen gap, how they flash window heads and sills, and how they detail the bottom edge. Vague answers there predict callbacks.
Prefinished fiber cement arrives with a factory coating that outlasts field paint, which is worth considering when your walls only get dry weather a few months a year. Some Gresham subdivisions have HOA color approval, so check before ordering. Trim, corner boards, and soffit details are what make a re-side look intentional instead of like a repair.
Describe the project once and we match it with vetted local pros who actually do this work — you choose who to hire, or nobody at all.
Gorge outflow does not just blow — it drives water horizontally into laps, seams, and any unsealed penetration. West and south elevations on exposed Gresham lots weather visibly faster than sheltered ones. Crews who work East County regularly detail those walls differently, with extra attention at butt joints and penetrations.
A lot of homes built here in the late 70s and 80s wear T1-11 plywood siding or pressed hardboard lap. Both swell and delaminate once the paint film fails, particularly along the bottom edge and at unprimed cuts. Repainting a failed hardboard wall buys a season or two; replacement is usually the honest answer.
A full re-side typically requires a permit from City of Gresham Development Services, with Multnomah County handling addresses outside the city. If your home predates 1978, which some east-edge farmhouses do, EPA lead-safe work practices apply and the contractor must be certified. Confirm Oregon CCB registration in all cases.
Installed fiber cement commonly runs about $12–$20 per square foot of wall area, vinyl closer to $7–$12, and engineered wood in between. A typical single-story Gresham ranch often lands somewhere between $22,000 and $45,000 for a full re-side with trim and wrap. Two stories, steep grade access, and rotten sheathing add meaningfully. Insist that sheathing replacement be priced per sheet in the contract, since that is the most common surprise on this kind of job.
They pulled a board before bidding and found the sheathing behind our west wall was soaked. Better to hear it up front than mid-project.
Old hardboard was crumbling at the bottom on every elevation. New lap siding and proper window flashing, and the house finally looks dry.
The bid named the housewrap and the flashing tape rather than just saying weather barrier. Watching them lap it over the window flanges in the right order told me more than any sales visit.
It can, but it hides whatever is wrong underneath and prevents proper flashing at windows. On homes with any suspicion of moisture damage, full removal is the right call. The extra cost buys you knowledge of what your walls are actually doing.
A single-story Gresham home is often one to two weeks with a full crew, longer for two stories, complex trim, or if rot repair expands the scope. Weather governs — crews avoid installing into sustained rain, so winter schedules slip more than summer ones.
Yes, this is the ideal moment. With the walls open you can add exterior rigid insulation or blow the cavities, and you are already paying for access. Doing it later means paying for that access a second time.
Look at the bottom edges of boards for swelling, softness, or fibers separating like cardboard. Press with a thumbnail near the ground and around windows. If several spots give, patching is generally throwing money at a wall that needs replacing.
Prefinished products arrive ready and typically carry a factory finish warranty. Primed-only fiber cement should be painted promptly after installation, ideally in a dry stretch. Ask whether paint is included in the bid, since it often is not.
Send photos of your worst wall, your home's approximate age, and the material you are considering. Licensed local siding crews will reply with estimates at no cost.
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