Pricing by neighborhood — Siding · San Francisco, CA
| Neighborhood | Low | High | Why the price moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Heights / Russian Hill / Marina | $145 | $220 | Luxury Victorian redwood restoration, period-correct millwork $25-$50/sf, Article 10 historic review |
| Mission / Castro / Noe Valley | $125 | $180 | Gentrified Victorian wood + fiber-cement retrofit; lead-paint RRP common pre-1978 stock |
| SOMA / South Beach | $110 | $160 | Modern fiber-cement and metal cladding; mid-rise condo coordination adds time |
| Sunset / Richmond | $100 | $145 | 1920s-50s stucco repair plus fiber-cement re-clad; fog and salt air corrosion driver |
| Bernal Heights / Glen Park | $110 | $155 | Hillside access surcharges; WUI Chapter 7A wildfire code at Twin Peaks edge |
| Western Addition / Hayes Valley | $120 | $175 | Victorian wood lap siding; Article 11 historic district review common |
| Bayview / Hunters Point | $100 | $140 | Lowest range; basic vinyl and fiber-cement on post-war single-family stock |
| Excelsior / Outer Mission | $100 | $145 | Stucco repair plus budget fiber-cement; standard access and permitting |
Siding hourly rate by neighborhood in San Francisco, CA. Ranges reflect typical contractor pricing including travel time, building-type access, and local labor density.
How much does a siding cost in San Francisco?
San Francisco siding contractors charge $100-$166 per hour for scheduled work, with an average of $133/hr. Emergency calls (storm damage, fire response, after-hours weekends) run $175-$240/hr plus a $250-$400 trip charge. Neighborhood matters: Pacific Heights and Marina Victorian restoration with period-correct redwood millwork sit at the top of the range because of Article 10 historic review, custom milling, and lead-paint RRP. Bayview and Outer Sunset post-war single-family work with standard fiber-cement sits at the bottom.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median hourly wage for siding installers and related construction trades in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro at $66.56. The gap between that and the $133/hr you actually pay is real and explainable, and the rest of this article walks through where every dollar goes, what permits you actually need, and what to ask when comparing quotes.
San Francisco Siding Rates by Neighborhood
The city is not one siding market. A Pacific Heights 1895 Queen Anne with original redwood lap and 130-year-old paint history is a different job than a 1948 Sunset stucco bungalow with three coats of latex over the original lime stucco, and the price reflects that. The full per-neighborhood breakdown sits at the top of this page; this section explains the why behind the numbers.
The premium for Pacific Heights, Marina, and the Western Addition is not arbitrary. A typical Victorian restoration call includes Historic Preservation Commission review under Article 10 or Article 11, custom redwood or Douglas-fir milling to match original profile, EPA RRP lead-paint containment because the substrate is pre-1978 (effectively every Victorian in the city), narrow-street parking permits, and slow careful hand-fitting that period work requires. Bayview, Excelsior, and Outer Sunset projects skip most of that.
Comparable cities for cross-reference:
- San Diego siding costs — $85-$140/hr
- Boston siding costs — $80-$130/hr
- Charlotte siding costs — $55-$95/hr
- Atlanta siding costs — $55-$95/hr
San Francisco sits roughly 40-60% above the national metro average, mostly explained by historic-district review, lead remediation, and California Bay Area labor cost.
San Francisco Siding Pricing by Building Type
Neighborhood is one axis. Building type is the other, and it often matters more than the zip code. A 1908 Edwardian flat with original redwood shingle siding in the Mission costs noticeably more to work on than a 1965 SOMA single-story on the same block, because the work itself is slower and the materials are non-standard.
| Building type | Hourly rate | Why the price moves |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1906 Victorian (Queen Anne, Italianate, Stick) | $160-$220 | Custom redwood milling, period-correct ornament, Article 10 review, lead RRP, narrow access |
| 1906-1939 Edwardian flat or row house | $140-$190 | Redwood lap siding restoration, some Article 11 review, lead RRP, modest custom milling |
| 1920s-1950s stucco row (Sunset, Richmond) | $115-$160 | Stucco repair plus partial fiber-cement re-clad; standard access, lead RRP for trim |
| 1960s-1980s single-family (Bayview, Excelsior) | $100-$145 | Standard fiber-cement or vinyl over wood-frame; minimal historic exposure |
| Modern infill / new construction (SOMA, Mission Bay) | $110-$160 | Fiber-cement and metal cladding, code-current rainscreen, mid-rise condo coordination |
The Victorian premium is real and not arbitrary. Period-correct redwood lap, shingle, and ornament are custom-milled at small Bay Area lumber shops, the original 1890s profiles are not stocked anywhere, and Historic Preservation Commission staff will reject fiber-cement substitutes inside Article 10 districts. If your building is pre-1939 and you want to restore (not replace) the cladding, ask whether the contractor has completed a job inside an SF historic district in the last 12 months and request the permit number to verify.
What Your Billed Hour Actually Covers
The $66.56 BLS wage is take-home pay for the siding installer, not what the customer pays. The customer rate of $100-$166/hr covers everything the business needs to legally operate in San Francisco.
Roughly: 50% labor, 13% commercial liability and bonding insurance ($18,000-$28,000/yr per crew in SF because siding crews work at height and trigger fall-protection claims), 11% vehicle and specialty tools (fiber-cement shears, hardboard nailers, redwood milling jigs, scaffolding for 3-story Victorians), 10% San Francisco-specific licensing and overhead (CSLB B General or C-17 renewal, $25,000 bond, EPA RRP certification, SF business registration, parking permits), and 16% contractor profit margin. Strip any of those out and the business cannot stay open.
This is why the cheapest quote is not always the right one. A contractor bidding $65/hr is either operating without insurance (your homeowner’s policy will not cover the resulting water damage), without a CSLB license (DBI will not sign off on the permit), without EPA RRP (every pre-1978 SF home is a federal violation in progress), or losing money and about to disappear mid-project.
San Francisco Siding Permits and What They Cost
San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI), the Historic Preservation Commission, and EPA RRP sit on top of every meaningful siding job in the city. Skipping the permit step is the most common way homeowners turn a $20,000 job into a $50,000 problem.
| Work | Permit | Typical cost | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repair under 50% of wall area | DBI Over-the-Counter | $200-$400 | 1-3 business days |
| Full siding replacement | DBI Building Permit | $350-$1,200 | 2-6 weeks |
| Article 10 landmark district | + Historic Preservation Commission review | + $500-$3,500 | + 8-16 weeks |
| Article 11 conservation district | + HPC staff review | + $300-$1,500 | + 4-8 weeks |
| WUI Chapter 7A (Twin Peaks edge) | + Fire-rated material spec inspection | + $200-$600 | + 1-2 weeks |
Your contractor files the DBI permit on your behalf and the fee gets added to the invoice. Historic Preservation Commission cases are processed through DBI planning intake and the fee scales with project valuation; some Pacific Heights landmarks involve full HPC hearing with public notice (closer to the $3,500 end), while many Article 11 cases close at staff level (closer to the $500 end). EPA RRP lead-paint remediation is a federal requirement on all pre-1978 work and adds $1,500-$4,500 in containment, certified workers, and clearance testing.
For larger renovations involving multiple trades, expect to coordinate the siding permit with a San Francisco general contractor who handles the full DBI filing as one combined application, which is cheaper than filing each trade separately.
Common Siding Job Pricing in San Francisco
These are typical all-in prices, including labor, materials, SF-specific permit fees where applicable, lead-paint compliance where applicable, and 5-10 year workmanship warranty. Pacific Heights and inner Marina sit at the high end of each range; Bayview and Outer Sunset at the low end.
| Job | Total cost | Labor hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repair single wood lap section (4-6 boards) | $650-$1,400 | 4-8 | +$300-$600 RRP for pre-1978 lead containment |
| Replace damaged fiber-cement section (10-20 sf) | $800-$1,800 | 5-9 | Color-match a challenge if siding is >5 yrs old |
| Full James Hardie re-clad (1,500-2,000 sf home) | $22,000-$45,000 | 120-180 | Permit $350-$1,200; lead RRP $1,500-$4,500 if pre-1978 |
| Victorian redwood restoration (period-correct, 1,500 sf) | $40,000-$95,000 | 240-450 | Article 10 review, custom milling, HPC fees, RRP |
| Stucco repair patch (under 50 sf, color-matched) | $1,200-$3,200 | 8-16 | Sunset and Richmond row homes; lath inspection if cracks structural |
| Stucco-to-fiber-cement re-clad (1,800 sf home) | $28,000-$52,000 | 140-220 | Common in 1940s-50s Sunset; rainscreen retrofit |
| Vinyl siding replacement (1,500 sf home) | $14,000-$26,000 | 80-130 | Bayview and Excelsior post-war stock; lowest cost path |
| WUI Class A fire-rated install (Twin Peaks edge) | +20-40% | +10-20% | Chapter 7A code; ignition-resistant material premium |
| Period-correct ornament millwork (corbels, brackets) | $150-$600 each | 3-8 each | Custom Bay Area millshop; long lead time |
Cast a wide net on Victorian work. Two contractors can quote the same Pacific Heights restoration job at $45,000 and $95,000, and both can be honest numbers depending on whether the higher bid includes hand-milled redwood ornament, full HPC review through hearing, or fire-blocking upgrades that the cheaper bid leaves out. The right comparison is line-item against line-item, not totals.
How to Get and Compare San Francisco Siding Quotes
Three things separate a useful quote from a useless one in San Francisco, and they all come down to specificity.
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Tell the contractor the building age, district, and substrate. “1898 Italianate Victorian in Pacific Heights Article 10 landmark district, original redwood lap, three layers of lead paint, owner of full property” gets a different number than “1968 Excelsior single-family, stucco over wood frame, no historic exposure.” Contractors price the job partly off historic review exposure and lead-paint scope, so generic “I want to redo my siding” estimates are worth less than a more detailed brief.
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Ask for an itemized written estimate that breaks out labor hours, materials with brand and grade (James Hardie HZ5 vs. HZ10, redwood clear-heart vs. construction common), permit fees, HPC review fees if applicable, EPA RRP lead containment line items, and disposal. Verbal estimates are not enforceable in California and tend to grow on the day. Reputable SF siding contractors email itemized PDFs within 48-72 hours of the site visit. If a contractor will not put it in writing, walk.
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Verify the license, bond, and insurance before you book. Pull the CSLB license number from the California Contractors State License Board public search and confirm the B General Building or C-17 Glazing classification is current. Request a current Certificate of Insurance showing $1M general liability minimum, the $25,000 CSLB bond, and EPA RRP firm certification for pre-1978 work. All four checks take ten minutes and rule out 90% of the contractors who later become problems.
How We Calculated These Prices
The San Francisco siding contractor hourly rate of $100-$166 starts with the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median hourly wage for siding installers and related construction-trade workers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metropolitan statistical area: $66.56 as of May 2024. We apply a 1.5x-2.5x consumer multiplier covering business overhead, insurance, licensing, vehicle costs, employer-paid taxes, and contractor profit margin, calibrated against current market quotes from CSLB-licensed SF siding contractors.
Neighborhood-level adjustments reflect historic-district exposure (Article 10 landmark, Article 11 conservation), substrate age and lead-paint scope (pre-1978 RRP), access logistics (narrow streets, steep grades, parking permits), and wildfire-zone code (WUI Chapter 7A at Twin Peaks and Glen Park edges). The full formula and source list lives on our methodology page.
Other San Francisco Service Costs You Might Need
Siding rarely happens in isolation. A full exterior renovation typically pulls in 3-5 trades, and getting quotes from all of them at the same time is faster than serial calls.
- SF roofer costs — coordinate re-roof with re-clad to reuse scaffolding
- SF painter costs — finish coat after fiber-cement install; period-correct color match on Victorians
- SF stucco contractor costs — Sunset and Richmond stucco repair or full re-stucco alternative to fiber-cement
- SF windows installer costs — replace windows during siding-off phase for cleanest flashing detail
- SF general contractor costs — when the project crosses 3+ trades and needs a single DBI filing