Corte Madera stretches from the edge of the bay marsh up into the hills below Mount Tamalpais, and the paint on its homes reflects that. Down in the low, flat neighborhoods near the creek and the marsh, the air stays damp and salty, and fog drifts across in the morning. Many of those homes are 1950s and 60s ranches and split-levels with wood siding, now several paint jobs in. Up the slopes on Christmas Tree Hill and the streets above, homes sit among older trees and get more shade, more needles in the gutters and slower drying after rain. In between, there's a steady mix of remodeled mid-century homes and newer builds with stucco or fiber cement. Each one asks for a slightly different plan.
Free Estimate
We take on whole-house exterior repaints in Corte Madera, along with room-by-room interior work for families updating older homes. Tell us about your project by phone or the form, and we'll arrange a time to stop by.
Ranch Homes and Split-Levels Near the Bay
The mid-century homes in Corte Madera's flatter neighborhoods were built with long runs of wood siding, wide eaves and big garage doors, and decades of bay air have worked on all of it. Common problems are peeling on the lower siding where sprinklers hit, rot at the bottom of door trim, and faded, chalky paint on the walls facing the afternoon sun. Many of these homes also have later additions or replacement windows that were never caulked properly, which lets water behind the paint. We clean and treat the siding, replace failed caulk around every window and door, patch small areas of soft wood, and prime anything bare before painting. Garage doors get their own attention, since they're the biggest single surface people see from the street. Homes across the creek in Larkspur share a lot of the same construction and need the same care.
Hillside Homes and Updated Interiors
Up on the hillside streets, the work leans toward moisture control. Shade from mature trees keeps the north and uphill sides damp, so mildew treatment, careful drying time and mildew-resistant paint are part of the plan. Gutters full of needles and leaves are worth clearing before we start, since overflow sends water straight down the walls we just painted. Inside, many Corte Madera homes are mid-renovation: a remodeled bathroom here, new floors there, and a kitchen that still has its original cabinets. That's a good moment to paint the rest of the house so everything feels finished. When the kitchen is the holdout, refinishing the existing cabinets with paint often makes the biggest difference for the money, since the boxes are usually solid. Ceilings and trim are often overdue in these homes too, and painting them along with the walls keeps the colors consistent from room to room.