The exterior of a Central Coast home is a defense system, and the enemy never sleeps: salt fog works on coatings and fasteners year-round, winter storms drive rain into every unsealed joint, and dry rot quietly hollows out trim, siding, and framing wherever water lingers. RC Builders Inc (CSLB License #1081425) repairs and rebuilds home exteriors across the Monterey Peninsula and Salinas Valley — siding, windows, doors, stucco, gutters, and the structural repairs hiding behind all of them.
This is builder’s work, not handyman patching. Because our crew includes framers and finish carpenters, we repair what is actually damaged — cutting rot back to sound wood, flashing correctly, and matching existing profiles — instead of caulking over problems that will be back next winter.
Exterior services
- Dry rot repair — trim, fascia, siding, and structural members cut out and rebuilt.
- Siding repair & replacement — wood, fiber-cement (HardiePlank), and shingle siding.
- Window installation — retrofit inserts and full-frame new-construction windows.
- Exterior door installation — entry doors, French doors, and sliders.
- Stucco repair & patching — crack repair, patch-and-texture, and full recoats.
- Gutter installation & repair.
- Exterior waterproofing — deck-to-wall connections, flashing, and sealant systems.
- Exterior trim & fascia replacement.
Dry rot: the Peninsula’s quiet epidemic
If you own a wood-sided home within a few miles of the bay, you either have dry rot or you have a maintenance routine that prevents it. The usual suspects: window sills and trim, fascia boards behind failing gutters, siding near grade, and deck ledgers. Our repair process is consistent — probe to find the true extent (it is always bigger than the visible stain), cut back to sound wood, treat, rebuild with rot-resistant material, flash and prime before finish. Caught early, rot repair costs hundreds; ignored for five years, it becomes structural work that costs tens of thousands.
Windows: retrofit or full-frame, honestly assessed
Window replacement on the coast is usually about three things: single-pane glass that leaks heat, aluminum frames that sweat, and rot in the surrounding trim. Retrofit inserts are quicker and cheaper when the existing frames are sound; full-frame replacement is the right call when there is rot or failed flashing — and we tell you which one your openings actually need, opening by opening. Title 24 energy requirements apply to replacements, and we handle the compliance inside the permit.
One contractor for the whole exterior
Exterior problems rarely respect trade boundaries — a failed gutter rots the fascia, which lets water behind the siding, which reaches the framing. Hiring a gutter company, a painter, and a carpenter separately means three schedules and no one responsible for the system. As general contractors we repair the cause and the damage in one scope, then finish with paint or stain so the repair disappears into the house.
Our work
Exterior Repairs & Finishing services we offer
- Dry rot repair
- Siding repair & replacement
- Window installation
- Exterior door installation
- Stucco repair
- Gutter installation & repair
- Fascia & trim replacement
- Exterior waterproofing
Frequently Asked Questions
Small localized repairs — a windowsill, a run of trim — typically run $500–$2,000. Larger scopes involving siding sections and underlying framing run $3,000–$15,000+, and structural repairs beyond that. The honest answer requires probing the damage; we quote after inspection, not over the phone.
Look for paint that bubbles or flakes in patches, wood that looks fine but dents under a screwdriver tip, dark staining at joints, and crumbling at trim ends. South- and west-facing walls and anything near a gutter are the first places to check. We do exterior inspections with a written findings list.
If frames are sound and you want efficiency, retrofit inserts are cost-effective. If there is rot, failed flashing, or sweating aluminum frames, full-frame replacement fixes the actual problem. We assess each opening individually — most homes end up with a mix.
Yes. Fiber-cement is our most-recommended siding for the coastal climate: it does not rot, holds paint two to three times longer than wood, and looks right on Peninsula homes. We install it flashed and gapped to the manufacturer’s coastal specs, which is what keeps the warranty valid.
In most cases yes — we stock and source common profiles, and mill or build up matches for older patterns common in Pacific Grove and Carmel. The goal is a repair you cannot find from the sidewalk once it is painted.
In-kind repairs generally do not. Window replacements, structural repairs, and re-siding beyond certain scopes do, and coastal-zone or historic-district properties can carry extra review. We confirm requirements with your jurisdiction and pull whatever the job needs.