Wood Repair and Restoration
Repair of rotten or damaged timber, inside and out, with the water that caused it dealt with rather than painted over.

Is this an emergency?
No. Wood Repair and Restoration is scheduled work and is not covered by our emergency service, which runs 24 hours, 7 days, including holidays. We will book you into an ordinary dispatch window rather than charge an emergency rate for a job that can wait for one.
About Wood Repair and Restoration
Find the water first
Timber does not rot on its own. Something is keeping it wet, and repairing the wood without fixing that is the most common wasted expenditure in this trade.
So the first thing we do is look up. The usual sources, in the order we find them: a gutter overflowing or discharging behind the fascia, a downspout that terminates against the wall, a roof detail with no flashing, a sill with no drip edge so water tracks back underneath, and a paint film that failed years ago on a south-facing elevation.
Our quote names the cause. Where it is ours to fix we will quote it alongside; where it is roofing or guttering, we will tell you plainly, because our two year warranty assumes the water has been dealt with. A splice under a still-leaking gutter will fail, and we will not warrant it.
What it costs
This work is charged hourly against the published carpentry rate, and totals land between $400 and $8,500.
The bottom is a single rotten section of exterior casing spliced and primed. The top is a run of window sills across a whole elevation, or a porch column repaired with the roof above temporarily shored.
Hourly is the honest model because nobody, including us, knows how far the rot has travelled until it is opened up. We estimate the hours from probing, we tell you what we find as we find it, and you decide before we go further.
Not financing eligible.
Splice, consolidate, or replace
Three options, and choosing the right one is most of the skill.
Splice is the default for a partial failure in a longer member. The rotten section is cut back to sound timber, a new piece is scarfed in, and once primed and painted it is invisible. It is cheaper than replacement and it keeps the original profile.
Epoxy consolidation is for a profile worth saving where the damage is localised: an original turned column, a decorative bracket, a historic sill. Consolidant is soaked into the softened fibre to harden it, then the void is filled and reshaped. It is slow and it costs more per square inch than new timber, so it is right for something irreplaceable and wrong for a length of stock casing.
Full replacement is right when more than about a third of the member has gone, when the piece carries load, or when splicing would leave joints in visually awkward places.
We will tell you which we recommend and why. If a piece is beyond saving we will say so rather than sell you an expensive consolidation that fails in three years.
Porch columns are the one to take seriously
A porch column with a rotten base is the most common structural-adjacent repair we do, and it is worth understanding what is happening.
Columns rot from the bottom, because water sits on the porch deck at the base and wicks upward, and because the base detail is usually where paint fails first. By the time the rot is visible, the load path is often compromised.
That repair needs temporary shoring of the porch roof before anything is cut. It is straightforward work done properly and it is genuinely dangerous done casually. If your column is soft at the base or you can push a screwdriver into it, book the assessment rather than waiting for the winter.
Rot-resistant replacements
Where a repair is exterior and in a place that will get wet again, we will usually recommend a material change rather than replacing like for like.
Cellular PVC and composite trim do not rot at all, take paint well, and are worth the extra on sills, water tables and anywhere near a deck. They are not right everywhere: they move more with temperature than timber and they are wrong on a historically sensitive elevation.
Where timber stays, it should be a species that suits exposure and it should be primed on all six faces, including the cut ends, before it goes up. Cut ends left bare are how a new repair starts rotting from the inside.
What we do not do
Structural framing repair is a construction service, and if the rot has reached band joists, sill plates or rafters that is where it goes. Termite damage needs a licensed pest operator to treat the cause before we repair the effect. Roof and gutter work is a roofing service, though identifying it is part of what this visit gives you.
What is included
- Included
- Assessment of how far the rot extends, probed rather than guessed
- Cut-out and splice repair of rotten sections in trim, sills and casings
- Full replacement of members too far gone to splice
- Epoxy consolidation and filling where a profile is worth saving
- Porch column, post and beam repair, with temporary shoring where load is carried
- Exterior door and window sill replacement
- Matching and running of profiles no longer available as stock
- Priming of all bare and cut timber before it is closed in
- Advice on the water source, and its correction where it is ours to fix
- Not included
- Structural framing repair, which is a construction service
- Termite treatment, which requires a licensed pest control operator
- Hardwood floor repair and refinishing
- Furniture restoration
- Roof and gutter work, which is a roofing service, though we will identify it
- Lead paint disturbance without certified containment
- Brands serviced
- Abatron, Advantage Lumber, Boral TruExterior, Sherwin-Williams, Zinsser
- Certifications
- NC General Contractor licence 78341, EPA Lead-Safe certified firm
- Permit required
- No permit is required for this work.
- Typical timeline
- Most repairs are one to two days. A porch column or a run of sills across an elevation is three to five days.
What it costs
This is charged hourly against the published rate for this trade, within the total range below. We tell you the estimated hours before starting.
- Typical range
- $400 to $8,500
- After hours
- $150 between and , and on Sundays
- Financing
- Not availableFinancing starts at $3,000 and applies to projects rather than service calls.
What moves the price
- How far the rot has actually travelled, which is never as far as it looks or exactly as far as it looks
- Whether the member is decorative or carrying load, since a structural piece needs shoring
- Access. Ground-floor trim is quick, a third-storey gable end is not
- Whether a profile has to be matched and run, or a stock section will do
- Whether the timber was painted before 1978, which requires lead-safe containment
- Whether the water source has to be fixed as part of the work
What affects any Cedarline price
- How old the equipment is, and whether replacement parts are still manufactured
- How accessible the work area is: a crawlspace or a second-storey roof takes longer than a garage
- Whether a permit and an inspection are required
- Material grade, which on a roof or a deck moves the total more than labour does
- Whether the visit falls outside dispatch hours
Before we arrive
- Photograph the affected timber, once wide and once close
- Press a screwdriver gently into the soft area and note how deep it goes
- Note whether a gutter, downspout or roof detail sits directly above the damage
- Say whether the house was built before 1978
Typical timeline
Most repairs are one to two days. A porch column or a run of sills across an elevation is three to five days.
Warranty
- Labour
- 24 months
- Parts
- 12 months
Two years on our workmanship. That warranty assumes the water source has been fixed; a repair under a still-leaking gutter will fail and is not something we warrant.
Questions
Carpentry questions
How long does custom cabinetry take?
Six to ten weeks of shop fabrication after you sign off the design, then two to five days on site to fit. From first visit to finished cabinetry is three to four months. There is no version of this where cabinetry appears in three weeks: the timber has to be selected and milled, carcasses and doors built, and the finish sprayed and properly cured before anything leaves the shop. If your date is genuinely immovable, stock or semi-custom cabinetry through a kitchen remodel is the faster route and we will say so.
What makes custom cabinetry expensive?
Timber species first, then whether the doors are inset or overlay. Painted poplar is the value option and a genuinely good one, because paint does not care what is underneath as long as it is stable; white oak and walnut are several times the cost. Inset doors sit flush within the frame, which looks considerably better and demands tolerances measured in fractions of a millimetre across a run that will move seasonally, so it costs more than overlay.
Can you reface my existing cabinets?
No. Where the carcasses are sound, refacing can be good value, but it runs on a different supply chain from the one we work in and we would be the wrong company to do it. We build new cabinetry in our shop and fit it, or we fit stock and semi-custom units as part of a kitchen remodel.
Why did the joints in my new trim open up?
Almost always because the material was cut and fitted straight off the van rather than acclimatised first. Trim arrives at whatever moisture content the warehouse had, and your house is drier in January and more humid in August, so timber shrinks as it equalises. We deliver material several days before we cut it and let it sit in the room it is going into. It costs nothing except a corner of a dry room and it is the difference between joints that stay closed and joints you notice every time you walk past.
What is a coped joint and why does it matter?
A coped inside corner has one piece run into the corner and the other cut to its profile with a coping saw, so the joint closes rather than opening as the timber moves. A mitred inside corner looks identical on the day and opens up by the following summer. Mitring is faster, which is why plenty of installers do it. We cope every inside corner on crown, and price tracks corner count far more closely than it tracks linear feet.
Can you match the original trim in my old house?
Usually yes, either with a stock profile close enough or by having knives ground to run the original. The second costs more and is often worth it in a house with any architectural character. Bring us a short offcut of the original if you have one anywhere; a piece from the back of a cupboard is enough to copy from, and it is far more useful than a photograph.
My door sticks in summer and swings free in winter. Should I plane it?
No. That is timber doing exactly what it should in North Carolina humidity, and planing it in summer gives you a door with a visible gap by winter. The usual real fixes are a longer hinge screw driven into the stud rather than just the jamb, a strike plate moved a few millimetres, or a hinge shimmed. That is a short visit and it is much cheaper than a replacement, and we will always try it first.
Should I get insert windows or full-frame replacement?
An insert if the existing frame and sill are sound, full-frame if they are not. An insert fits inside the existing frame: quicker, cheaper, less disruptive, keeps your trim inside and out, and loses a little glass area. A full-frame replacement takes everything back to the rough opening, costs more and means new trim, and it is the only way to get the flashing detail properly right. If the sill is soft, an insert is a way of hiding a problem rather than fixing one.
What will I find under the carpet on my stairs?
It is genuinely a gamble, and worth knowing before you commit. In many Triangle houses, particularly builder-grade ones from the 1980s onward, the treads under carpet were never intended to be seen: construction-grade softwood, often with a plywood riser, held down with staples and adhesive, and gouged. Sometimes what comes up is beautiful and needs sanding and finishing; often it needs new treads. We survey first and price both outcomes separately so you can decide with the information.
My banister is loose. Is that a big job?
Usually smaller than it feels, and the cause is nearly always the newel post rather than the balusters. A newel fixed only to the tread has nothing to resist a sideways push, and once it moves the whole run feels unsafe. Fixing it properly means anchoring into the framing, which sometimes means opening the skirt board or working from below. That fixing is what our five year joinery warranty is really about, because a balustrade that feels solid on handover and loose in two years was fixed to the wrong thing.
Can rotten trim be repaired, or does it need replacing?
Three options, and choosing between them is most of the skill. A splice cuts the rotten section back to sound timber and scarfs a new piece in, which is cheaper than replacement and keeps the original profile. Epoxy consolidation hardens softened fibre and is right for something irreplaceable like an original turned column, and wrong for a length of stock casing. Full replacement is right when more than about a third has gone or the piece carries load.
Will the rot come back after you repair it?
It will if the water is still getting in, which is why our quote names the cause rather than just the repair. Timber does not rot on its own: something is keeping it wet, usually a gutter overflowing or discharging behind a fascia, a roof detail with no flashing, a sill with no drip edge, or a paint film that failed years ago. Where the cause is ours to fix we quote it alongside. Our two year warranty assumes the water has been dealt with, and we will not warrant a splice under a still-leaking gutter.
Common questions
How long is the arrival window?
Most visits carry a two hour arrival window, and roofing and construction visits carry three. We quote a window rather than an exact time because a trades crew genuinely cannot promise a minute, and we would rather be accurate than optimistic. We text you when the crew is on the way.
Is the diagnostic fee waived if I go ahead with the repair?
Yes. The diagnostic fee covers the technician's time and a written fault report, and it is waived when you approve the repair. Installation and replacement quotes carry no diagnostic fee at all, because nothing is being diagnosed on an estimate visit.
Is a slot confirmed as soon as I request it?
Not quite. A request is not a held slot. We confirm within 30 minutes during dispatch hours, and first thing the next dispatch day if you request outside them. The availability shown on the site reflects how full a day usually is rather than a live view of the dispatch board.
How can I pay?
We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, ACH bank transfer, and financing on qualifying projects. Payment is due on completion for service work, and on a staged schedule set out in the quote for larger projects. There are two payment methods we cannot take, which are covered in our billing questions.
What happens if I need to cancel?
Give us 24 hours notice and there is no charge. One call or one text is enough to reschedule, and we would much rather move you than charge you. Cancelling inside that window, or nobody being home when the crew arrives, carries a no-show fee.
What happens if nobody is home when the crew arrives?
There is a no-show fee, and it is the same figure as the late cancellation fee. It covers the slot another customer could have used and the crew's drive. If you are running late rather than absent, call us and we will usually wait or come back later the same day at no charge.
What actually happens on a service call?
A technician arrives inside the arrival window, diagnoses the fault, tells you the repair price before touching anything, and completes the work if you approve it. You get a written report either way. Nothing is added to the invoice without your approval first, and we do not carry out extra work while you are out of the room.
What are your hours?
The office is open Monday to Friday from 07:30, and Saturday mornings. Crews dispatch on a wider window, from 07:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and 08:00 to 16:00 on Saturday. There is no scheduled dispatch on Sunday. Emergency coverage runs 24 hours a day, every day, including holidays.
Do you cover my area?
We cover Raleigh, Durham, Cary and the wider Triangle, with coverage recorded city by city because it is not uniform. Most cities have every trade and no travel fee, two have a limited set of trades and a travel fee, one is emergency coverage only, and some adjacent zip codes are outside the service radius entirely. Enter your zip code on our service areas page for a definitive answer.
Do you work on commercial buildings?
No. We are residential only, including multifamily buildings up to four units. A four-unit building is the ceiling and it is a real one rather than a preference: our crews, our insurance and our licences are all sized for residential work. For anything larger, or for any commercial or industrial property, you need a commercial general contractor.
Do you install pool heaters, septic systems, or solar?
No to all three, and we will point you at the right trade for each. Pool and spa equipment sits under a separate licence, so you need a pool service company. Septic systems need a licensed septic contractor, and Wake County keeps a list of permitted installers. Solar needs a solar installer, though we will happily reroof around an existing array. We publish the full list of work we do not take on rather than making you ask.
Do you have Spanish-speaking technicians?
Yes, Monday through Friday. We do not staff Spanish-speaking crews at weekends. If you need one, ask when you book and we will schedule you on a weekday rather than send someone who cannot explain the work to you.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. We hold five North Carolina licences covering HVAC, general contracting, roofing, plumbing and electrical, and every licence number is published on our site rather than available on request. We carry general liability cover and workers compensation cover, and we are bonded. Certificates go to your adjuster or your HOA the same day you ask.
What warranty do you give?
Twelve months on labour and parts is the standard, and several services carry considerably longer. Roof replacements carry ten years on workmanship, repiping ten years, structural repair five years, and cabinetry five years. Manufacturer warranties on equipment run separately and are often longer still, and we register them in your name before we leave.
What if I am not happy with the work?
We come back and put it right at no charge. There is no time limit on a workmanship complaint about a repair we performed. Call the office rather than the crew directly, so it gets logged and scheduled rather than depending on one person remembering.
What should I do with my pets?
Secure them away from the work area before we arrive. This is genuinely for their safety rather than ours: crews prop doors open, carry sharp and heavy things through the house, and use tools that frighten animals. Tell us when you book if you have a dog that needs handling carefully, and we will note it on the job.
Do I need to be home?
For most visits, no, provided we can get in and reach the work. Inspections, maintenance visits and outdoor work frequently happen with nobody home. You do need to be there for anything where we will be quoting work, making decisions with you, or entering occupied rooms. We will tell you which yours is when you book.
What access do you need?
A clear path to the work area, clear parking for a van near the house, and unlocked side gates where the job is round the back. Roofing and outdoor work need the driveway, sometimes for a skip. If parking is difficult where you are, tell us when you book, because a crew circling for twenty minutes is time on your job.
What is the difference between emergency and scheduled work?
Two separate operations with separate rules. Scheduled work runs inside published dispatch hours, is booked into an arrival window, and carries the ordinary diagnostic fee. Emergency work runs around the clock on a fixed shortlist of eight services, targets a 90 minute response, and carries a call-out fee on top. Ringing the emergency line about something outside that shortlist does not upgrade it; you get booked into the next ordinary window instead. Our emergency questions list exactly which eight services qualify and set out what to do while you wait.
How long is a written quote valid?
Thirty days from the date on it. Beyond that we will re-price rather than honour a figure that no longer covers the materials, and material prices on roofing and lumber in particular move enough that a quarter-old quote is not meaningful. Re-pricing an expired quote is quick, because the survey work is already done.
Is a maintenance plan worth it?
It depends on how much work you expect to need. The plans bundle seasonal visits with priority dispatch and a standing discount on repairs, billed monthly, and the discount alone pays for the cheapest tier if you have one significant repair a year. If you rarely call anyone out, paying per visit is the better arithmetic and we will say so.
Is Cedarline Home Services a real company?
No. Cedarline Home Services is a fictional company used for demos. Every price, policy, licence number and phone number on this site is invented for that purpose, and none of it should be relied on as a real quotation or a real business record.
Related services
- Doors and WindowsInterior and exterior door hanging and window replacement, priced per opening and flashed so the wall behind stays dry.
- Interior Trim and MoldingCrown molding, skirting, architrave, wainscoting and panelling, acclimatised in the house before it is cut and scribed to walls as built.
- Siding and SoffitSiding, soffit and fascia repair and replacement, including the hidden rot behind a failed gutter and the intake ventilation your roof depends on.
- Structural RepairFraming, joist, beam and foundation repair, carried out to a licensed engineer's specification rather than to a guess.
Book a visit
Next available: monday,
Arrival window 2 hours. A request is not a held slot yet; we confirm it during dispatch hours.