The Berkeley Hills hold some of the Bay Area’s best-loved homes: brown shingles, Craftsman houses, and the legacy of architects like Bernard Maybeck. Aurora has painted the Bay Area’s homes since 1987, including landmark work, and the hills are home ground for us.
Painting up here
- Natural shingle wants stain and breathable finishes, not a thick coat of the wrong product. Knowing the difference is the job.
- Fog rolls through most mornings and the sun bakes the west faces by afternoon. Surfaces age unevenly, so prep has to match each elevation.
- Steep, narrow lots take real staging and care around gardens, steps, and retaining walls.
- Original wood windows, exposed rafter tails, and hand-built detail deserve hand prep.
How we work
We walk the home with you first. Every elevation gets looked at up close: the shingle condition, the trim joints, the sun-beaten faces and the damp ones. Then you get a detailed written proposal that says exactly what we’ll do and why.
Built before 1978?
Nearly every home up here was. Aurora is an EPA RRP Lead-Safe Certified Firm. We sand with HEPA-filtered equipment, contain the debris, and remove it sealed from your property. On homes this old, that’s not a nice-to-have. It’s the standard of care.
Preservation credentials that live in Berkeley
Our restoration work earned the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association’s preservation award in 2006, and the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society’s in 2021. Aurora is named on both. If your home carries history, we’d like to help you keep it.
The Aurora standard
Trusted with the Bay Area’s landmark homes since 1987. Landmark care for every home. California Contractor License #721226. Every job carries our 3-year workmanship warranty.
Ready when you are
Call (510) 973-2726, or send the contact form and we’ll call you.