Lakewood, Washington is the second-largest city in Pierce County, adjacent to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, with a 2020 census population of 63,612. Known historically as the Lakes District, the area’s population jumped from 3,000 to 17,000 between 1939 and 1949, a wartime boom driven directly by Fort Lewis and McChord Field. Despite this scale, Lakewood did not incorporate as a city until February 28, 1996, meaning decades of the area’s multi-family development occurred entirely under Pierce County jurisdiction. Pacific Building Solutions holds Washington Contractor License #PACIFBS831MK and serves Lakewood alongside neighboring Tacoma.

We do not perform small residential repairs or new construction. Our work is focused on large-scale commercial and multi-family exterior services for HOA boards, property managers, construction attorneys, and ownership groups.

Multi-Family and HOA Siding Replacement

Lakewood’s wartime-boom apartment stock, permitted under county rather than city oversight, is well past the service life of its original siding in many cases. We work with James Hardie fiber cement, Cedar, Craneboard, and Stucco/EIFS systems, and our assessments start by dating each building to its specific construction era before recommending a repair or replacement scope.

Exterior Envelope Remediation

Full envelope assessment accounting for the county-era construction practices common to buildings from the 1939-1949 military growth wave, along with site-specific drainage conditions near the area’s many small lakes and creeks.

Water Intrusion Repair

Lakewood’s numerous small lakes and creeks, including Chambers Creek and Lake Steilacoom, create localized drainage conditions that vary by neighborhood, a factor we account for at the site level.

• A Wartime Population Boom Under County Oversight: The Lakes District’s population jumped from 3,000 to 17,000 between 1939 and 1949, and this boom-era construction was permitted entirely under Pierce County authority.
• Decades Without a Dedicated City Building Department: Lakewood’s citizens rejected incorporation three times before finally succeeding in 1996, meaning most of the area’s historic multi-family stock developed without a dedicated municipal building department’s oversight.
• A Landscape of Small Lakes and Creeks: Numerous small lakes and creeks create localized drainage conditions that vary meaningfully by neighborhood.

Why does Lakewood’s late incorporation matter for siding assessment?

Lakewood did not incorporate until 1996, despite the area’s population having already jumped from 3,000 to 17,000 between 1939 and 1949 due to military growth at Fort Lewis and McChord Field. Most of the area’s historic multi-family stock was built and inspected under Pierce County jurisdiction rather than a dedicated city building department, which affects how we approach original construction documentation.

Do the lakes and creeks in Lakewood actually change how you assess a building?

Yes. A building near Chambers Creek or Lake Steilacoom can have a different drainage and grading situation than one a few blocks away with no nearby water feature, so we look at each site’s actual grading and runoff pattern rather than applying a single citywide moisture assumption.

Does proximity to JBLM affect construction quality or maintenance needs?

Not directly, but a lot of Lakewood’s older apartment stock was built quickly to house a fast-growing wartime population, which is worth knowing when we’re assessing original construction quality on buildings from that era.

Is Pacific Building Solutions licensed to work in Lakewood and Pierce County?

Yes. We hold Washington Contractor License #PACIFBS831MK, which covers the full state of Washington including Pierce County and Lakewood, and Oregon Contractor License #215897 for ownership groups with properties across the Pacific Northwest.

The Lakewood area’s earliest development dates to the 1850s.

Camp Lewis, established in 1917, and McChord Field, developed in 1938, drove the area’s defining wartime population boom.

Despite this scale, incorporation efforts failed in 1971, 1990, and 1994 before finally succeeding in 1995, with Lakewood officially becoming a city on February 28, 1996.

Today Lakewood remains closely tied to the adjacent Joint Base Lewis-McChord, roughly 10 miles south of Tacoma and west of Gig Harbor across the Narrows.

If you represent an HOA board, multi-family property management group, construction attorney, building envelope consultant, or commercial ownership group with a property in Lakewood or the South Sound, Pacific Building Solutions welcomes the opportunity to discuss your project.

Phone: 360-907-1128

Email: info@pacificexteriorsnw.com

Licensed in Washington (#PACIFBS831MK). Serving the greater Seattle-Pierce County market and Southwest Washington.