Chestermere Siding for Lakeside and New Homes

The Homes and Buildings in Chestermere

Around the lake, a re-side can be a chance to change how a house looks, not just to replace worn panels, and that is where modern accent materials come in. Longboard wood-look aluminum gives the warmth of a wood plank without wood’s upkeep, and Longboard states its aluminum façade systems are tested to CAN/ULC-S114 non-combustibility standards. Under hail, aluminum dents rather than cracks, and the City of Calgary’s guidance says a dent or scratch does not affect the integrity of the home. On plank systems, damaged boards can typically be replaced individually. Metal wall panels and stone veneer round out the modern palette, each with its own flashing and drainage details.

In the larger newer communities, a full fibre cement exterior is one upgrade that makes a clear visual difference. HardiePlank lap siding on the walls, HardieTrim at corners, windows and frieze lines, and HardieSoffit panels at the eaves let the whole house read in one material, with James Hardie’s factory ColorPlus finish available subject to the dealer. Soffit has one code wrinkle on tight lots: within 1.2 m of a property line, roof soffits must have no openings, and no projecting soffit is allowed where the wall sits within 0.45 m of the line, so we confirm the soffit material and venting against the code where a wall is close.

Trim is where a new exterior looks finished or unfinished. Corner boards, frieze boards and band boards give siding clean edges, but a horizontal band board needs flashing above it, because the building code calls for flashing at every horizontal junction between cladding elements. The same applies where stone meets siding and where a board and batten gable sits over lap siding. Cellular PVC and composite trim boards do not rot and take paint, but they move with temperature, so their joints are detailed for expansion.