City of Calgary

NW Calgary Siding, from Varsity to Sage Hill

Northwest Calgary sits in the belt the August 5, 2024 hailstorm crossed. Newer north-edge communities such as Sage Hill, Evanston, Nolan Hill and Kincora are in what CatIQ’s loss estimate calls the northern part of the city. The older northwest, from Varsity to Edgemont, has a slower problem: cedar and aluminum that are reaching the end of their service.

A new northwest Calgary subdivision on rolling grassy hills, with two-storey homes in cream stucco and grey siding along an unpaved street, and scaffolding and stacked lumber in the front yards.

At a Glance

Permits issued by: City of Calgary
From our Evergreen office: About 25-35 minutes north on Stoney Trail
Postal prefixes: T2L, T3A, T3G, T3L, T3P, T3R

(587) 324-8484

The Homes and Buildings in Northwest Calgary

Along the northern edge, the City of Calgary labels Evanston a 2010s community and Sage Hill as building out, and Nolan Hill and Kincora sit beside them. These homes tend to carry builder vinyl, with Hardie board accents on some fronts. After a storm like August 2024, the damage on this kind of house follows a pattern: vinyl holed, split or torn on the walls facing the weather, fibre cement accents chipped at corners, and soffit and fascia dented along the same side. Replacing only the damaged panels raises the matching question, because the undamaged walls have faded since they were installed.

The middle of the quadrant is 2000s and 2010s suburbs. Tuscany and Rocky Ridge are labelled 2000s and Royal Oak 2010s, with vinyl, stone and some Hardie accents. The Hamptons, also a 2000s community, has larger move-up homes mixing stucco, stone, cedar and vinyl. Edgemont, Citadel and Scenic Acres belong to the 1980s–1990s, when larger Edgemont homes often went up with cedar shakes and cedar lap siding alongside stucco and early vinyl. Cedar from that era has had decades of weather, and splitting, cupping and fastener streaks are what to look for.

The oldest northwest stock is in Varsity, Silver Springs and Dalhousie, all labelled 1960s–1970s, with aluminum siding, cedar and stucco on original homes and infills going up in Varsity. Wood fascia and wood window trim on these houses may already be capped in aluminum, and capping is a cover, not a flashing: water that gets behind it stays there. We check suspect capping before we price the job, because the wood underneath decides how big the job is.

Weather and Exposure

The Insurance Bureau of Canada described August 5, 2024 as severe thunderstorms that developed over southern Alberta and moved east, with reports of hail the size of chicken eggs, almost one in five Calgary homes impacted, and more than 130,000 claims. Western University’s Northern Hail Project measured a damage swath more than 120 km long and 12 km wide. An initial survey reported by The Weather Network estimated 35,000 buildings damaged in and around northern Calgary, from dented roofs to a complete loss of windows and siding on some walls, with a photo captioned in Sage Hill.

There is no industry hail rating for siding the way there is for roofing, so any claim that a wall material is rated for hail should be treated with suspicion. Engineering firm Simpson Gumpertz & Heger notes that softer, more brittle materials such as vinyl resist horizontally travelling hail less well than stone, masonry or stucco. Fibre cement and engineered wood hold up far better than vinyl, but hail large enough can still crack or dent them.

Neighbourhood Notes

Sage Hill

Still building out, with newer vinyl and Hardie accents. A survey photo of the August 2024 damage was captioned here, and torn panels and dented soffit are the damage to look for.

Evanston

Labelled a 2010s community, mostly builder vinyl. CBC photographed flooding in Evanston on August 5, 2024, so we check the lower walls and sheathing as well as the panels.

Nolan Hill and Kincora

Newer north-edge communities in the same northern belt. Replacing storm-damaged vinyl here often turns into a choice between matching panels and moving to a tougher cladding.

Tuscany, Royal Oak and Rocky Ridge

2000s and 2010s suburbs with vinyl, stone and some Hardie. Hardie accents that chip at corners can usually be repaired board by board rather than replaced wholesale.

Hamptons

A 2000s community of larger move-up homes mixing stucco, stone, cedar and vinyl. Several claddings on one house means several transitions, and flashing at each horizontal junction is where leaks start.

Edgemont

A 1980s–1990s community with cedar shakes and cedar lap on larger homes. Weathered cedar can be replaced in kind, or the wall converted to LP SmartSide or fibre cement for a similar look.

Citadel and Scenic Acres

Both 1980s–1990s, with early vinyl, stucco and some cedar. Faded vinyl and wood fascia ready for capping are the usual starting points for a re-side.

Varsity, Silver Springs and Dalhousie

1960s–1970s communities with aluminum, cedar and stucco, plus infills in Varsity. We check old window and fascia capping for hidden rot before quoting.

Permits in Northwest Calgary

Authority having jurisdiction: City of Calgary

Every northwest address is under the City of Calgary. For storm repairs, Alberta’s Permit Regulation generally exempts putting back siding of a similar type to maintain the house, provided nothing structural changes and health or safety is not at risk. Owners who use a hail rebuild to upgrade from vinyl to fibre cement or LP SmartSide should know that a change of cladding type can take the work outside the provincial exemption. The City’s renovation page lists exterior renovations among work that can need a building permit, and separately says replacement components, exterior cladding included, must perform as well as or better than what they replace, so we confirm the specific job with the City. On the newest streets, one more date matters: the City says houses whose building application went in on or after November 1, 2016 must have new renovations comply with the energy-efficiency section of the code.

What Northwest Calgary Homes and Buildings Need Most

Calgary Hail Damage Hardie Board & Siding Replacement

Storm-damaged siding documented, removed and replaced after Calgary hail.

Premium Heavy-Gauge Vinyl Siding

Thicker vinyl panels, hung loose to ride out Calgary’s temperature swings.

Hardie Board & Panel Sectional Repair

Cracked or failed Hardie boards, panels and trim replaced, and the cause fixed.

Custom Aluminum Fascia Capping

Prefinished aluminum bent over sound wood fascia to end peeling paint and rot.

Western Red Cedar & Natural Wood Siding

Western red cedar lap, tongue-and-groove, shingles and board replacement.

LP SmartSide Engineered Wood Siding

Engineered wood lap and panel siding, detailed for Canadian clearances.

Every service we offer

Close to Northwest Calgary

Cochrane

Hillside homes in the Bow Valley where foothills wind hits exposed walls.

Northeast Calgary

Saddle Ridge, Taradale, Martindale, Cityscape, Redstone and Skyview Ranch.

Southwest Calgary

Evergreen, Shawnessy, Bridlewood, Somerset, Signal Hill, Aspen Woods and the inner SW.

Siding in Northwest Calgary: Questions

My Sage Hill siding was damaged in August 2024 and is still not fixed. Does waiting matter?

It can. A holed or split panel lets rain and snowmelt reach the weather barrier and sheathing, and two winters of that can turn a siding job into a sheathing repair. CatIQ reports that most claims from that storm have been resolved, so if yours is still open, talk to your insurer. We can document the wall with photos, measurements and a written scope for your adjuster.

Should I put vinyl back after hail, or upgrade to something tougher?

That depends on budget, the look you want and how long you plan to stay. The City of Calgary’s climate-ready guidance calls fibre cement one of the most resilient siding types for hail and says cheaper vinyl is easily damaged by it. LP SmartSide has a limited hail-damage warranty whose terms, including hail-size limits, are in LP’s current warranty. We can scope both options so you can compare them with your adjuster.

Can old cedar on an Edgemont or Varsity home be repaired, or does it all need to go?

Isolated split or cupped boards can be replaced, with each new board nailed independently using stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanized nails and primed on all sides. When most of the wall is weathered, or the sheathing behind is soft, replacing the wall makes more sense, either in new cedar or in LP SmartSide or fibre cement.

Siding Work in Northwest Calgary?

Call or send the details. Calgary Siding Solutions works from Calgary, and we will tell you what the job needs before we price it.

(587) 324-8484 Send the Details