Skip to content
City of Calgary

Siding for SW Calgary, from Killarney to Evergreen

Southwest Calgary is home turf for us, and it has the widest spread of house ages of any part of the city we work in. A post-war bungalow in Killarney, a two-storey in Shawnessy and a house in still-growing Aspen Woods each hide a different wall behind the siding, and the decade a home went up is the best first clue to what we will find when the old cladding comes off.

A curving residential street of two-storey homes in vinyl siding with front garages, with the Rocky Mountains faint on the horizon.

At a Glance

Permits issued by
City of Calgary
From our Evergreen office
Home base, Evergreen SW
Postal prefixes
T2T, T2V, T2W, T2Y, T3E, T3H

The Homes and Buildings in Southwest Calgary

The inner southwest is the oldest stock we work on. The City of Calgary classes Killarney/Glengarry and Richmond as 1950s communities, and their post-war bungalows were commonly finished in stucco, wood siding or an early aluminum over-cladding. Behind that, the sheathing is often boards rather than OSB, walls can be out of plane after decades of settling, and there may be rot where water got past old patches. James Hardie’s installation instructions warn that irregularities in framing and sheathing can mirror through the finished siding, so on these houses we budget time to repair and true the wall before anything new goes on. Next door in Altadore and South Calgary, around Marda Loop, originals sit beside modern infills in board and batten, metal panels and stone.

The middle ring is a different job. Canyon Meadows carries the City’s 1960s–1970s label and tends to have aluminum, cedar and stucco. Shawnessy, Somerset, Woodbine and Signal Hill are 1980s–1990s communities, where early vinyl, stucco, cedar accents and wood fascia are the usual mix. Here the complaints are faded, brittle vinyl, fascia boards that need painting every few years, and first-generation house wrap details at windows. Because the whole wall is exposed during a full re-side, this is the age group where adding exterior insulation makes the most sense to discuss.

The newer southwest starts in Evergreen, where our office is, and Bridlewood, both largely built through the 2000s. Builder vinyl with stone or Hardie accents on the front elevation is the common pattern, so the work is replacing hail-cracked panels, matching colours that have faded, and fixing stone wainscots installed without a weep screed or buried in landscaping. Aspen Woods is still building out, with estate and move-up homes in stone, Hardie board, stucco and metal accents, where repairs have to match an existing finish.

Neighbourhood Notes

Evergreen

Our home community, largely built through the 2000s. Builder vinyl with stone or Hardie accents on the front is typical, and the usual calls are hail-cracked side walls and replacement panels that no longer match the originals.

Bridlewood

Another 2000s community with builder vinyl and stone accents. We look closely at the base of stone wainscots, where missing weep screeds and soil piled against the veneer let water sit behind it.

Shawnessy and Somerset

Both carry the City’s 1980s–1990s label. Early vinyl, stucco and wood fascia are common, so a re-side here often pairs new siding with aluminum fascia capping and a fresh weather barrier.

Signal Hill

A 1980s–1990s community where larger homes often mix stucco and vinyl with cedar accents. Weathered cedar can be replaced board for board or converted to fibre cement that keeps the look without the staining cycle.

Aspen Woods

Still building out, with estate and move-up homes in stone, Hardie board, stucco and metal accents. Repairs here are about matching an existing profile and finish, and we confirm product availability before quoting.

Killarney/Glengarry and Richmond

Post-war bungalows from the City’s 1950s era, many with stucco, wood or aluminum over board sheathing. Expect sheathing repairs and wall straightening before new cladding, and new infills going up alongside.

Altadore and South Calgary

The Marda Loop area mixes originals with modern infills. Where a wall sits close to the property line, the code limits what cladding can go on it, and non-combustible fibre cement or metal is the straightforward choice.

Canyon Meadows and Woodbine

Canyon Meadows is a 1960s–1970s community with aluminum, cedar and stucco; Woodbine followed in the 1980s–1990s with early vinyl and cedar. Both are good candidates for a full re-side with exterior insulation.

Permits in Southwest Calgary

Authority having jurisdiction: City of Calgary

The City of Calgary is the authority for every southwest address, from Richmond to Evergreen. Alberta’s Permit Regulation exempts re-siding done to maintain a home or improve its looks when the new siding is of a similar type, nothing structural changes and health or safety is not at risk. Calgary’s own renovation page, however, lists exterior renovations among work that can need a building permit without spelling out how that applies to a straight siding swap, so we confirm with the City first. For older inner-city houses there is one more point: the Land Use Bylaw says adding exterior insulation and its cladding to an existing building does not need a development permit, and lets it project up to 0.3 m into a required setback, but buildings on the City’s inventory of evaluated historic resources are not covered by that exemption. Building-code approval is a separate question again.

Siding in Southwest Calgary: Questions

Can the stucco on my 1950s Killarney bungalow be replaced with Hardie board?
Usually, yes. Once the stucco and lath come off we can see the sheathing and membrane, and any damage is repaired before the fibre cement goes on. Stucco to fibre cement is not siding of a similar type, so the provincial re-siding exemption is unlikely to apply as written, and we confirm the permit position with the City of Calgary before work starts. If a wall is close to the property line we check that too.
Is it worth adding exterior insulation to an older southwest home while the siding is off?
It is the practical moment to do it, because the wall is already open. Foam outside the sheathing is a vapour retarder, and in Calgary the code wants that outside layer to carry at least 30% of the insulating value of what is inside the wall, so a thin layer over a 2×6 wall can be worse than none. We size it to the wall, or use a vapour-permeable mineral wool board instead.
Did the August 2024 hailstorm hit southwest Calgary?
The loss reports describe the 2024 storm as affecting the northern part of the city, so we do not call it a southwest event. The storm on record for this part of Calgary is July 15, 2023, which damaged siding and roofs in south-central neighbourhoods. Whatever the date, we document damaged walls with photos, measurements and a written scope you can give your adjuster.

Siding Work in Southwest 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.