Skip to content

What Drives the Cost of Hardie Board Siding in Calgary

We don’t publish price lists, because two siding jobs that look the same from the street rarely are. What we can tell you is exactly what moves the number on a James Hardie fibre cement re-side, what a proper quote should spell out, and what it usually leaves out. Use it to compare quotes, including ours.

Seven Things That Set the Price

Wall area and storeys

Siding is measured by the wall area actually being clad, less the openings, so the size of the house sets the baseline. Height matters as much as area: a bungalow can be sided from ladders and planks, while a two-storey wall or a walkout elevation takes longer to stage and slows every course that goes on above the first floor.

Tear-off and disposal

Old vinyl or aluminum comes off quickly. Stucco does not: the stucco, the lath and the old paper all have to be stripped, bagged and hauled, and the wall behind it cleaned up for new cladding. Heavy tear-off adds labour and disposal, and it is also where hidden damage to the sheathing tends to show up.

Material, profile and finish

Fibre cement, vinyl, LP SmartSide and metal all cost different amounts, and so do the profiles within them: lap, board and batten, shingle panels. For James Hardie products, factory-finished ColorPlus boards and primed boards that are painted on site price differently, and the primed route adds a painting stage that has to happen within the manufacturer’s time limit.

Trim, corners and windows

A simple rectangle with four outside corners is a different job from a front elevation with bump-outs, gables, stone returns and a dozen windows. Every corner board, window surround, band board and frieze has to be cut, flashed and sealed, so detailing often moves the number more than the plain wall area does.

What goes behind the siding

The weather-resistive barrier, the flashing, and any furring for a drained rain screen cavity are part of the price, and so is exterior insulation if you add it while the walls are open. Soft or rotted sheathing found after tear-off has to be replaced before anything covers it, so a good quote says how that will be priced if it turns up.

Access, scaffolding and lifts

Tight side yards between houses, steep lots, decks against the wall and walkout basements all change how the wall can be reached. Some elevations can be worked from ladders and pump jacks; others need scaffolding or a lift, plus protection for landscaping, windows and the neighbour’s property.

Soffit, fascia, capping and permits

Replacing soffit and fascia, or capping wood window frames and brickmould, is often done at the same time and belongs in the scope rather than as an extra. Where the job changes the cladding type, adds exterior insulation or involves structural repair, the municipality may require a permit, and any fees or drawings it needs are part of the cost.

What Our Quote Spells Out

  • The elevations being re-sided, measured on site, with the siding product, profile and finish named for each
  • Tear-off and disposal of the existing cladding, including stucco and lath where it is coming off
  • The weather-resistive barrier and flashing: at windows and doors, horizontal joints, and roof-to-wall junctions
  • Whether the siding goes directly on the wall or over furring with a drained rain screen cavity
  • Corner boards, window and door trim, band boards and sealant joints
  • How damaged sheathing will be handled and priced if it is found once the old siding is off
  • Soffit, fascia and capping when they are part of the job, plus protection of the yard and clean-up at the end

What It Usually Does Not Include

  • Structural framing repairs, which need the right trade or an engineer before cladding goes on
  • Window and door replacement, and changing the size of any opening
  • Eavestroughs and roofing, unless they are listed as part of the scope
  • Electrical, gas and plumbing changes, such as moving a meter, a vent or an exterior light
  • Building permit fees and any drawings or engineering the municipality requires

If any of these are needed, we say so in writing, so nothing turns up as a surprise halfway through the job.

Comparing Quotes Fairly

Two siding quotes can differ a lot and both be honest. Check whether each one covers tear-off and disposal, names the weather-resistive barrier and says whether it is replaced or only patched, and states whether the boards go directly on the wall or over furring with a drained rain screen cavity. A lower price that leaves out flashing at windows and horizontal joints is not the same job.

Then compare the finishing details: corner and window trim, clearances to grade, roofs and decks, how damaged sheathing will be priced if it turns up, whether soffit and fascia are included, and who confirms the permit question with the municipality. For fibre cement, check whether the quote is for primed boards painted on site or factory-finished ColorPlus, since that changes both the price and the upkeep.

Read how the related siding jobs work

Pricing Questions

Why don’t you publish Hardie board prices on the site?
Because a number on a web page would be a guess, and a guess tends to become a promise. Two houses with the same wall area can be very different jobs: one has sound sheathing and simple corners, the other has stucco to strip, rotted OSB under a window and a walkout elevation that needs scaffolding. We would rather walk the walls, measure and give you a written price for the actual house.
Is fibre cement always worth it over vinyl?
Not always. James Hardie fibre cement is non-combustible and resists hail far better than vinyl, which matters on a wall close to a property line or in a part of the city that keeps getting hit. Vinyl is lighter, costs less and a damaged course is easy to replace, so on a house where budget comes first it can be the sensible choice. Neither is hail-proof. We set out the trade-offs for your house rather than push one product.
Can I save money by doing some of the prep myself?
Sometimes. Moving planters, firewood and stored items away from the walls, taking down hose reels, lights and satellite dishes, and trimming shrubs back before we arrive all save time. Tear-off is usually best left to us: it is where hidden damage to the membrane and sheathing gets found and recorded, and a rough tear-off makes the new wall harder to get flat. Talk to us before taking that on.

Want a Real Number?

Call Calgary Siding Solutions to book a look at the walls. You get a written quote that names the elevations, the siding and trim, what goes behind them, and what is not included.

(587) 324-8484 Request a Quote