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Calgary-area homeowners re-siding, repairing or recovering from hail

Re-Siding Your Home: What to Expect Start to Finish

Most homeowners only re-side a house once, so it is hard to know what a good job looks like or what a fair quote should cover. The siding you see is the last layer. Behind it sit the sheathing membrane, the flashing over every window and the clearances at the ground and the roof, and those hidden details decide whether the wall stays dry or starts to rot.

We re-side and repair houses across Calgary, Okotoks, Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere, from hail-cracked vinyl on a 2000s two-storey to stucco coming off an older bungalow. This page walks through how a job runs with us, what you will be asked to decide, and what you should expect to see before the walls are closed up.

A walk around every wall first

We look at each elevation, the flashing at windows and roof-to-wall corners, the clearance to grade and decks, and any soft or stained areas. Where a course can be lifted, we look behind it. The quote is built from what the walls actually need, not from a square-footage guess.

Materials compared honestly

Fibre cement, metal and engineered wood resist hail far better than vinyl, and fibre cement is non-combustible. Vinyl is lighter, costs less, and a damaged course is easy to swap. No siding is hail-proof. We set out the trade-offs for your house and budget and let you choose.

Hail damage documented for your adjuster

Hail is typically covered under standard home insurance, but check your own policy: some Alberta policies settle vinyl or aluminum siding claims on an age-adjusted basis. We provide photos, measurements and a written scope you can give your adjuster. The claim itself stays between you and your insurer.

The layers behind the siding

When the old cladding comes off, damaged sheathing is replaced and the sheathing membrane is lapped upper sheet over lower, with flashing at window heads and horizontal joints. Ask for photos of that work before the new siding covers it, because nobody will see it again.

Permits checked, not assumed

Under Alberta’s Permit Regulation, replacing siding with a similar type, for maintenance or appearance and with no structural change, is generally exempt from a building permit. Switching from stucco to fibre cement, adding exterior insulation or changing openings can fall outside that. We confirm with your municipality before starting.

Your yard protected and cleaned up

Gardens, windows and decks along the work area are covered or cleared, old siding and offcuts are hauled away, and the ground along each wall is checked for fasteners and debris before we leave. Tell us about pets, gates and parking at the estimate so the plan fits your house.

How a re-siding job runs with us

  • An on-site estimate: we walk the walls, measure, and talk through what you want the house to look like
  • A written quote naming the siding, trim, membrane and flashing for each elevation, and how hidden sheathing damage will be priced if it turns up
  • Colour, profile and trim choices confirmed in writing before materials are ordered, including what the dealer can actually supply
  • The permit question confirmed with your municipality, and hail documentation ready for your adjuster where it applies
  • Tear-off, repairs, membrane and flashing, siding and trim, then clean-up, and photos of the hidden layers are worth asking for along the way
  • A final walk-around with you before we call the job finished
A two-storey home with new slate blue lap siding and white trim in warm evening light, with a tidy front lawn.
A re-sided family home

Homeowners: Questions

How long does a typical re-siding job take?
It depends on the size and height of the house, how many corners and windows it has, what is coming off, and what turns up behind it. A vinyl-to-vinyl bungalow is a very different job from stripping stucco off a two-storey and replacing sheathing. We give you a realistic timeline with the quote, and tell you straight away if weather or hidden damage changes it.
Will new siding match the undamaged walls after hail?
Sometimes not exactly. Vinyl profiles and colours get discontinued, and weathered panels fade, so new panels may not match the old ones. When an exact match is no longer made, what happens to the undamaged walls becomes a question for your adjuster. We document what is available and what is not, so that discussion is based on facts.
Do I need to be home while the work is happening?
Usually not for the whole job. We need access to every wall, an outdoor power outlet, and the yard and side gates, and we will ask you to move vehicles, planters and anything stored against the house. It helps to be available at the start and at the final walk-around, and reachable by phone in case something behind the old siding needs a decision.

Planning new siding or dealing with hail damage?

Call with the address and what you are seeing on the walls, and we will book an on-site estimate and tell you what the house actually needs.