Siding Replacement
Protect the Walls Your Roof Can’t Reach
Your siding is the wall’s first defence against wind, water, hail, UV, and temperature extremes. When it fails, moisture enters the assembly.
Siding protects your home’s exterior walls from the same forces that attack your roof: moisture, wind-driven rain, hail impact, UV radiation, and freeze-thaw cycling. In Alberta, siding is frequently damaged alongside roofing during hailstorms, making it a natural extension of storm damage repair.
We handle full siding replacement in fibre cement, vinyl, and engineered wood, often coordinated under the same insurance claim as your roof for maximum efficiency and minimum disruption.
Siding Material Options
Fibre Cement (James Hardie)
The premium choice for Western Canadian conditions. Fibre cement is engineered from cement, sand, and cellulose fibres to create a material that resists impact, fire, moisture, and UV degradation.
Why we recommend it:
- Superior impact resistance — withstands hail far better than vinyl
- Class A fire resistance — excellent for wildfire-risk zones like Kelowna
- Dimensional stability — doesn’t warp, buckle, or melt in extreme heat
- Long paint retention — holds colour significantly longer than wood
- 50-year limited warranty from James Hardie
- Available in lap, shingle, board-and-batten, and panel profiles
Considerations:
Higher upfront cost than vinyl. Heavier material requires proper fastening and handling. Professional installation is essential because improper nailing voids the warranty.
Vinyl Siding
The most common siding material in residential construction. Vinyl is cost-effective, widely available, and requires minimal maintenance.
Advantages:
- Lower upfront cost
- Wide range of colours and profiles
- No painting required — colour runs through the material
- Lightweight and easy to install
- Good performance in moderate climates
Limitations:
- Lower impact resistance — cracks and shatters under hail impact
- Can melt or deform from reflected heat (windows, barbecues)
- Fades over time, especially on south-facing walls
- Becomes brittle in extreme cold, increasing vulnerability to impact
Engineered Wood
A premium option that delivers the appearance of real wood with improved moisture resistance and dimensional stability compared to natural wood siding.
Advantages:
- Authentic wood appearance and texture
- Better moisture resistance than natural wood
- Available in multiple profiles and pre-finished colours
- Paintable and stainable for custom finishes
Considerations:
Requires periodic re-staining or painting (every 5–7 years). Higher cost than vinyl. Less impact-resistant than fibre cement.
We help you weigh these factors against your priorities—budget, aesthetics, maintenance tolerance, climate exposure, and insurance considerations—and recommend the material that makes the most sense for your specific situation.
How We Handle Siding Replacement
- Full existing siding removal and disposal
- Inspection of the underlying sheathing, housewrap, and wall assembly for hidden moisture damage
- Repair or replacement of any compromised sheathing or framing
- Installation of new housewrap or weather barrier if required
- Professional siding installation with manufacturer-specified fastening patterns
- Trim, corner, and window casing finishing
- Soffit and fascia coordination if included in the project scope
- Full site cleanup and debris removal
Siding & Insurance Claims
After a hailstorm in Alberta, siding damage is typically covered under the same insurance claim as roofing. However, the claims process has important nuances that many homeowners don’t know about:
ACV vs. RCV on Siding
Just like roofing, some insurance policies now apply Actual Cash Value (ACV) rather than Replacement Cost Value (RCV) to siding claims. ACV pays the depreciated value, meaning a 15-year-old siding installation may only receive a fraction of the replacement cost. Understanding your policy before a storm hits is important.
Supplementing for Full Scope
Insurance adjusters sometimes miss siding damage or underscope the affected area. They may note damage on the south-facing walls but miss the west elevation. Our documentation captures damage at every elevation, and we file supplements to ensure the estimate covers the full scope of replacement needs
Coordinated Replacement
When both the roof and siding are damaged, we coordinate the full exterior replacement as a single project. This is more efficient (scaffolding and equipment are already on site), reduces overall project timeline, and ensures consistent quality across the entire exterior envelope.
Signs Your Siding Replacement Is Out of Balance
These symptoms indicate your attic ventilation system isn’t working as designed. Each connects to a specific failure point we check during the assessment:
- Ice dams forming at the eaves despite adequate insulation — suggests exhaust is pulling indoor air rather than soffit air
- Frost or mold-like staining on the underside of the roof deck — moisture is condensing on cold wood surfaces
- Attic rain — dripping from the attic during Chinooks or spring thaws as accumulated frost melts simultaneously
- Hot second storey that the A/C can’t keep up with in summer — superheated attic radiating down through the ceiling
- Musty or stale smell in upper floors — trapped humidity and stagnant air in the attic space
- Blocked or painted-over soffit vents — intake completely eliminated, system cannot function
- Multiple exhaust vent types installed on the same roof — ridge, box, and turbine vents, short-circuiting each other
- Bathroom or kitchen fans venting into the attic instead of to the exterior — pumping litres of moisture directly into the roof system
- Rusted nail tips protruding through the roof deck — condensation from trapped humidity is corroding fasteners
- Peeling exterior paint near the roofline — moisture escaping through the soffit area
If you recognise three or more of these symptoms, the ventilation system is almost certainly out of balance. The root cause is identifiable during a Home Performance Assessment.
How We Fix Siding Replacement
We don’t guess. We measure, diagnose, and correct the balance. Here’s our process:
Step 1: Measure Existing Capacity
We calculate the existing intake and exhaust capacity against the 1:300 ratio for your attic’s insulated ceiling area. This tells us exactly how far out of balance the system is, and where the shortfall lies.
Step 2: Identify Blockages
We check every soffit vent for blockages (insulation pushed into the cavity, painted-over screens, debris accumulation). We also verify that exhaust vents are clear and functional.
Step 3: Evaluate Vent Types
Mixed exhaust vent types (ridge + box, ridge + turbine) are identified and assessed for short-circuiting. We recommend a unified exhaust strategy that functions as a single system rather than competing components.
Step 4: Check Fan Routing
Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans are verified for proper exterior routing. Fans venting into the attic (a severe code violation) pump enormous volumes of moisture directly into the roof system. This single deficiency can destroy a roof from the inside out within a few years.
Step 5: Install or Correct
Based on findings, we install soffit baffles, add or replace exhaust vents, clear blocked intakes, re-route improperly vented fans, and restore the intake-exhaust balance. Every correction is documented with before-and-after photographs.
Siding Questions
Can hail damage to siding be covered by insurance?
How long does siding replacement take?
How do I know if I need siding repair vs. full replacement?
Can you match my existing siding?
Is fibre cement worth the extra cost over vinyl?
Do you inspect the wall assembly behind the siding?
