New siding changes the way your home looks more than almost any other exterior project. Fresh colour, clean lines, and a finish that holds its own on the block for decades. Siding is also the largest visible surface on most houses, so the choice you make at the quote stage affects how the home looks and performs for the next 30 to 40 years. We’ve installed siding across Winnipeg since 2011, on houses ranging from Tuxedo character homes to Crescentwood Victorians and post-war bungalows in Wolseley.
Behind the look, siding has another job that nobody talks about: it manages water. Done well, it sheds rain, melt, and snow away from the wall behind it, while letting water vapour from inside the house escape outward. When siding fails or was installed wrong, the wall behind it gets wet, the sheathing rots, and you start finding mould on the inside of your drywall years before you ever see a problem outside. So we treat siding as both a curb-appeal project and a long-term protection job at the same time.
Every siding job starts with what’s behind the old siding, not what’s going on top of it. We tear off the existing siding down to the sheathing, inspect for rot, check the house wrap and vapour barrier, and fix any issues before the new siding goes on.
Once the wall is sound, we install house wrap, strap if needed for ventilation behind the new siding, and install the new siding to manufacturer specifications. For vinyl, that means proper allowance for thermal expansion. Vinyl moves significantly between -40°C winter and +30°C summer, and panels nailed too tight will buckle. For Hardie board, that means proper joint flashing, butt-joint treatment, and paint touch-ups at cut edges.
While the siding is off, the wall is also a chance to add rigid foam insulation underneath the new siding. Rigid foam adds R-value to the exterior of the wall, makes the home noticeably more energy efficient, and brings older houses closer to modern insulation standards without opening up the interior walls. Worth considering on any home where the siding is coming off and the wall cavity isn’t going to be touched again for decades.
At the transitions (windows, doors, corners, the bottom edge, the roof line) we use proper flashing and trim. The transitions are where most siding failures start, and they’re where careful installation work pays off over the lifetime of the siding.
We install vinyl and James Hardie fibre cement as our most common siding choices, and we also install CanExel, LP SmartSide, and Gentek Aline as additional premium options. Each fits a different combination of budget, look, and lifespan, and each has a different install. If you have a specific brand or product in mind that isn’t listed, we can usually source it during the quote.
The most common siding material in Winnipeg for good reasons: it’s affordable, comes in a wide colour and profile range, and holds up well to our climate when installed properly.
James Hardie fibre cement is typically chosen for character homes in River Heights, Crescentwood, and similar neighbourhoods where vinyl looks out of place. Hardie is a different install than vinyl: heavier panels, specialized cutting, flashed joints. Worth doing properly on the right house. Ask during the quote if you want Hardie as an option.
Most siding problems start with what’s behind the siding. We tear off the existing material, inspect the sheathing and wrap, and fix anything that needs fixing before the new panels go on. That work is where the lifespan of a siding job comes from.
Common siding questions in Winnipeg are about cost differences between vinyl and Hardie, whether siding can go on in winter, partial replacement, and what happens to the wall behind the old siding. Plain answers below.
Hardie siding typically costs about twice as much as vinyl for materials, and installation runs higher because Hardie is heavier and the install is more involved. The lifespan difference makes up for it on the right house (vinyl lasts 30+ years, Hardie lasts 40+) but vinyl is the right call for most budgets. We can quote both during the visit so you can make the call with real numbers.
Vinyl can go on in moderate winter weather (down to about -10°C) but becomes brittle in deeper cold and can crack during installation. Hardie can go on year-round but requires careful handling of joint sealants and paint touch-ups when temperatures drop. We schedule most siding work between April and October when both materials install best.
Yes, if the rest of the siding is in good shape and matching the existing colour and profile is realistic. Older vinyl that’s faded over time can be hard to match exactly. We’ll show you the closest current option so you can decide whether the colour difference will be visible from the street.
Sometimes. On older Winnipeg homes (especially anywhere there’s been an eavestrough overflow problem, ice damming, or window seal failure) we often find soft sheathing in localized areas. Replacement sheathing is quoted as an extra to the siding job because we can’t see it until the old siding is off. We’ll show you photos and explain the cost before doing the work.
For a typical Winnipeg bungalow, a full vinyl re-side runs three to five days. A two-storey home with complex trim work can take a week or more. Hardie installations take roughly 30-40% longer than vinyl due to the weight and detail work. We’ll give you a realistic timeline during the quote.
If your siding is fading, cracking, or pulling away from the wall, get in touch. We’ll come measure, look at what’s behind the old siding, and give you a quote on vinyl, Hardie, and other siding options within 72 hours.
Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
