Siding Contractor in Coquitlam, BC
Mi Casa Exteriors is a trusted siding contractor in Surrey, offering installation, repair, and replacement.
Almost every article about siding permits is written for American cities. Almost all of them say the same thing: you need a permit to re-side.
In Coquitlam, that’s often wrong.
Coquitlam Usually Doesn't Require a Permit to Re-clad
In Coquitlam, the answer is no, and the city says so in writing.
Coquitlam’s own guidance for minor projects lists work that does not require a building permit. Replacing exterior cladding materials with new and approved materials is on that list, by name.
Coquitlam also states that single-family dwellings do not require a form and character development permit.
Of the cities we serve, Coquitlam is the only one that names siding directly. Everywhere else it falls under general alteration and repair language, which means a permit.
Read the city’s wording closely though. It says new and approved materials. No permit does not mean no code. The BC Building Code still governs the wall, including the 10 mm drainage gap requirement on coastal homes. Nobody inspects it for you, which puts the whole weight of getting it right on your contractor.
That’s unusually clear, and it’s good news for homeowners here. It doesn’t mean nothing applies, though. Two things still can:
- Watercourse Protection Development Permit Areas. In Northeast Coquitlam these cover everything within 50 metres of the top of bank of a watercourse. In the City Centre, Burquitlam-Lougheed, Austin Heights, and Maillardville plan areas they cover 30 metres from the top of a bank or ravine bank. Plenty of Coquitlam homes sit near creeks and ravines.
- Structural work. If we find rot that means replacing sheathing or framing, that's no longer a straight cladding swap.
Tell Us About Your Project
Sharing a few details about your home or project helps us better understand your needs before we connect.
Check your property on the City of Coquitlam building projects page, or call Planning and Development at 604-927-3430. We confirm this before quoting, not after.
Coquitlam's Three Kinds of Housing
- Maillardville and Austin Heights hold some of the oldest housing in the Tri-Cities. Wood siding, stucco, and early vinyl over walls with no drainage gap behind them. These are the homes where we find soft sheathing.
- Burke Mountain and Westwood Plateau are newer and higher up. Different problem. These homes have rainscreens, but they sit on exposed slopes with more wind and more snow load. Failures here are usually at the details: flashing above windows, trim at gable ends, sealant that's given up after 15 years.
- Burquitlam and Eagle Ridge sit in between, with a lot of 1970s and 1980s stock.
The BC Building Code didn’t require a 10 mm drainage gap behind cladding on coastal homes until December 15, 2006. That date splits Coquitlam’s housing stock down the middle.
Signs It's Time to Call
- Trim that gives when you press it. That's rot.
- Staining that returns after washing. Water is getting in above it.
- Gaps at corners and where panels meet trim.
- Cupped, split, or brittle panels. Older vinyl cracks in cold weather.
- Paint peeling on one elevation only. Usually the weather side.
- Moss on a north wall that never dries.
On a Maillardville or Austin Heights home, any of these is worth opening up. Those walls were built without a drainage gap.
On Burke Mountain and Westwood Plateau, look at the details instead. Check flashing above windows and sealant at deck junctions. Fifteen-year-old sealant has usually done its job and stopped.
The Leaky Condo Legacy
Coquitlam has a lot of housing built in the late 1980s and 1990s. That’s the period behind BC’s leaky condo crisis. Thousands of Lower Mainland buildings failed in those years. Water got behind the cladding and had no way to drain or dry.
Single-family homes from the same era were built the same way, by the same trades, in the same climate. They just didn’t make the news.
If your Coquitlam home is from that window and still wears its original siding, it’s worth opening a wall to look. We do that as part of an estimate.
What We Do in Coquitlam
We take the old cladding off, inspect and repair the sheathing, install a proper water barrier, then build a 10 mm drainage gap before new material goes on. That’s a rain screen siding system, and we install one on every job.
For a whole home, that’s siding replacement. For one damaged elevation, siding repair is usually the right call. New construction and additions fall under siding installation.
Material choice follows exposure. Higher, windier Burke Mountain walls do well in fiber cement siding. Vinyl siding still makes sense on sheltered elevations where budget matters.
Working With Our Crew
- In-house crews only. Your job doesn't get handed to a subcontractor
- WorkSafeBC registered, clearance number C136733062
- $2,000,000 general liability insurance
- 25-year workmanship warranty, signed by our company and by your installer
- No deposit. No final payment until you're satisfied
- BBB Accredited
What a Coquitlam Re-side Costs
Size, storeys, cladding, and hidden rot drive the number. Slope access on Burke Mountain and Westwood Plateau adds staging time.
We quote in writing after looking at the walls. If a wall opens up worse than expected, you see it before we spend another dollar.
What Happens on the First Visit
- We walk all four elevations. The street-facing wall is rarely the one failing.
- We check the base of each wall. We look for clearance above grade, staining, and soft spots. We press on trim.
- We check every window head and sill. Those leak more than any other part of a wall.
- We check deck ledgers and railing bolts. Every penetration is a possible leak path.
- If we think there's rot, we open a small test area. Then we close it up.
- After that we write the quote. Not before.
Detached Homes and Strata Townhouses
Coquitlam has a lot of townhouse and low-rise strata housing. The rules are different there.
The strata corporation usually owns the building exterior. You can’t approve a re-side on your own unit. The council decides, and larger buildings often handle it as a full envelope project with an engineer involved.
Detached homes are simpler. You decide, subject to the city rules above.
We work on both. We ask which one you are at the estimate, because it changes the timeline more than the price.
Questions Worth Asking any Coquitlam Contractor
- Does my job need a building permit, and who's calling the city?
- Is my property near a watercourse or ravine?
- Are you registered with WorkSafeBC? What's the clearance number?
- How much liability insurance do you carry?
- Do your own crews do the work?
- What deposit do you want up front?
- Who signs the workmanship warranty?
Our answers are short. WorkSafeBC clearance C136733062. $2,000,000 liability. In-house crews. Zero deposit. A 25-year workmanship warranty, signed by our company and by your installer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a building permit to replace siding in Coquitlam?
No, in most cases. The City of Coquitlam lists replacing exterior cladding with new and approved materials as work that doesn’t require a building permit, and single-family homes don’t need a form and character development permit. Structural repairs or a property inside a Watercourse Protection Development Permit Area can change that. Confirm at 604-927-3430.
Do you serve Burke Mountain and Maillardville?
Yes. Both, along with Austin Heights, Burquitlam, Westwood Plateau, and Eagle Ridge. We’re based at 19340 65 Ave in Surrey and Coquitlam is in our regular service area.
My home is from 1992. Should I be worried?
Homes built before December 15, 2006 generally weren’t required to have a drainage gap behind the cladding. Original siding from the early 1990s is worth inspecting, especially on walls that face weather.
Can you work on a townhouse in a strata?
We can, but the strata usually controls the building exterior. You’ll need strata approval before any work starts, and we’ll ask about it at the estimate.
Book a Wall Inspection
Call 604-603-0257 for a written quote on your Coquitlam home.