Siding Contractor in South Surrey, BC
Mi Casa Exteriors is a trusted siding contractor in Surrey, offering installation, repair, and replacement.
South Surrey homes take weather from two directions. Wind pushes in off Boundary Bay and Semiahmoo Bay. Rain comes down for months at a stretch. Walls that face southwest carry most of that load, and they’re usually the first ones to fail.
We’re a siding contractor based at 19340 65 Ave in Surrey. South Surrey is a short drive from our shop, so it’s one of the areas we work in most.
One thing worth knowing either way: no permit doesn’t mean no code. The BC Building Code applies to the wall whether the city inspects it or not.
Two South Surrey situations do change the process:
- Crescent Beach. Surrey runs a separate floodplain building permit stream for Crescent Beach. If your home sits in that area, expect extra steps.
- Agricultural Land Reserve parcels. Some land south and east of 32 Avenue sits in the ALR. That mostly affects new structures, not cladding, but it's worth confirming.
Does Re-Siding Need a Permit in South Surrey?
This trips up a lot of homeowners. Most of what you’ll read online is written for American cities, and it doesn’t apply here.
Plan on yes, then confirm.
The City of Surrey lists minor repairs to the exterior of your home as work that doesn’t need a building permit. A full tear-off and re-clad of a whole house isn’t a minor repair. Surrey doesn’t name re-cladding on either list, so the building official decides, and the safe assumption is that a permit applies.
A single damaged panel or one small section is different. That reads as a minor repair, and usually clears without a permit.
You can check the current lists on the City of Surrey residential building permits page, or call the Building Information Line at 604-591-4366. We make that call as part of the estimate.
What Fails First on South Surrey Homes
A lot of the housing here went up between the mid-1980s and the early 2000s. That’s the window when moisture problems were most common across the Lower Mainland.
The BC Building Code didn’t require a rainscreen gap behind cladding on all coastal homes until December 15, 2006. Homes built before that date often have siding fastened straight to the building paper. Water gets behind it and has nowhere to drain.
Here’s what we see most often in South Surrey:
- Soft trim at the base of walls in Ocean Park, where mature trees keep siding damp
- Split and cupped cedar on older Elgin Chantrell homes
- Failed sealant at window heads on southwest walls in Morgan Creek
- Chalky, brittle vinyl on 1990s builds near Sunnyside
- Stucco cracking at corners, then staining below
If the sheathing behind your siding is wet, new cladding on its own won’t fix it. We open a section first and look.
Tell Us About Your Project
Sharing a few details about your home or project helps us better understand your needs before we connect.
How We Handle a South Surrey Re-Side
We pull the old cladding off and check the sheathing. Wet or rotted material comes out. We handle wood rot repair as part of the job, not as a surprise add-on later.
Then we build the wall back with a rainscreen. That’s a 10 mm drainage gap between your new cladding and the water barrier behind it. It’s the same detail the code requires on new coastal builds, and we use it on every install. You can read more about how rain screen siding systems work.
New cladding goes on last. Most South Surrey clients pick fiber cement siding for coastal exposure, since it holds paint well and doesn’t feed rot. Cedar still suits Ocean Park and Crescent Beach homes where the look matters.
Working With Us
We use in-house crews. No subcontractors show up at your house.
- 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. You pay nothing up front, and nothing final until you're satisfied
- BBB Accredited
Grandview Heights, Morgan Creek, Ocean Park, Crescent Beach, Elgin Chantrell, and Sunnyside are all inside our regular route. So is the rest of Metro Vancouver.
What It Costs
We don’t post a price per square foot. Two South Surrey homes the same size can differ by thousands, and the reason is usually what’s under the old siding.
What moves the number: the size of the house, how much rot we find, the cladding you choose, and how many storeys we need to reach. A two-storey home in Morgan Creek needs more staging than a rancher in Ocean Park.
We give you a written quote after we look at the walls. If we find more rot once cladding is off, we show you before we do anything.
Timing Your Project
South Surrey weather gives you a real window. Late spring through early fall is easiest for a tear-off, because open walls dry faster. That doesn’t mean winter work is off the table. It means we stage it differently and expose less wall at a time.
If your siding is soft right now, don’t wait for perfect weather. Water already inside a wall keeps working through the winter. Rot spreads. The repair gets bigger.
What We Check on the First Visit
We don’t quote from the curb. Here’s what we actually do.
First we walk all four elevations. The front wall is usually the one you look at. It’s rarely the one that’s failing.
Then we check the base of every wall. We’re looking for clearance above grade, soft spots, and staining. We press on trim near the ground. Soft trim means water is sitting somewhere it shouldn’t.
Next we look at every window and door. Water gets in at heads and sills more than anywhere else. We check flashing, sealant, and the trim below each opening.
We check deck ledgers and where railings bolt through the wall. Those penetrations leak often.
Then we open a small test area if we suspect rot. It’s a small cut, and we close it back up. It’s the only way to know what the sheathing looks like.
You get a written quote after that, not before.
Questions to Ask a South Surrey Contractor
Use these on us too. A good answer is short and specific.
- Are you registered with WorkSafeBC, and what's your clearance number?
- How much liability insurance do you carry?
- Do your own crews do the work, or do you subcontract?
- What deposit do you want before starting?
- What's your workmanship warranty, and who signs it?
- What happens if you find rot after the siding comes off?
- Is a permit needed for my address, and who calls the city?
Our answers: 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. If we find rot, we show you before we price it. And we’ll call the city with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you serve Crescent Beach and Ocean Park?
Yes. Both are about 15 minutes from our shop at 19340 65 Ave. Crescent Beach jobs may need a floodplain building permit from the City of Surrey, and we’ll flag that during the estimate.
Do I need a building permit to re-side a house in Surrey?
Plan on yes for a full re-clad. Surrey exempts minor exterior repairs, and a whole-house tear-off isn’t minor. Surrey doesn’t name re-cladding either way, so confirm your address with the Building Information Line at 604-591-4366. One damaged section usually clears as a minor repair.
Can you replace siding on a home built in the 1980s without disturbing asbestos?
Homes built before 1990 may contain asbestos in exterior materials. BC law requires a hazardous materials survey before that work is disturbed. We won’t start a tear-off on a pre-1990 home until that’s sorted.
Do I have to repaint after new siding goes on?
Not if you choose pre-finished product. We also do exterior painting if you’d rather field-finish and pick a colour later.
How long does a full re-side take?
Most single-family South Surrey homes run one to three weeks. Weather and rot both add days. We give you a schedule before we start.
Book a Look at Your Walls
If your South Surrey siding is soft, stained, or splitting, get it looked at before the fall rain. Call 604-603-0257 and we’ll come out, open a spot if we need to, and tell you what’s actually going on behind the cladding.