Nordic Bears Exteriors
604-910-8981Book Your Free Inspection

Siding & building-envelope specialists in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island

Know exactly what your siding project will cost, before you commit to anything.

Book Your Free InspectionSee our work
  • Free 12-point inspection with photo report
  • Exact written price within 48 hours

Most quotes arrive within 48 hours. On larger projects it can take a little longer while we confirm material pricing with the manufacturer.

  • Owner-runAlex or Nick on every job
  • WorkSafeBC registeredClearance letter on request
  • $2M liability insuranceCertificate on request
  • James Hardie contractorInstalled to Hardie spec
  • Longboard installerAluminum siding systems

Who and what we work with

  • James Hardie
  • Longboard
  • Tyvek HomeWrap
  • Western red cedar
  • Vinyl siding
  • Rainscreen systems

What we do

Siding, the envelope behind it, and the details that keep water out. Every job over a proper rainscreen.

  • James Hardie shingle siding under an eave

    James Hardie fiber cement siding

    The workhorse for Vancouver rain: no rot, no burning, colour that holds for decades.

    Read moreShow less

    Hardie backs it with a 30-year product warranty and a 15-year finish warranty on ColorPlus colours. We install it to Hardie's spec: clearances, flashings and a proper rainscreen behind every board.

  • Looking up at a modern house clad in wood-grain aluminum planks with black trim

    Longboard aluminum siding

    The clean, modern look: long planks in wood-grain or solid finishes, no maintenance, no rot, ever.

    Read moreShow less

    Often paired with Hardie for soffits, accents and entries. Finish and substrate carry the manufacturer's warranty.

  • A gable end in new western red cedar bevel siding with white trim and a louvered vent

    Cedar siding

    The natural West Coast look, over a proper rainscreen, finished so it lasts.

    Read moreShow less

    With honest advice about the upkeep it needs and when it's the right choice for your house.

  • A two-storey house in pale grey vinyl lap siding, seen from the sidewalk

    Vinyl siding

    The budget option, installed with the same care as everything else.

    Read moreShow less

    Rainscreen, flashings, clean trim. We'll tell you when vinyl is the right call for your home and when it isn't.

  • A house corner mid-install: taped house wrap, vertical strapping with an open gap behind the new lap siding, and a perforated vent strip at the base

    Rainscreen & building envelope

    A drainage and ventilation gap behind the siding, over the weather barrier that keeps water out.

    Read moreShow less

    Weather barrier, flashings at every opening, strapping, then the cladding. Standard on every re-side we do, photographed layer by layer.

  • Old siding removed below a window, exposing rotten sheathing beside a new plywood patch

    Rot & envelope repair

    Soft spots, staining, bubbling paint, leaks at windows and decks.

    Read moreShow less

    We open it up, photograph what we find, fix the cause and re-flash it. Small jobs welcome — they're how the big problems get caught early.

  • Soffit and fascia at a shingle-clad corner

    Soffit, fascia & trim

    The edges that finish a house and keep water out of the roofline.

    Read moreShow less

    Done on their own or as part of a re-side.

  • A row of townhouses clad in dark fibre-cement panels with cedar entry accents

    Townhouses & strata buildings

    Envelope re-clads for stratas and townhouses, council package included.

    Read moreShow less

    We prepare the council package, handle the approval, and know how to work around occupied units.

Example photographs of the work. Our own jobs are in Recent work, just below.

Recent work across Metro Vancouver

  • Finished shingle wall with a new window
    Metro Vancouver // James Hardie shinglesFull re-side with new window trim and soffit
  • Blue lap siding going on over house wrap
    Metro Vancouver // Lap siding over new house wrapWrap, flashing and lap siding on a new build
  • House with a metal roof mid re-side
    Metro VancouverRe-side in progress, garage still in wrap
  • Shingle siding meeting the soffit at a corner
    Metro Vancouver // James Hardie shinglesSoffit, fascia and shingle corner detail

The part of the job you'll never see is the part that matters most

Siding takes the first hit of the rain. Behind it, the rainscreen creates a drainage and ventilation gap, while the weather-resistant barrier behind that is the main water-resistive layer. Every re-side we do gets the full assembly, photographed layer by layer.

Read moreShow less

Vancouver learned this the hard way in the leaky-condo years. The BC Building Code requires a drained cavity behind siding in our wet coastal climate. Many homes built before that rule, and plenty built after it, don't have one.

We photograph every layer before it's covered, and those photos go straight into your group chat.

The wall as framing and sheathing onlyThe same wall with the weather-resistant barrier added over the sheathingThe same wall with the metal flashing added along the baseThe same wall with vertical strapping added, leaving an open drainage cavityThe finished wall with the siding fastened over the drainage cavity

How we build every wall. A diagram, not a photo of a job.

  1. 01

    Sheathing, checked and repaired

    The structure everything else fastens to. Anything soft gets replaced before it's covered up. You see the photos first.

  2. 02

    Weather-resistant barrier

    The main water-resistive layer. Lapped and taped, bottom to top, so rain that gets past the siding never reaches your framing.

  3. 03

    Flashings at every opening

    Windows, doors, deck ledgers, rooflines. That is where leaks usually start. Each one gets flashing that sends water out.

  4. 04

    Strapping for the drainage gap

    The rainscreen: a drainage and ventilation gap behind the cladding, required by BC code. Water runs down and out; air dries what is left.

  5. 05

    The siding

    Fastened to the manufacturer's pattern, so their warranty holds. The part you see is the part doing the least work.

Your home in its new siding — before you spend a dollar

We photograph your home and show you a realistic picture of it in the siding and colour you're considering. Drag the slider and compare: your walls today, your walls after.

The same house after a full re-side: new lap siding, white trim and clean fascia
A tired two-storey home with faded, weather-stained siding before the work
TodayAfter
An example of the mockup you receive with your report. Yours is made from photographs of your own home.

We make one for every inspection we do. It's part of the report.

The no-surprises promise

If we open a wall and find hidden damage, we stop, show you photos, and get your approval before any extra work happens, at rates already written into your quote. You will never see a number for the first time on an invoice.

  1. We open the wall

    Tear-off starts and the old cladding comes off.

  2. We find something

    Rot, water ingress, a repair someone hid.

  3. We stop and send photos

    Work pauses. The photos go into your group chat.

  4. You approve the rate

    At the price already written into your quote.

Nothing extra happens without your word on it.

A Nordic Bears crew member in a hard hat taking a moisture reading on weathered cedar shingles, a tablet under his arm

Why most siding quotes are a guess

A number from the sidewalk isn't a price. Nobody knows what's behind twenty-year-old siding until someone looks: the rainscreen, the wrap, the flashings, the sheathing.

A contractor who hasn't looked either pads the number or finds "surprises" later. Either way, you pay for the guess. We check first.

No guessing.

The inspection is the only way we can put one number on paper and stand behind it.

No ghosting.

Your inspection slot is confirmed in writing, we show up, and your quote lands within 48 hours — not "we'll get back to you."

No mystery deposit.

The only money before work starts is for your own materials — itemized in your quote, ordered for your house, delivered to your property. Labour is paid as it lands on your walls.

No invented rot, no missed rot.

You see photos of what's behind your walls before we touch anything, and you approve any extra work at rates already written in your quote.

Three things you get before you spend a dollar

  1. A free 12-point siding & rainscreen inspection.

    About an hour on your property, checking the twelve things that decide whether a home survives BC weather.

    Read moreShow less

    We check siding condition, rainscreen and ventilation, flashings, moisture red flags, seals, trim, drainage, and more. You get a plain-language photo report of exactly what we found. It's yours to keep, whether you hire us or not.

  2. Your home in its new siding — before you spend a dollar.

    A realistic picture of your own home in the siding and colour you're considering.

    Read moreShow less

    We photograph your home and show it to you in James Hardie fiber cement, Longboard aluminum, vinyl, or cedar. Drag the slider and compare: your walls today, your walls after.

  3. An exact written quote within 48 hours.

    Itemized materials, labour and timeline. A fixed price for the scoped work, not a range.

    Read moreShow less

    The price we quote is the price you pay. Your quote stays valid for six months: the labour price is locked for all six, and the material price too, unless the supplier moves it by more than 5% before you sign — then only the material line changes, and you see why.

  • 12 pointsFree inspection at your home
  • 48 hoursTo an exact written price
  • 6 monthsYour price stays valid
  • 6 yearsWorkmanship warranty

Book Your Free Inspection

How payment works

Your project total is paid in five parts. The first buys all of your materials up front, because your siding is custom-ordered for your house and can't go back to the supplier. Every payment after that is due only when you can see that stage finished on your home.

Drag the blue handle, or tap a milestone, to see what is due when.

Materials ordered

25% of the total

Covers 100% of your materials, bought up front: itemized in your quote, custom-ordered for your house and delivered to your property. They're yours from day one.

Paid so far, of your project total25%

You never pay for work you can't see; we never work deep into an unpaid job.

While we work

  • You always deal with an owner.

    Every Nordic Bears job is run personally by Alex or Nick — the people who quoted your project are regularly on your site, not a foreman you've never met.

  • A private group chat with you from day one.

    Photos, progress and every detail we find behind your walls go into it as we work. You'll never wonder what is happening.

  • The same core crew from the first day to the last.

    If life takes one of them out mid-job, we replace them immediately — your deadline doesn't move.

  • A 6-year workmanship warranty on every job

    — plus the manufacturer's warranty on the products we install.

  • Permits and strata approvals, handled.

    If the job needs a municipal permit, we pull it. If your strata council has to approve the change, we prepare the package and deal with the follow-up. You sign; we chase.

  • Your property, treated like ours.

    At the end of every working day the site is tidied and materials and tools are stored safely.

Scaffolding against a shingle wall corner during a Nordic Bears re-side
On site: scaffold up, corner in progress. [[TARAS: swap for a photo of Alex and Nick when it arrives]]

Where we work

Across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, and on Vancouver Island from Victoria through Nanaimo and up-island. Not sure if you're in range? Ask — the inspection is free either way.

Metro Vancouver

  • Vancouver
  • North Vancouver
  • West Vancouver
  • Burnaby
  • New Westminster
  • Richmond
  • The Tri-Cities
  • Surrey
  • Delta
  • White Rock
  • Abbotsford

Vancouver Island

  • Victoria
  • Nanaimo
  • Parksville
  • Up-island
The four areas we cover. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Questions homeowners ask us

Is the inspection really free?

Yes. About an hour at your home, and we'll stay as long as you have questions. A photo report you keep, no obligation. We do it because it's the only way to give you an exact price instead of a guess.

What happens if you find rot behind the siding?

We stop, show you photos, and you approve any extra work at the rates already in your quote. Nothing extra happens without your OK.

How long does a full re-side take?

Most detached homes take two to four weeks from tear-off to final walkthrough. Your quote states the start date and the duration.

Do you work in the rain and in winter?

Yes. Vancouver winters are wet, not frozen. We stage the membrane and wrap so your walls are never left open to the weather overnight.

Do you handle permits and strata approvals?

Yes. If your municipality requires a permit for the work, we apply for it. If you live in a townhouse or a strata building, we prepare the package for your council and handle the approval. You don't chase anyone.

Which siding is best for a Vancouver home?

It depends on the house, the budget and the look you want. Hardie for durability and fire resistance, Longboard for a modern zero-maintenance finish, cedar for the natural look with some upkeep, vinyl for budget. The mockup is how most people decide.

Do you work on townhouses and strata buildings?

Yes. We take on strata and townhouse re-clads, handle the council approval, and know how to work around occupied units.

Where do you work?

Across Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island. See the list above.

Know your number in 48 hours

Book the free inspection. We'll call you within 15 minutes during business hours to confirm a time.

  • 12 pointsFree inspection at your home
  • 48 hoursTo an exact written price
  • 6 monthsYour price stays valid
  • 6 yearsWorkmanship warranty

Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm

Or call 604-910-8981

By booking you agree that Nordic Bears may contact you about your inquiry by phone, text or email. No marketing lists, no spam. See our Privacy Policy.

CallBook inspection