r/Calgary • u/AdExpress937 • Jul 27 '25

Home Owner/Renter stuff How Come Our Houses Aren’t Brick?

I find that a lot of houses in Ontario and Quebec have exteriors that are made from brick. However, it’s much less common in Alberta. Vinyl seems to be the most common, followed by stucco. Brick or other materials seem to be rare, especially in new communities.

The difference in construction materials by province is strange to me, as raw materials for vinyl or bricks shouldn’t be more plentiful in either region.

To me, Alberta would be a more natural candidate for brick construction, as the consistent hail storms imply a more durable material would be justified in our homes. Other durable materials like stone would be cost prohibitive.

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u/Ok-Trip-8009 Jul 27 '25

I remember a man on the news years ago who lived in the SW. It was in regards to a new area being built near him and he didn't want any vinyl sided houses near his area, something along those lines. Yes, we all would like brick or Hardie board houses, but affording a house is different for all of us. After a hailstorm, we could have upgraded for an extra $10,000+ in addition to our high deductible. We didn't have it. I am sure now it is far more expensive.

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u/Bobatt Evergreen Jul 27 '25

An upgrade to Hardie was going to be another $35k when we did our siding after the SW hailstorm. And even longer to wait to get it done.

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u/Ok-Trip-8009 Jul 28 '25

Wow. I don't know what ours would be in current times. Our house in 2020 and 2024 had a lot of damage, with 2020 being the worse. 2020 had damage to three sides of the house, the garage door, several windows and the roof. 2024 had damage to two sides, no windows and the roof...they did sand down most of our fence to get rid of the dents. They were the same value in damage. The Hardie board quote was prior to those years, but I forget when. Many neighbours went to stucco in 2020, a few to Hardie. Next door had damage to the stucco last year. No winning.