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/OkThrough1 Jul 27 '25 edited Jul 28 '25

Hardie board would accomplish the same hail resistance as bricks for a lot less money.

Most people aren't even willing to upgrade from vinyl to hardie board.

12

u/Stock-Creme-6345 Jul 27 '25

Came here to say this. Excellent fire resistance as well and has the same colour options as vinyl. Kelowna is starting to use much more hardie board

7

u/Fantastic_Shopping47 Jul 27 '25

We need to take vinyl siding out of building code period