Decks, siding and exterior work
The leaky-condo crisis is living memory in this province, and it is the reason drained, vented wall assemblies are standard practice here. Everything on the outside of a house in this region is a water-management detail.
Context
Face-sealed cladding — siding fixed straight onto the weather barrier with no gap behind it — is how this region built for two decades and it is why the province spent billions repairing the result. Water gets past cladding. Every cladding. The question is never whether it gets in, it is whether it can get back out. A rainscreen cavity, typically 19mm of vertical strapping with a vented top and bottom, gives it a drainage path and a drying path.
The same logic governs the details nobody photographs: head flashing over every opening with an end dam, sill pans under every window, the weather barrier lapped shingle-fashion so gravity works with the laps rather than against them, and a roof overhang deep enough to keep most of the rain off the wall in the first place. The photographs on our projects page are of exactly these details, because they are the ones that decide whether the wall lasts thirty years.
On decks: a ledger fixed to a house without proper flashing is the single most common cause of both deck collapse and rot in the rim joist behind it. Where a deck can be freestanding, we build it freestanding.
Scope of work
What is actually in the proposal
Eight line items, each one a row you will see in the written scope, with a plain explanation of what it covers and why it matters here.
- Existing condition review
What is behind the cladding, and whether the sheathing and framing are sound. On any pre-1990 house the survey comes first — asbestos cement siding and stucco are both common here.
- Weather-resistive barrier
Lapped shingle-fashion, taped at penetrations, integrated with flashings so every lap sheds downward and outward.
- Rainscreen cavity
Vertical strapping creating a drained and vented cavity behind the cladding, with insect screen at top and bottom and a clear path for water to leave.
- Flashings
Head flashing with end dams over every opening, sill pans under windows, kick-out flashing where a roof meets a wall. This is the part that is invisible and load-bearing.
- Cladding
Fibre cement, wood or panel, fastened to the manufacturer's spec — which in most cases means fastened through the strapping into framing, not into sheathing alone.
- Deck structure
Freestanding where the site allows it. Where a ledger is unavoidable, it is flashed properly and fixed with the right hardware, and the rim joist behind it gets inspected first.
- Deck surface and guards
Guard heights and opening limits to current code — the numbers changed, and a guard built to the old rule is a liability on a house you intend to sell.
- Drainage
Downspout discharge and grade in the first two metres, because a perfect wall above a wet foundation is a half-finished job.
Questions
About decks, siding and exterior work
Do I need a permit to replace my siding?
In most Metro Vancouver municipalities, yes, once the sheathing or weather barrier is disturbed. Requirements differ city to city and we confirm yours before quoting rather than after.
Is a rainscreen worth the extra cost?
In this climate, yes, and it is not really an upgrade — it is the assembly the province learned to build after the leaky-condo crisis. It adds strapping and detailing to the price. It removes the failure mode that produced two decades of remediation work.
Can you match my existing siding?
Sometimes, and on a partial replacement it is worth asking whether you should. Matching a face-sealed wall means rebuilding a wall assembly that does not drain. We will show you both prices and the reasoning.
Reviews
What Azem's clients say
5.0 out of 5 across 5 reviews, every one of them public, attributed, and linked to where it was posted.
Azem of Durak Homes is everything that one would want in a contractor — reliable, conscientious, efficient, considerate, and knowledgeable. In short, he gets the job done, and leaves the worksite spotless. I am happy to recommend his services.
Bathroom renovation · October 2024 · Verified on Bark
Azem was extremely efficient and very professional. He got the work done and cleaned up everything afterwards. We will be utilizing his services again!
Repairs and carpentry · October 2024 · Verified on Bark
Super efficient. Azem came within an hour, assessed the work and did the repairs quickly and efficiently. He didn't leave any mess. Really happy with the service and would highly recommend him to friends.
Repairs · September 2024 · Verified on Bark
Related
Kitchen renovations
A kitchen is the densest room in the house — services, ventilation, water and heavy cabinetry all landing inside four walls. Most of what goes wrong in one goes wrong behind the drywall.
What's in the scope →
Bathroom renovations
A bathroom is a small room with a water problem. Everything that matters in one is decided in the two days between the framing being closed in and the tile going on.
What's in the scope →
Basement finishing and suites
Finishing a basement is not a framing job. It is a water-management job that ends in framing, and the order matters more than anything else on this page.
What's in the scope →
Whole-home renovations
A whole-home renovation is a scheduling problem wearing a construction costume. The trades are the easy part; the order they arrive in is where projects are won and lost.
What's in the scope →Ready to price it?
Send the age of the house, what you want changed and roughly when. That is enough for Azem to tell you whether he's the right call.