Drive through Harbour Landing, Eastbrook or The Greens on Gardiner and you’ll spot it pretty quick. Big flat panels in charcoal, white or warm wood tones, usually paired with regular lap siding. Panels are on a lot of the newer homes in Regina, and more homeowners are asking about them for renovations too.

So what is panel siding?

Instead of narrow horizontal boards, panel siding uses large flat sheets. Fibre cement panels, for example, are 4 ft wide and go up to 10 ft tall. The seams between them become part of the look. You get clean lines, sharp corners and a lot less going on visually than with traditional siding.

Most homes don’t go all panel. The usual approach is an accent: around the front entry, on a bump out, on the garage, or framing a big feature window. Lap siding covers the rest.

Which material should you use?

  • Fibre cement. Made by companies like James Hardie. It’s tough, non-combustible and holds up well to hail, which matters on the Prairies. It can be painted any colour. It does need to be sealed and painted properly so water doesn’t sit in it all winter.
  • Engineered wood. Products like LP SmartSide come in panel formats too. It’s generally lighter than fibre cement and easier to work with, and you get a wood grain look.
  • Metal. Steel or aluminum, usually flat or standing seam. It’s very modern, very low maintenance, and a good fit for accent walls. We can custom bend metal to fit your house.

What we plan before the first panel goes up

Panels look simple. Getting them to look that simple takes work up front.

  • Layout. Every joint shows, so the panel lines have to line up with windows, doors and corners. We lay it all out first, not on the fly.
  • A flat wall. Lap siding hides a wavy wall. Big flat panels show every bump. Older Regina homes sometimes need furring or prep work before anything goes on.
  • Water. Large panels need proper flashing at every joint. On most jobs we also leave a rainscreen gap behind them so moisture can dry out. Regina goes from deep winter cold to spring melt, and water trapped behind a wall causes problems.
  • Cost. Panels run higher per square foot. There’s more planning, more trim detail and a slower install. Using them as an accent instead of on the whole house keeps the budget reasonable.

Combos that work well here

  • Dark charcoal panels around the entry with light lap siding everywhere else
  • A wood tone accent with black windows and black metal trim
  • Metal panels on the garage face, fibre cement on the main house
  • Vertical panels on a two-storey bump out to make the house look taller

Not sure what you want?

Check out the photos on our project gallery page, or drive past a few homes you like and snap some pictures. It’s the quickest way to show us what you’re picturing.

Ready to talk it through? Book an on-site estimate through our website and we’ll go over panel options, layout and budget for your home.