The Teahouse at Camp Howdy in Belcarra Regional Park had original wood siding that had turned dark grey from decades of West Coast moisture. The structure sits in a forest clearing — shaded, damp, exposed to the full run of BC's rainy season. The old siding had given everything it had.
Three weeks on site, deep in the park. We removed the original cladding, installed building wrap and rainscreen, and replaced it with new cedar plank throughout — vertical installation, black metal trim, clean returns at every opening. The result: a building that belongs in the forest and is built to stay in it.
Before & After
Original weathered wood siding — building wrap and rainscreen installed — completed cedar plank exterior.
Why New Cedar — Not a Synthetic Alternative
A park setting with a heritage feel called for natural material. Here's how we made it last this time.
Belcarra gets the full force of Metro Vancouver's climate — 160+ rain days a year, shade from the tree canopy that keeps wall assemblies damp well into summer, and temperature swings that work at any wood that isn't installed with a proper drainage gap. The original siding had none of that. It was installed direct to the sheathing, and the moisture had nowhere to go.
The rainscreen we installed behind the new cedar changes that equation entirely. Air can circulate behind the cladding, moisture can drain, and the wood dries between rain events instead of staying wet for weeks. Cedar in a properly detailed wall assembly at Belcarra can last generations — that's what this building was built for the first time, and what it's built for again.
Location:Belcarra Regional Park, BC
Date: Septembet 2024
Scope:Full exterior cedar plank siding replacement
Material: Western red cedar plank — vertical installation with rainscreen
Full removal of existing wood siding. Building wrap installed across all walls with properly lapped seams. Rainscreen furring added before any cladding — critical in a shaded, high-moisture forest environment. New cedar plank installed vertically to spec — consistent spacing, tight joints at all corners and window returns, black metal trim at the base and fascia line throughout.
Investment: $26,900
Warranty: 5-year workmanship warranty
Serving the Lower Mainland & Beyond
Pro Max Exteriors works across Vancouver and the Lower Mainland — and takes on commercial, institutional, and park facility projects outside the city when the scope calls for it. Cedar replacements, full envelope upgrades, natural wood installs — if your building's exterior needs to hold up in BC's climate, we'll quote exactly what it takes to do it right.