Loan Siding Cost Estimator
Siding quotes bundle three different jobs — tear-off, the siding itself, and trim — into one intimidating number. This estimator unbundles them: pick the material, enter the wall area, and see the tear-off as its own honest line.
Wall area ≈ house perimeter × wall height, minus big openings. A typical 1-story 1,500 sq ft home has about 1,100–1,300 sq ft of wall; a 2-story, about 1,600–2,000. Gables add triangular area — measure them as half the rectangle.
How it works
Installed per-square-foot bands (siding + labour + standard trim): vinyl $7–$11, fiber-cement $10–$15, wood $9–$14, engineered wood $9–$13, stucco $11–$17. Tear-off and disposal of the old cladding adds about $1.50 per sq ft — real work and real dump fees that some quotes bury and others "forget" until day one. What the bands assume: sound sheathing underneath. Rot repair, new housewrap and foam board are legitimate extras, priced per discovery, not per scare.
Method & worked example
Method: Total = wall area × material band (vinyl $7–11, fiber-cement $10–15, wood $9–14, engineered wood $9–13, stucco $11–17 per sq ft) + optional tear-off and disposal at $1.50 per sq ft.
Worked example: 1,200 sq ft of vinyl with tear-off: $8,400–$13,200 of siding + $1,800 tear-off = $10,200–$15,000 installed.
When to use this
- You are re-siding a house and comparing vinyl against fiber-cement with real totals.
- A siding quote lumps tear-off invisibly into the per-foot price.
- You are budgeting a house you just bought with tired cladding.
How to use it, step by step
- Measure wall area: perimeter × height, minus large openings, plus gables.
- Pick the siding material.
- Toggle tear-off if old siding must come off (the usual case).
- Compare quotes per square foot and ask what happens if sheathing is rotted.
What the inputs mean
| Input | What it is | Typical values |
|---|---|---|
| Wall area | Cladding surface in square feet | 1,100–1,300 one-story; 1,600–2,000 two-story |
| Material | Installed band per sq ft | Vinyl $7–11; fiber-cement $10–15; stucco $11–17 |
| Tear-off | Removal and disposal of old siding | $1.50 per sq ft |
Another worked example
1,500 sq ft of fiber-cement with tear-off: siding 1,500 × $10–15 = $15,000–$22,500; tear-off $2,250; total $17,250–$24,750, mid-band $21,000. It is the premium board option — and the one resale surveys consistently reward.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to side a house with 1,200 sq ft of wall?
In vinyl with tear-off: $10,200–$15,000 installed — $8,400–$13,200 of siding plus $1,800 of tear-off. The same walls in fiber-cement run $13,800–$19,800 with tear-off: the material premium buys a 30–50-year, paintable, fire-resistant cladding.
What does 1,500 sq ft of fiber-cement cost?
$17,250–$24,750 with tear-off, mid-band about $21,000. Fiber-cement is heavy and slow to cut — its labour share is the highest of the board sidings, which is why DIY savings are also the largest there.
Vinyl or fiber-cement?
Vinyl: cheapest installed, never painted, colours are through-body but limited, can crack on hard impact in deep cold. Fiber-cement: costs about 40% more, holds paint beautifully, shrugs off fire and pests, lasts decades longer. On resale surveys fiber-cement consistently returns a top-tier share of its cost.
Can new siding go over old?
Sometimes — vinyl over flat, sound wood siding with furring is done; fiber-cement wants a flat, nailed-to-studs substrate and usually means tear-off. Skipping a needed tear-off hides rot and voids warranties; the $1.50/sq ft is rarely the place to save.
What about the trim and corners?
Standard trim is inside the bands here. Elaborate PVC trim packages, shutters, and column wraps are upgrades quoted per piece — ask for them itemised rather than discovering them in the total. The Siding Estimator counts material squares if you are supplying or DIY-ing.
🎨 Keeping the siding, changing the colour?
If the cladding is sound, paint is the cheaper transformation: the Painting Cost Estimator prices interior and exterior pro painting — and the paint gallons if you DIY.
How long does vinyl siding last?
Quality vinyl serves 25–40 years; its colour fades gradually and it cannot be repainted as convincingly as fiber-cement. Impact brittleness in deep cold is its main physical weakness.
Does new siding add insulation value?
Standard siding adds little R-value by itself; insulated vinyl or added foam board under any siding is the upgrade path — priced separately and worth modelling with the Insulation Estimator if energy is the motive.