What new siding costs, wall by wall
Siding is bid per square, like roofing — and the wall area is never what people guess. This calculator derives it from your footprint, stories and wall height, deducts your windows and doors, then prices the material, the tear-off and the parts of the job that only show up on an honest quote.
Siding Cost Calculator
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Planning estimate only. Not a bid or quote. See how we calculate this.
The short answer
Siding a typical 1,600 sq ft single-story home costs about $7,200 to $14,700 in standard vinyl, including tear-off, house wrap, trim and permits. Fiber cement on the same house runs roughly $12,600 to $23,200, and brick or stone veneer runs $27,000 to $70,000. The wall area works out at about 1,550 sq ft — more than most people expect, because it is driven by perimeter and height, not floor area.
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Why the wall area surprises people
Homeowners reason from floor area, and it is the wrong number. Wall area comes from perimeter × height, and perimeter behaves differently from area.
Take two homes, each 1,600 sq ft on the ground floor. A simple 40 × 40 square has a 160 ft perimeter. A long, articulated plan with bump-outs and an L-shape can easily run 210 ft for the identical floor area — 30% more wall, and therefore 30% more siding, for a house that looks the same size on paper. This is why two neighbours with the same square footage get quotes thousands apart.
Then add height. A two-story home does not cost twice a single-story: it costs slightly more than twice, because the second storey needs staging or lifts and the crew works slower. And gable ends add area that no floor plan shows at all.
The calculator above estimates perimeter from your footprint with a 1.15 factor for corners and irregularity, adds an allowance for gables, then deducts your window and door share. If your home is unusually long and narrow, or unusually cut up, expect to sit above the range.
Cost by siding material
Installed cost per square (100 sq ft of wall), materials and labor, before tear-off, trim and permits.
| Material | Per square | Per sq ft | Life |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard vinyl | $330–$620 | $3.30–$6.20 | 20–35 yrs |
| Insulated vinyl | $480–$830 | $4.80–$8.30 | 25–40 yrs |
| Engineered wood | $580–$990 | $5.80–$9.90 | 25–40 yrs |
| Fiber cement | $680–$1,170 | $6.80–$11.70 | 30–50 yrs |
| Steel / aluminium | $720–$1,390 | $7.20–$13.90 | 30–50 yrs |
| Natural wood / cedar | $720–$1,340 | $7.20–$13.40 | 20–40 yrs, maintained |
| Stucco | $750–$1,450 | $7.50–$14.50 | 50+ yrs |
| Brick veneer | $1,600–$3,000 | $16.00–$30.00 | 75+ yrs |
| Stone veneer | $2,000–$4,200 | $20.00–$42.00 | 75+ yrs |
Two notes worth having before you choose. Insulated vinyl is often sold on energy savings; the foam backing adds roughly R-2 to R-3, which is real but modest, and its bigger practical benefits are rigidity, a flatter appearance and noticeably better impact resistance. And fiber cement is the default upgrade for good reason — fire, insect, rot and impact resistance with a 30 to 50 year life — but it is heavy, cuts slowly, and needs a crew that works with it regularly. On this material the installer matters more than the brand.
What goes behind the siding matters more
Siding is a rain screen, not a seal. Water gets behind every cladding system ever made; the job of the assembly is to drain it back out. What decides whether your walls last is therefore mostly invisible once the job is done:
- The weather-resistive barrier. House wrap or building paper, lapped correctly — upper sheets over lower, like shingles — so water runs down and out rather than in behind.
- Flashing at every opening. Head flashing over windows and doors, sill pans beneath them, kick-out flashing where a roof meets a wall. Missing kick-out flashing is one of the most common causes of hidden wall rot, because it dumps an entire roof's runoff straight into the wall cavity.
- A drainage gap behind the cladding on materials that need one.
- Air sealing. This is where the actual energy saving lives, not in the siding's R-value.
Because the wall is open anyway, re-siding is the cheapest moment you will ever get to add rigid foam and air-seal properly. Doing it as a standalone project later costs several times as much.
Never side over old siding
Some contractors will offer to install vinyl straight over your existing siding, saving the tear-off line. On a 1,600 sq ft home that is maybe $850 to $1,850 saved. Take the tear-off anyway.
The reasons mirror those for roof overlays but are worse. Any rot, failed flashing or moisture damage in the sheathing stays hidden and keeps spreading, and wall rot is structural in a way roof granule loss is not. You cannot install a proper weather-resistive barrier over an uneven old surface. The wall assembly gains thickness, which pushes window and door trim out of proportion and complicates every flashing detail. And the next owner's inspector will find it.
If a bid is dramatically cheaper than the others, check whether it includes tear-off before you assume you found a bargain.
When insurance pays for siding
Siding is covered when a covered peril damages it — hail, wind, a fallen tree, fire. Hail cracks vinyl and dents metal and aluminium, and siding is one of the most frequently omitted items on a first storm estimate, because the adjuster came for the roof and looked up rather than around.
Two points that decide real money on these claims:
- Matching. If your siding is discontinued or faded beyond a reasonable match, a patch leaves the elevation visibly mismatched. Several states have matching regulations or case law requiring replacement of the full elevation, sometimes the full house, rather than a patch. Raise it explicitly — it is rarely offered.
- Test squares apply here too. Adjusters count impacts per elevation, so damage can be approved on the storm-facing side and denied on the others.
If a storm damaged your roof and siding together, our hail damage claim estimator models the whole claim, siding included, and generates a supplement letter for items left off.
What a siding quote must state
- Square count and how the wall area was measured.
- Manufacturer and exact product line, plus profile, thickness and colour.
- Tear-off or overlay, stated explicitly.
- Weather-resistive barrier: which product, and how it is lapped and taped.
- Flashing detail at windows, doors, penetrations and roof-wall intersections — kick-out flashing named specifically.
- Trim, corners and J-channel: material and colour, since this is where cheap jobs look cheap.
- Soffit and fascia: included or not.
- A per-sheet price for replacement sheathing found rotten, agreed before work starts.
- Disposal, permits and property protection.
- Both warranties — manufacturer and workmanship — with durations stated separately.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to side a house?
A typical 1,600 sq ft single-story home has roughly 1,550 sq ft of wall. In standard vinyl that runs about $7,200 to $14,700 installed including tear-off, house wrap, trim and permits. Fiber cement is roughly $12,600 to $23,200, and brick or stone veneer runs $27,000 to $70,000.
What is the cheapest siding material?
Standard vinyl, at roughly $330 to $620 per square installed. It is also fastest to install, which keeps labor down. The trade-offs are cracking in extreme cold, warping near reflective glass or heat sources, and limited colour options because dark colours fade and absorb heat.
Is fiber cement siding worth the extra cost?
In most climates, yes if you plan to stay. Roughly twice the price of vinyl, but it resists fire, insects, rot and impact, holds paint 10 to 15 years and lasts 30 to 50. It is heavy and needs a crew that knows the product, so installer selection matters more than with vinyl.
Can new siding go over old siding?
Technically yes with vinyl, but it is usually a mistake. Rot, failed flashing and moisture damage stay hidden and keep spreading, the wall gains thickness that complicates window and door trim, and you cannot install a proper weather-resistive barrier. Tear off.
How long does siding replacement take?
A vinyl re-side on an average single-story home is three to five days for a full crew. Fiber cement runs a week to ten days because the material is heavier, cuts more slowly and often needs painting. Stucco and masonry are multi-week jobs.
Does insurance cover siding damage?
Yes if a covered peril caused it — hail, wind, a fallen tree. Hail commonly cracks vinyl and dents metal siding, and it is one of the most frequently omitted items on a first storm estimate. Where an exact match is unavailable, several states have matching regulations that may require replacing the full elevation rather than patching.
Will new siding lower my energy bills?
Siding itself has almost no insulating value. What saves energy is behind it: a properly detailed weather-resistive barrier that stops air leakage, and optional rigid foam adding roughly R-3 to R-6. Since the wall is open anyway, adding foam at re-siding time costs a fraction of doing it standalone.
What should a siding quote include?
Square count and how it was measured, exact manufacturer and product line, tear-off or overlay, the weather-resistive barrier, flashing at windows, doors and roof-wall intersections, all trim and corner detail, soffit and fascia if included, a per-sheet price for rotten sheathing, disposal, permits, and both warranties.
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