Siding Replacement Cost Calculator
| Material | Installed $/sq ft | 1,800 sq ft, 2-story, with tear-off | Mid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl | $4.5-9 | $11,100 - $22,200 | $16,700 |
| Fiber cement | $6-13 | $14,200 - $30,500 | $22,400 |
| Engineered wood | $5-11 | $12,200 - $26,400 | $19,300 |
| Cedar / real wood | $7-14 | $16,300 - $32,600 | $24,400 |
| Steel | $8-14 | $18,400 - $32,600 | $25,500 |
Siding is priced by the square foot of wall, not the floor plan - a typical two-story home carries 1,500-2,500 sq ft of wall area once gables are counted, and that number times a material band is the whole bid. Installed ranges run $4.50-9 per sq ft for vinyl, $6-13 for fiber cement, $5-11 for engineered wood, $7-14 for cedar, and $8-14 for steel.
The two lines quotes like to forget: every extra story adds ladder, staging and labor - call it 15 percent for a second floor and 25 for a third - and removing the old siding plus disposal adds $1-2 per sq ft. On an 1,800 sq ft two-story re-side, that is the difference between a $14,000 vinyl job and a $16,700 one.
One legal line most calculators skip: if the house was built before 1978, tearing off painted siding disturbs lead paint, and federal law - the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule - requires a certified firm and lead-safe practices. It is a real cost line, and the reason an honest bid on an older home is sometimes the higher one.
How to use
- Measure wall area, not floor area: perimeter times wall height, minus windows and doors (about 15 percent of the total), plus gables - or reuse the wall number from a previous quote.
- Pick the material band: vinyl is the value play, fiber cement the durability-and-fire play, engineered wood the middle path, cedar the look, steel the coastal pick.
- Set stories and tear-off honestly - the staging premium and the removal line are where bids quietly diverge by thousands.
- Compare the mid estimate to your bids, then make each bidder itemize tear-off, disposal, trim, soffits and wrap - those are the classic exclusions.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to side a 2,000 sq ft house?
Wall area on a 2,000 sq ft floor plan typically runs 1,600-2,400 sq ft. At 2,000 wall sq ft, two stories, full tear-off: vinyl lands about $12,400-24,700 (mid $18,500), fiber cement about $15,800-33,900 (mid $24,900), cedar about $18,100-36,200 (mid $27,200). A single story trims each figure by roughly 13 percent; skipping tear-off saves $2,000-4,000.
Is it cheaper to paint or replace siding?
If the siding is structurally sound, repainting runs about $1-3 per sq ft and buys 5-8 years - the cheap move. Replace when paint stops sticking to chalked or warped boards, when annual repair passes roughly a third of re-side cost, or when you want the reset in condition and curb appeal. Painting rotted wood is rent, not ownership: the rot continues behind the paint.
What is a square of siding, and why do bids use it?
A square is 100 sq ft, the unit siding is ordered in, with cut waste built into a normal order. Base installed bands per square: vinyl $450-900, engineered wood $500-1,100, fiber cement $600-1,300, cedar $700-1,400, steel $800-1,400 - before the story and tear-off multipliers. Any bid that never states the square count of your walls is guessing.
Does new siding add value or insulation?
Resale recoups most of the cost - vinyl re-side has historically returned about three quarters at sale, the strongest of the exterior trades - and insulated vinyl adds only R-2 to R-4, worth single-digit percentages on heating bills, not a payback story. The honest case is condition: new siding stops water where it starts and resets thirty years of maintenance.
Do I need a permit or lead-safe certification to replace siding?
Most towns want a permit for a full re-side (a few hundred dollars, often folded into bids). If the home predates 1978, the EPA RRP rule applies: the contractor must be an EPA certified firm using lead-safe work practices. Doing it yourself stays legal on your own home, but the certification is what keeps resale disclosure quiet - ask for the cert number; it is a five-second check.