How Much Does It Cost to Put Siding On a House?

New siding installation is one of those projects that is very necessary to keep your house looking spick and span. There are some significant reasons to bite the bullet and change siding beyond just appearance though. Replacing your siding is a great way to make your home more sustainable by reducing energy waste. Putting on some brand new siding can also hugely increase your home’s value. In some cases, you could stand to recoup as much as 80% of siding installation costs in added home value, which is great if you're preparing to sell your house. 

Even if you don’t plan to sell your home, putting in new siding is a great way to make your home a better place to live. It gives you the chance to strip away your dreary old vinyl siding and get something pretty and new. There are few other ways to so completely change the aesthetics of your house for the better. Modernized exterior cladding also means less maintenance, since newer siding options require far less care than the siding materials of old. 

Tips for Picking the Best Siding Options

If you happen to have peeling lead-painted siding, or flaking asbestos siding, getting it replaced will allow you to remove these health hazards once and for all. After all, we want our homes to be beautiful, safe, and functional, and installing some new siding just might do the trick. But as with all things, there is a cost to buying and installing new siding. If you’re mapping out a budget for your shiny new siding installation, you’ve come to the right place. The typical range for new siding costs is between $5,230 to $16,000 for an average house. However, many different variables come together to give you that final price and knowing them can help you budget for your new siding renovation.     

Aesthetic and Function

Of course, a big component of siding installation costs is the type of siding material itself. Depending on what type you choose, your costs per foot can be quite affordable or rather expensive. Low-cost siding materials such as brick, vinyl, PVC composites, clapboard, and fiber cement siding can cost as little as $2 to $8 per square foot. More premium materials such as hardwood, stone, and stucco can average between $10 and $40. 

Different Siding Options to Fit Your Home's Exterior

Choosing your home exterior cladding is a question of balancing aesthetics and functionality. Whatever material you end up choosing will be a compromise between these two ideals, and vinyl siding is a great example of this. Vinyl, along with other PVC composites, are some of the most affordable cladding options. They are also long-lasting and need very little maintenance, which should increase your home value in the long run. PVC-based siding does however have its share of downsides. Though it can come in many styles and colors, vinyl is generally not perceived to be as visually attractive as more premium materials such as cedar siding and stone siding. This is partly because vinyl must be overlapped when it is installed, creating seams that some may find unattractive. This is also because vinyl’s corrugated surface can become darkened by moisture damage and mold, meaning that vinyl may not age as well as some other materials. 

Why It's Important to Choose Exterior Cladding Carefully

The main cost of vinyl’s longevity is that it’s a poor material when it comes to fire safety. Vinyl releases toxic chemicals when it is burned. And because vinyl cladding leaves an air pocket in your wall, it can cause a fire to spread faster. Vinyl can also be an unattractive material for sustainably-minded homeowners despite its high thermal efficiency since manufacturing creates acid rain-causing gases. All siding materials are a balance of tradeoffs and some compelling advantages. The question of material costs is a question of how much you're willing to pay for the qualities you’re looking for, and what drawbacks you’re ok with. It's not a compromise though, because the beauty of the exterior cladding market is that there is a lot of choice for the discerning consumer. Many siding manufacturers provide warranties for their products as well, which is always a plus. 

A Breakdown of Siding Costs

Once you’ve chosen the cladding material that best fits your needs, it’s time to think about siding installation costs. Installation is going to depend on a bunch of factors, including whether you choose to work with a cladding contractor, and which siding installation method you end up going with. 

The Basics of DIY Siding Installation

Assuming you choose to work with a licensed cladding contractor (recommended) you will be charged between $1 to $50 per square foot for installation. This means that the total installation costs for an average home can range between $2,400 and $100,000.  This range varies depending on where you live, how difficult the installation is, and whether you choose to do a wet or dry installation. Most homeowners will have siding installation costs on the lower end of this cost range because the most commonly chosen siding materials, such as vinyl and wood, tend to be the most affordable as well. 

If you are replacing existing siding, you also have to factor in the cost of removing the old siding. This typically costs between 25 to 75 cents per square foot, totaling from $1,000 to $3,000. Some homeowners may decide to replace their windows and roofing along with their siding to save time and money, and this can add an extra $15,000 on average to your siding replacement project.     

As for price differences in installation methods, wet installation tends to be cheaper since it is simpler compared to a dry installation. It entails attaching siding with mortar and letting it dry. Wet installation doesn’t require any drilling, and it also doesn’t require as much pre-measurement as dry installation. The most expensive installation costs will be for dry siding installation of premium materials such as stone. Dry installation involves attaching siding with metal brackets, and as such requires more precision and pre-measuring than wet installation. Premium siding materials tend to be heavier, and so need more pre-installation measurements to ensure they are put in correctly to avoid unforeseen costs in the future. 

Most Durable Exterior Cladding That Can Withstand the Toughest Conditions

Exterior cladding installation can also be a DIY project for reasonably handy homeowners, especially if you plan to install vinyl siding or some other easier-installation siding material such as wood. In this case, you would only pay for the materials — though your DIY cladding installation would likely take longer than a professional job.  

Don’t forget to factor in permit costs. In some parts of the country, your local government may require you to get a permit before carrying out a new siding installation. Such permits can usually be issued on the same day of installation and cost around $200. Permits take extra time to get but they’re well worth the effort, especially since building without a permit can lead to major fines and costs down the line. Any siding installation which isn’t compliant with building codes and fire codes may have to be removed and redone properly, so it's better to avoid the extra penalty and get a permit.  

Potential Miscellaneous Costs 

How to Get the Best Value On Your Next Exterior Cladding Installation

Nobody likes having to tear something down and start again because they got something wrong, but it can happen. Some common errors include failing to install an underlay. This will make your insulation less reinforced and therefore more likely to get damaged by tree branches and other debris. The average cost for your siding underlay ranges from $100 to $1,700 and repairs can tack an extra $1,700 on top of that total.  

Nailing siding too tightly or too loosely can likewise cause long-term maintenance issues, like cracks, warping, and faster wear. Siding which is too loosely attached may also tear off in inclement weather, and this type of damage could be sufficient to require complete siding replacement.   

For these reasons, it is all the more important to seek out cladding contractors that have experience in installing siding along with the required licensing and certification. The person you hire to install your new siding is far less likely to mess things up if they know their stuff.