Estimating siding cost means building up from the measured quantities to a bid price. The build up is: materials + labor + equipment + subcontractor = direct cost, then + overhead = job cost, then + profit = bid price. Each layer has a range, not a fixed number, and your actuals depend on wall area, siding material, tear off, access, and trim complexity.
What You Are Pricing
A siding estimate covers five scopes: tear off and disposal of the old siding, the sheathing and weather barrier, the siding material itself, the trim and accessories, and the soffit, fascia, and gutters if they are in scope. Each scope has a unit cost, and missing one is how siding jobs lose money.
Measure the wall area in squares. One square equals 100 SF of wall surface. A 2,400 SF two story house with 8 foot walls typically yields 2,400 to 2,800 SF of wall surface, or 24 to 28 squares, after you subtract windows and doors. Measure each wall elevation, subtract openings (about 15 SF per window, 21 SF per door), and that is your siding quantity. Add 10% waste for lap siding, 5% for panel siding.
Separate the system. Vinyl, fiber cement, engineered wood, cedar, and stucco each price differently. Vinyl is the residential baseline, sold by the square and installed fast. Fiber cement runs 2 to 3 times vinyl in material and labor. Cedar is a specialty labor budget. Stucco is a separate trade, often subbed, priced by the square yard. Metal panel siding runs 1.5 to 2.5 times vinyl.
Direct Cost Buildup
Materials. Builder grade vinyl siding runs $90 to $160 per square. Premium vinyl runs $150 to $260 per square. Fiber cement lap siding runs $130 to $230 per square for the material, plus $40 to $80 per square for color match or field paint. Engineered wood runs $110 to $200 per square. Cedar bevel runs $200 to $400 per square. Metal standing seam panel runs $180 to $320 per square. House wrap runs $20 to $40 per square. Flashing tape and window sealant runs $0.50 to $1.50 per LF of opening. Trim board runs $1.50 to $5.00 per LF depending on material. Soffit runs $1.00 to $3.00 per LF, fascia $1.50 to $4.00 per LF.
Labor. Vinyl siding install runs 0.5 to 0.9 hour per square with a 3 person crew on a walkable single story. Two story adds 20 to 40%. Fiber cement runs 1.0 to 1.8 hours per square because every piece is cut, nailed, and caulked. Cedar runs 1.5 to 2.5 hours per square. Metal panel runs 1.0 to 2.0 hours. Stucco runs 1.5 to 3.0 hours per square yard for a three coat system. Tear off runs 0.3 to 0.8 hour per square depending on what is coming off. Burdened wage runs $22 to $45 per hour for a siding carpenter, $16 to $28 for a laborer.
Equipment. Scaffolding for two story runs $400 to $900 per week. Ladder jack and pump jack sets run $150 to $300 per job. A boom lift on a cut up or tall house runs $400 to $800 per week. Dumpster and disposal runs $400 to $700 per 30 yard container, and a 25 square tear off typically fills one.
Subcontractor. Many vinyl and fiber crews are 1099 subcontractors on a per square basis, $150 to $300 per square installed for vinyl, $300 to $550 for fiber cement. Stucco subs run $7 to $14 per SF of wall. Gutter and downspout sub runs $6 to $12 per LF. Window and door flashing sub if the siding contractor does not do it. Permits run $200 to $600.
Step by Step Cost Estimate
For a representative fiber cement siding replacement, 2,400 SF house, 26 squares, one layer tear off, 240 LF soffit and fascia:
- Quantities: 26 squares siding, 26 squares house wrap, 240 LF soffit, 240 LF fascia, 180 LF trim board, 1 dumpster.
- Materials: Siding 26 sq at $180 = $4,680. House wrap 26 sq at $30 = $780. Trim board 180 LF at $3 = $540. Soffit and fascia 480 LF at $2.50 = $1,200. Flashing tape, caulk, nails = $320. Total materials = $7,520.
- Labor: Tear off 26 sq at 0.5 hr = 13 hr. Install 26 sq at 1.4 hr = 36 hr. Trim and detail 12 hr. Total 61 hr x 3 person crew at $32 blended = $5,856. Or subbed at $420 per square = $10,920.
- Equipment: Scaffold $600, dumpster $550, hoist allowance $200. Total equipment = $1,350.
- Subcontractor: Permit $400. Total subcontractor = $400.
- Direct cost: $7,520 + $5,856 (in house labor) + $1,350 + $400 = $15,126.
Factors That Move the Number
Material choice is the biggest swing. Vinyl on the same house runs $4 to $8 per SF installed. Fiber cement runs $7 to $12. Cedar runs $10 to $18. Metal panel runs $9 to $16. Stucco runs $9 to $18 per SF. The wall area does not change, but the material and labor number moves fast.
Tear off and existing condition. A clean vinyl tear off is fast. Aluminum with nail hem and old tar paper underneath slows you. Stucco removal is a demo and dust control job, often $1 to $3 per SF extra. Asbestos siding or transite requires abatement and a specialty sub, which can double the tear off cost. Always test old siding before bidding.
Access and height. A single story walk around house is the baseline. Two story adds scaffolding, ladder work, and 20 to 40% labor. Three story or a cut up house with dormers adds a lift and 40 to 80% labor. Steep slopes against the house force pump jacks or boom lifts.
Trim and detail complexity. Simple corners with vinyl posts are fast. Cedar or fiber cement corners with mitered trim, custom window casing, and dentil moldings are slow. Every window and door has casing, sill, and flashing. Count openings and trim linear feet, not just siding squares.
Moisture management. House wrap, flashing tape, and window sealant are not optional and they are not free. A leaky wall is a callback. Price the building envelope as a real scope.
Common Mistakes
- Using floor area instead of wall area. A 2,400 SF two story house has 2,400 to 2,800 SF of wall, not 2,400 SF of siding.
- Forgetting the waste factor. Lap siding needs 10% waste for cuts and starter courses, panel siding 5%.
- Forgetting the soffit, fascia, and trim. They are often half the labor of a siding job.
- Using a markup instead of a margin. 10% markup on $15,126 gives $16,639, while 10% margin gives $16,807. The gap loses money on tight bids.
- Forgetting to burden the labor rate before marking up. Siding carpenters carry workers comp that base wage does not reflect.
- Setting one profit number for every job. A simple vinyl ranch is not the same profit as a fiber cement restoration with custom trim.
- Not pricing the tear off, abatement, and dumpster. Disposal is real and surprises you on three layer tear offs.
- Not checking the bid price against a per SF sanity check. If your bid is $3.00 per SF on fiber cement and the market runs $8 to $12, recheck the math.
Putting It Together
Take the $15,126 direct cost from the worked example. Apply overhead at 15% of direct cost = $2,269. Apply profit at 10% of (direct + overhead) = $1,740. Bid price = $19,135. That is about $7.97 per SF of wall, or $736 per square, which sits in the common fiber cement range of $7 to $12 per SF installed.
Vinyl siding typically runs $4 to $8 per SF installed. Cedar runs $10 to $18 per SF. Metal panel runs $9 to $16 per SF. Stucco runs $9 to $18 per SF. Use these ranges as a sanity check against your build up, not as a substitute for measuring the actual wall area, trim linear feet, tear off layers, and access yourself.
Numbers are illustrative and vary by region, project size, and material choice. Use them as a sanity check, not a bid. Use your actual overhead and target profit from your books.