COST! - Information You Should Know About Vinyl Siding
Vinyl Siding Costs!
Why vinyl siding?
Vinyl siding is a popular choice for home siding. Vinyl siding requires little upkeep, so you won't have to worry about insects or decay like you would with wood siding. It is less expensive than materials such as fiber cement siding, stucco, or steel. And you won't have to worry about repainting it every few years.
How Much Does Vinyl Siding Cost?
Low-end vinyl siding projects cost an average of $6,000 ($3/sq. ft.), while extensive vinyl siding projects can be priced upwards of $25,000 ($12.50/sq. ft.). On average, considering a house siding size of 2000 sq. ft., installing vinyl siding around a home costs around $12,000 ($6/sq. ft.), with most homeowners paying between $8,000 and $18,000 or between $4.00 and $12.50 per sq. ft.
National Average: $12,000
Typical Range: $8k to $18k or $4.00 to $9.00 per square foot
Low-End: $6,000
High-End: $25,000
Your total vinyl siding cost will vary based on the siding's quality, the volume of materials required, and your preferred style. If adding vinyl siding is part of a larger home improvement project, remember to consider the cost of new windows, landscaping, and other popular add-ons.
Cost Estimator by House Size
The average homeowner can expect to spend between $6,000 and $25,000 for professional vinyl siding installation. Your total vinyl siding bill spending will vary significantly depending on your home’s size. The bigger your home, the more you can expect to pay for materials and labor.
Vinyl siding installation ranges in cost from $4 to $12.50 per square foot. The size of your house matters, as homeowners with a 1,000 sq.ft. home can expect to pay between $4,000 and $12,500 for vinyl siding. Homeowners with a 4,000 sq.ft. home may receive a total ranging from $12,000 to $54,000 depending on the installer’s install pricing and make/style of materials.
Other Factors Affecting Cost
The size of your home won’t be the only factor affecting the cost of vinyl siding. Vinyl siding prices vary depending on many factors, including the siding’s quality, style, and brand. Removing existing siding to replace it with new vinyl siding will also increase the overall cost.
Factors that affect vinyl siding costs include:
Siding Repairs: A simple repair doesn’t cost nearly as much as installing new siding on your home
Siding Replacement: Need to remove existing siding before installing new siding? Expect a siding removal fee
Labor: Labor costs will vary depending on the installation’s difficulty level
Brand: Some manufacturers are more reputable than others. Buying from a brand you trust will likely cost more
Style: Manufacturers can mold vinyl siding into many shapes and textures. The style of vinyl siding you choose will affect the installation process and overall costs
Quality: Some vinyl siding types are more durable than others, leading to higher costs
Insulated Siding: Vinyl siding with built-in insulation costs more than regular vinyl siding
Architectural Features: If your home has dynamic features or multiple angles, it can make installation more difficult
Siding Repairs
When simple repairs are all your vinyl siding requires, a full replacement of all the siding around your home is not needed. Example: Repair of a 100 sq.ft. section of vinyl siding may typically cost somewhere between $400 to $800 to for the repairs depending on the extent of the damage.
Siding Removal
It is more common for a homeowner to already have existing vinyl siding requiring removal, therefore, it is a much better idea to allow the installers to simply quote the removal of the existing siding along with the new installation cost. The average removal costs may vary somewhere between $1,000 to $3,000 to remove old siding.
The removal cost also includes disposal fees. If it’s vinyl siding you’re removing, you can expect to pay a potentially large disposal bill that could run upwards of $450 or more. most Recycling facilities will not accept PVC products, so Vinyl siding is harder to discard. This translates to your old siding most likely being taken to a landfill.
Labor Costs
There are a variety of styles and types of siding, some of which are more difficult to install than others, which results in increased labor costs. The price of labor will change depending on a number of the parameters that were discussed earlier, such as the thickness, quality, and style of the siding. The brand can and will also affect the total cost as well. Materials and labor will typically cost somewhere between $4.00 to $12.50 per sq.ft. for vinyl siding. The labor alone may go for $1.50 to $3.00 per sq.ft. or more depending on the business.
Brand of Siding
Brand trust is of great importance to many folks looking to purchase vinyl siding. For a trusted brand, a customer is paying for the product’s reliability and quality. Many manufacturers sell acceptable vinyl siding that lasts for years, but some are more reputable brands than others, providing a higher quality of product, leading to higher overall costs of materials.
Just remember, when shopping for your vinyl siding, there are many different manufacturers to choose from, and with different manufacturers comes a range of prices. Do your homework and choose a brand you trust.
Popular vinyl siding brands include:
- Alcoa
- Alside
- CertainTeed (Saint-Gobain)
- Gentek
- Georgia Pacific (Ply Gem)
- James Hardie
- Kaycan
- Mastic (Ply Gem)
- Norandex (ABC Supply Co.)
- Rollex (not the watchmaker)
- Royal (Westlake)
- Veriform (Ply Gem)
- Wolverine
Brand of Siding
Brand trust is of great importance to many folks looking to purchase vinyl siding. For a trusted brand, a customer is paying for the product’s reliability and quality. Many manufacturers sell acceptable vinyl siding that lasts for years, but some are more reputable brands than others, providing a higher quality of product, leading to higher overall costs of materials.
Just remember, when shopping for your vinyl siding, there are many different manufacturers to choose from, and with different manufacturers comes a range of prices. Do your homework and choose a brand you trust.
Popular vinyl siding brands include:
- Alcoa
- Alside
- CertainTeed (Saint-Gobain)
- Gentek
- Georgia Pacific (Ply Gem)
- James Hardie
- Kaycan
- Mastic (Ply Gem)
- Norandex (ABC Supply Co.)
- Rollex (not the watchmaker)
- Royal (Westlake)
- Veriform (Ply Gem)
- Wolverine
Styles of Vinyl Siding
In terms of cost, brick, stone, and timber vinyl siding tend to be the most expensive options. The total price tag, including materials and labor, can change significantly based on the type of siding chosen. Vinyl siding's adaptability lies in its ability to take on the appearance of other siding materials, including cedar shakes, wood, clapboard, stone, and brick. The different styles below show just how versatile vinyl siding can be to provide the perfect aesthetics on the outside of any home.
Traditional Lap Siding (Clapboard)
Traditional lap siding, often known as clapboard, is a horizontal siding design with overlapping planks. When most people think of siding, they see a home with classic lap siding. Each plank's top is narrower than its bottom, making a wedge shape. The thin top of each horizontal plank is tucked beneath the thicker bottom of the plank above it, creating a subtle shadow beneath each plank.
Dutch Lap Siding
Dutch lap siding is a modified version of the traditional basic lap siding. From a distance, dutch lap siding is often mistaken for traditional lap siding. However, upon closer inspection, one will notice each plank’s top portion is concave. This concave portion below the connection points on each section giving it an additive shadowing effect which is a very popular choice for many homes.
Smooth Siding
Smooth siding consists of horizontal, overlapping, flat sided planks that have no texture unlike wood grain. The flat and smooth finish provides a home with a nice clean polished look.
Brick
Brick or brick veneer siding is more expensive. Many brick lovers choose to achieve the appearance of natural brick using brick vinyl siding instead, thereby saving on overall external upgrade costs. Brick vinyl siding provides a classically beautiful look, saving the homeowner substantial amounts of cash on a home improvement project.
Vinyl Stone Siding
Stone is another very expensive siding option that can also be replicated using vinyl. Vinyl stone siding is a good choice as it will deliver a luxurious look for homeowners to enjoy as a much more affordable option than real stone with relatively easier overall installation.
Vinyl Log Siding
To obtain that getaway cabin look and not worry about the upkeep of log siding and the deterrence of termites and rot, vinyl log siding gives that classic log cabin feel that will help keep your home’s exterior pest-free and maintenance-free for years.
Board and Batten
Board and batten is a type of vertical siding. It adds a rustic and textured design to a home and consists of large boards, which are usually 12 inches wide, fastened together by thin, vertical strips of wood called battens.
Beaded Siding
Beaded siding is another type of horizontal siding. Flat planks are covered at the abutting edges, seamed together by a rounded ridge. The ridge casts distinct shadows between each panel, creating an organized and sharp look.
Shake Siding
Vinyl shake siding replicates the look of real wood grain, as shake siding has the appearance of rows of smaller squared or rectangled wooden shingles. Traditional or dutch lap horizontal planks are commonly paired with this shake style to provide an appealing contrast.
Scalloped Siding (Half Round)
Typically reserved for accentuating smaller areas of the outside home covering, scalloped siding pairs well with a horizontal plank siding. This type of siding consists of shingles with a scalloped or curved bottom edge often used as a nice upper row finish to complete a more artistic feel.
Quality of Siding
The cheapest vinyl siding available is always a tempting choice when considering the cost of an exterior upgrade to a home, but inexpensive doesn’t always mean good quality. Installing poor-quality vinyl is never a wise investment for your home and can present many problems in the future from fading, cracking, UV disintegration, and overall degradation of integrity resulting in a shorter lifespan of the product and more expense to the homeowner over time.
Reasons to consider purchasing thicker premium vinyl siding:
Better noise reduction
Higher extreme temperature tolerances
Higher wind resistance
More durability and resistance to sagging or cracking
Thickness is the first way to distinguish cheap siding from higher-grade materials. Vinyl siding thickness ranges between .035 and .05 inches. Quality and price vary significantly over this very small range in thickness. Thicker vinyl siding means it is more durable, it has a longer lifespan, and most likely has a better warranty.
Vinyl is measured in mils or thousandths of an inch:
0.038” – Economy grade
0.040” – Builder’s grade
0.042” – Light residential grade
0.044” – Standard residential grade
0.046” – Thick residential grade
0.048” – Premium grade
Standards have been created by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard 3679 which are used to rate siding. The product fact sheets and packaging should include the ratings of the siding you purchase. Use these points below to choose a product that exceeds the industry’s minimum criteria:
Minimum Panel thickness - 0.040”; 0.042 to 0.045 is better
ASTM standard requires only 0.035 inches
Minimum Soffit panel thickness - 0.05”
Because soffits are installed horizontally and secured only at the edges, the extra thickness helps to prevent the panels from sagging.
Look for anti-weathering protection
Vinyl is faded by direct UV rays
Look for titanium oxide included in the product
Further insight into a particular product’s durability can be obtained by asking the dealer or contractor
Insulated Siding
Insulation will incur and additional cost when installing vinyl siding. It can be placed behind vinyl siding as an add on. Another option, however is vinyl siding with built-in insulation behind the plank which may cost more than average vinyl siding, but less that a separate installation of insulation plus vinyl siding. Insulated vinyl siding costs more than regular vinyl siding without insulation, with prices ranging from $8 to $15 per sq.ft.
Architectural Features
Something else to keep in mind when deciding which type of siding to install is the shape of your home. If your home has intricate or elaborate features, or has lots of odd angles and breaks, installation costs are likely to rise. Additional angles or obstructive elements around your house make siding installation more complex, leading to higher labor costs. Vinyl siding works best for homes that are square or rectangular in shape requiring less cuts and shaping of the materials.
Painting
A significant advantage of vinyl siding as compared to wood and aluminum or other similar siding is that it doesn’t need to be repainted. Vinyl siding is usually exceptional at retaining its color.
However, if a change in color of your vinyl siding is in order, you can always repaint it. The average cost to repaint vinyl siding is $2 to $4 per sq. ft.
Vinyl Siding Pros and Cons
Vinyl siding is not always the right siding material for every home. If products lasting more than 50 years or easily recycled products are more your style, then vinyl might not be the best choice for you. Otherwise, if budget and low-maintenance are more your speed when choosing siding, vinyl is likely a most worthy investment for your home.
Vinyl pros and cons:
Pros:
Low MaintenanceLong lasting lifespan of 20 to 40 years
Retains its color well and doesn’t require repainting
Resistant to damage and insects
Is versatile and has many designsCons:
Vinyl is less eco-friendly, as it is a plasticVinyl doesn’t always increase home value
Vinyl is still vulnerable to potential water damage
Vinyl is susceptible to extreme weather and can crack and bend
Conclusion
For many homes, vinyl siding is a popular option. It may mimic the appearance of various siding materials and comes in a variety of forms, such as clapboard and shakes. It can last for 20 to 40 years, is simple to maintain, and keeps its color. And it doesn't cost a fortune to have all these advantages.
Why stop at vinyl siding if improving curb appeal is the goal? Think about altering the siding color, getting new windows installed, or fixing or replacing the roof. Contact a local landscaper in your area if you want to completely redesign your yard.
The price of vinyl siding is between $4 and $12.50 per square foot, or between $6,000 and $25,000. Installation of 2,000 square feet of vinyl siding costs, on average, $12,000 ($6/sq ft).
Several aspects, like the size of your home and the type and caliber of vinyl siding you select, may cause your overall vinyl siding expenditure to fall within or above the average range. While larger vinyl siding projects cost an average of $25k or more, smaller vinyl siding jobs typically cost $3k to $4k.
