Siding Cost Calculator
A re-side's price is mostly wall area times an installed per-square-foot rate that swings with material — vinyl $3–$12, fiber cement $5–$14, engineered wood $6–$15, wood $7–$17 — then stories, tear-off, and complexity nudge it. This estimator sizes the walls from your house footprint, prices all four materials side by side, and counts the squares, starter strip, and housewrap too, so you can see where the money goes. Last updated July 6, 2026.
Estimated total
$10,057–$40,229
Vinyl · 32.3 squares
Low $10kMost likely ~$23,432High $40k
$10k – $40k · $7 per square foot (/sq ft) · 32.3 siding squares (1 square = 100 sq ft)
Confidencehigh
Material takeoff
- Siding to order
- 32 squares
- Starter strip
- 150 lf
- Housewrap
- 3,075 sq ft
- Outside corner posts
- 76 lf
- Vinyl boxes (2 squares/box)
- 17 boxes
Cost breakdown
- vinyl siding (installed)
- $10k – $39k
- Permit allowance
- $100 – $400
- Total
- $10k – $40k
- Most likely
- $23,432
- Wall area = footprint perimeter × 19 ft grade-to-eave height; a 1.5:1 rectangle is assumed when only the perimeter is known.
- 2 gable triangles estimated at a 6/12 pitch for the "gable" roof style.
- Openings reduced at 75% of their area (trim and cuts eat part of the saving); waste factor 13%.
- Permits vary by city; HOAs often control material and color. Hail-prone areas favor fiber cement over vinyl.
Compare materials
- VinylSelected
- $10k – $40k
- Fiber cement
- $17k – $47k
- Engineered wood
- $20k – $50k
- Wood
- $23k – $57k
The same house in each material — same size, openings, site, and state.
iBallpark estimate for planning, not a bid. Wall area is estimated from your footprint — a contractor will measure each wall. Excludes hidden rot, sheathing replacement, and structural repairs found at tear-off. Get 3 local quotes before signing.
How this estimate works
- Footprint → wall area is the backbone. Wall area = footprint perimeter × grade-to-eave height, plus estimated gable triangles for the roof style, minus a share of the windows and doors (trim and cuts eat part of that saving — you pick how much to subtract).
- You pay for the order area, not the net wall. A waste factor for cuts and overlaps turns net area into the order area (in squares — 1 square = 100 sq ft), and the installed $/sq ft rate is applied to that.
- Multipliers layer on top. Story count (staging and lifts), how cut-up the house is, your state's labor market, and a small-project premium under 500 sq ft each adjust the subtotal; tear-off and a permit allowance are added as their own lines.
- What's excluded: hidden rot and sheathing replacement found at tear-off, structural repairs, window/door replacement, and painting — the site-specific extras a contractor prices after opening the walls.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does siding cost per square foot in 2026?
- Installed (material, labor, and normal trim): vinyl runs about $3–$12 per sq ft, fiber cement $5–$14, engineered wood $6–$15, and natural wood $7–$17. Stories, complexity, and your state's labor rates move the number within those bands.
- What does it cost to re-side a typical 2-story, ~2,000 sq ft house?
- A two-story house on a 40 × 25 ft footprint (about 27.4 siding squares) runs roughly $8,997–$35,989 in vinyl at the national average; the same house in fiber cement is about $14,923–$41,915.
- What is a siding "square"?
- A square is 100 sq ft of wall — the unit contractors quote and suppliers sell by. The calculator converts your footprint into squares after adding gables, subtracting a share of the openings, and applying waste (vinyl also ships ~2 squares per box).
- How much does tearing off old siding add?
- Tear-off and disposal add about $0.75–$2 per sq ft on top of the new siding. The calculator adds it as its own line when you choose tear-off — and note that tear-off is when hidden rot shows up.
- Why does my contractor's measurement differ from this estimate?
- This tool estimates wall area from your footprint: perimeter × wall height, plus estimated gable triangles, minus a share of the windows and doors. A contractor measures each wall, so bays, dormers, cantilevers, and attached garages shift the real area. Treat this as a planning range, not a takeoff.
- Does the estimate include rot or sheathing repair?
- No. Hidden rot, sheathing replacement, and structural repairs found at tear-off are the classic siding change orders and are excluded — they can't be priced until the old siding comes off. The estimate does carry a $100–$400 permit allowance.
Related calculators
- Fence Cost Calculator — pricing the yard's other big line item.
- Driveway Cost Calculator — asphalt, concrete, pavers, or gravel with the same show-the-math approach.
Wondering where these numbers come from? Read our methodology.