Our house siding cost comparison can help you considerably in narrowing down your options for exterior cladding. One point to keep in mind; upfront siding costs has to be balanced with overall costs.
Overall cost means materials and installation, maintenance cost, how long will it last and how it will affect the look and resale value of your home. Since that is a lot to consider (especially if you are just beginning the process of buying siding), the majority of homeowners should speak with several siding contractors to get their take on what the right fit is for their situation. See our article on, “10 Steps To hiring The Best Siding Contractors” for more information.
House Siding Cost Comparison List
The list below can give you a general idea of house siding costs, although there will be variation within each type of siding from the low end to high end grades. As well, certain siding types have high installation costs; for instance, fiber cement costs a lot to install because special cutting tools are needed and it is quite labor intensive. The house siding cost comparison below is for 2010 prices and is an average price for both materials and a contractor installation.
Vinyl
Between $1.50 & $5.50 per sq. ft.
Clapboard
Between $2 & $3 per square ft.
Engineered Wood
Between $2 & $5 each sq. ft.
Plywood / Paint Grade Wood
Between $2.5 & $4.5 per sq. ft.
Fiber Cement
Between $3 & $4 per square ft.
Aluminum
Between $3 & $5 per sq. ft.
Cedar
Between $3.5 & $6.5 per square foot
Stucco
Between $4 to $9 each sq. ft.
Wood Shingles
Between $5 & $8 per square ft.
Shake Siding
Between $5 & $8 per sq. ft.
Slate Shingles
Between $5 & $12 per sq. ft.
Brick/Stone Veneer
Between $12 & $17 per square foot
Brick
Between $12 & $25 each sq. ft.
Natural Stone
Between $15 & $30 per sq. foot
Notes On Our House Siding Cost Comparisons
At the lower end of the cost spectrum are clapboard, plywood and vinyl siding. One of the huge differences between these is overall cost; vinyl often comes with a limited lifetime warranty and involves little maintenance, while wood options carry very limited product warranties and need to be painted and maintained with much more regularity.
The stronger materials such as stone, brick or aluminum siding will obviously last much longer than cedar, clapboard or plywood. However, cedar siding will insulate a home better than either aluminum or vinyl and will therefore cut down to some degree on heating and cooling bills.
At the end of the day, a fair house siding cost comparison should be based on your specific situation; the type of home you own, your environment and climate, how much you want to spend, your ability to maintain the siding over time and how important resale value of your home in the short or long term.
Related Topics:
Vinyl Siding Costs
Vinyl Siding And Home Values
Siding Warranty
Siding Cost Estimator
