How Much Does Siding Replacement Cost?

Replacing the siding on a typical American home costs $17,500–$24,000, based on 1,800 square feet of wall area with mid-range fiber cement siding at 2026 national-average prices — installed, including tear-off of the old siding, house wrap, trim, permits, disposal, sales tax, and a 10% contingency. Vinyl is the budget choice at roughly $11,000–$15,500 for the same house, while real cedar shake or board-and-batten runs $26,000–$35,500.

This guide walks through what each material costs, what the price includes, the factors that push a quote up or down, and the items quotes most often leave out. It is written for homeowners replacing the siding on an existing house; new construction usually costs less per square foot because there is no tear-off and the wall is already prepped. For a figure based on your own wall area, finish level, and city, run the siding cost calculator.

Cost at a glance

These are national averages from our calculator, so labor rates in your metro can move them 10–40% either way. Every range here includes labor, tear-off and disposal, house wrap, trim, permits, sales tax, and a 10% contingency. You can see the assumptions behind them at how we calculate costs.

Cost by home size

Wall area, not floor area, drives the price — a two-story house has far more wall than a ranch with the same footprint. Per-square-foot pricing also tends to be highest on small homes, because the fixed costs (dumpster, crew mobilization, permits) spread over fewer square feet.

What's included in the price

A complete re-siding quote should itemize these four things:

• Siding planks and corners. The material itself, plus the accessories that make the corners and transitions look right: corner posts, J-channel around windows and doors, starter strips, and utility trim.
• Tear-off of the old siding and haul. The old siding comes off, and the debris fills one or more dumpsters. This is also the step that reveals any damaged sheathing underneath.
• House wrap and seam taping. The weather-resistive barrier behind the siding is what actually keeps water out of the wall. It should be a named brand (such as Tyvek or similar), with taped seams.
• Window trim, fascia, and soffits. Trim around windows and doors, plus the fascia boards along the roofline and the soffits under the eaves — often with new venting details so the attic still breathes.

If any of these appear as a vague "labor" line instead of an item, ask the contractor to break it out. Scope differences are the most common reason two quotes for the same house differ by thousands.

What drives the cost up or down

1. Material choice. This is the single biggest lever. Fiber cement costs roughly 55% more than vinyl for the same house, and cedar costs roughly 45% more than fiber cement. Choosing vinyl over fiber cement on an average home saves $6,000–$8,500.
2. Wall area and stories. Two stories mean scaffolding or pump jacks, slower handling of long planks, and more trim — expect a multi-story quote to land toward the high end of any range.
3. Wall shape. Gables, dormers, bump-outs, and bay windows mean more cutting, more flashing, and more waste. A simple rectangle is the cheapest wall to side.
4. Condition of what's underneath. Old siding that leaks often hides rotted sheathing. Include a written sheathing-replacement rate (per 4x8 sheet) in every quote so a surprise doesn't become an open-ended charge.
5. Trim and detail scope. Corner boards, frieze boards, decorative gable vents, and painted trim details add real labor. Confirm whether the quote covers only flat wall area or the full trim package.
6. Local labor rates. Metro labor costs move national averages 10–40% either way, and contractors with full schedules price accordingly. Three quotes from local crews are worth more than any national figure.

What quotes often leave out

Before you compare two quotes line by line, check that each one covers:

• Rotted sheathing. Leaky old siding often hides rotted plywood or OSB around windows and doors. Repairs typically run $400–$1,500, and without a pre-agreed per-sheet rate the final bill is a surprise.
• Painting primed fiber cement. Factory-finished boards (such as Hardie's ColorPlus) come painted; primed boards need two finish coats on site. That is a separate $2,500–$6,000 job — you can size it with the paint calculator. Make sure the quote says which product you're getting.
• House wrap and flashing method. The quote should name the house wrap brand, say the seams are taped, and describe the window flashing method. Vague "new barrier" language is how water gets in five years later.
• Full trim, soffit, and fascia scope. Some quotes price only the flat wall area and bill trim separately. Every J-channel, corner post, and soffit ventilation detail should be listed.
• Disposal and permits. Tear-off fills one or more dumpsters, and most cities require a permit for re-siding. If neither appears on the quote, you're paying for them somewhere.

If you are also replacing windows in the same project, read the hidden costs of replacing windows first — the flashing where siding meets window frames is the detail most likely to be done wrong. And paste each quote into the Quote Checker to see what's missing before you sign.

DIY vs hiring a pro

Siding looks straightforward, and on a single-story ranch with simple walls, vinyl is the most DIY-approachable option: it's light, cuts with snips, and snaps together. But an average home still means handling 1,800+ square feet of material on ladders or scaffolding, and every window and corner needs flashing that actually sheds water. A mistake there doesn't show up until the sheathing rots.

Fiber cement raises the bar. The planks are heavy (two people for long walls), the cutting dust contains silica, and every cut end should be sealed — this is a crew job with dust-control saws or shears. Cedar demands careful nailing and finishing so it doesn't fail early. Work above the first story adds real fall risk, which is reason enough for most homeowners to hire it out.

The honest middle ground: a handy homeowner can sometimes handle a small, ground-level vinyl section — a shed dormer or a garage wall — and hire a pro for the rest. Whatever you decide, don't let a contractor talk you into skipping the house wrap or the tear-off just to lower the bid.

Permits and timeline

Most cities require a building permit for re-siding a house, especially when sheathing or house wrap is replaced. Check with your local building department before work starts, and never let a contractor talk you into skipping the permit — unpermitted exterior work can stall a future sale.

A full crew typically needs one to two weeks on an average home; larger or cut-up homes can take three weeks or more. Material lead time adds to that: popular fiber cement colors can take weeks to arrive. Good siding crews also book out weeks or months in the busy seasons, so start collecting quotes well before you need the work done.

One more caution for older homes: if the house was built before 1978, the old siding or paint may contain lead, and EPA lead-safe rules apply to the contractor doing the tear-off. Ask how the crew handles lead paint before you hire them.

Get three quotes that each itemize the same scope, check them against the cost tables above, and run your own numbers through the siding cost calculator — then pick the contractor whose scope is complete, not just the cheapest.