Siding Replacement Cost Guide: Vinyl, Fiber Cement & Wood
Table of Contents
How much does siding replacement cost?
Siding replacement typically costs $5.50 to $20.00 per square foot installed, depending on material — vinyl sits at the low end, fiber cement in the middle, and natural wood or cedar at the premium end. For a typical home with around 1,500 sq ft of exterior wall area, that’s roughly $8,250 to $30,000 total, with labor making up about half the cost. Use the Siding Cost Calculator for a number adjusted to your house size, material, and state.
Siding Cost Split: Material vs. Labor
Baseline allocation used in this site's calculator methodology
1. Cost by material
| Material | Relative cost | What it’s like to live with |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | Lowest cost (~0.7x baseline) | Never needs painting, dents more easily than fiber cement, widest color range at install but can’t be repainted later without a specialty product |
| Fiber cement (Hardie board) | Mid-range (~1.2x baseline) | Fire- and rot-resistant, holds paint for 15+ years, heavier and more labor-intensive to install |
| Natural wood / cedar | Premium (~1.8x baseline) | Best natural appearance and insulation, but needs staining/sealing on a recurring cycle to avoid rot |
These multipliers are the same ones the Siding Cost Calculator uses internally — see the Methodology page for exactly how they’re applied.
2. Worked example: 1,500 sq ft of siding
Using the calculator’s baseline rate (average tier, standard labor complexity, no state adjustment):
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Material cost | ≈ $8,250 |
| Labor cost | ≈ $8,250 |
| Estimated total | ≈ $16,500 |
This is a hypothetical example using the Average base rate and a 1.0x location multiplier — not a claim about what your project will cost. Use the calculator for a range adjusted to your material choice and state.
3. What drives the price beyond material choice
- Tear-off vs. install-over: Removing old siding and inspecting/repairing the sheathing underneath adds labor hours but catches problems (rot, pest damage) before they’re sealed behind new siding.
- Wall complexity: Simple, straight single-story walls install fastest. Multiple gables, dormers, and custom trim detail slow the job down and increase labor cost.
- House size and shape: Cost scales with net wall area (gross wall area minus windows and doors), so an irregular floor plan with more corners costs more per square foot than a simple rectangular footprint of the same total area.
4. Should I replace or just repair a section?
Repair makes sense for isolated, localized damage — a few cracked or missing panels on an otherwise sound wall. Full replacement is usually the better call once damage is widespread, the siding is original to a home more than 20-30 years old, or you’re finding rot in the sheathing underneath during a repair — at that point, patching stops saving money and starts hiding a bigger problem.
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Written by Project Budgeter Editorial
This guide was written and is maintained by the Project Budgeter editorial team. See our editorial policy for how we research, write, and update our cost guides.