Siding replacement cost.
Siding is priced per square foot by material, plus tear-off and house wrap on older homes.
Siding replacement cost by siding material
| Vinyl (most popular) | $4,500 – $13,500 |
| Engineered wood | $9,000 – $19,500 |
| Fiber cement (Hardie) | $9,000 – $22,500 |
| Metal | $12,000 – $27,000 |
Typical installed range for a 1,500 sq ft project. Adjust the estimator for your own size.
Priced per square foot of wall, with removal as its own line
Siding is quoted per square foot of wall area, and the material range is wide: vinyl runs about $2.15–$5.25 installed, fiber cement $6–$13, with materials at $2.50–$6.50 and labor at $3.50–$6.50 of that. Removing and disposing of the old siding is a separate $0.70–$2.00 per square foot. On a typical 2,000 square foot home, fiber cement totals land near $12,000–$26,000.
What actually moves the price
Material, which is really a maintenance decision
Vinyl is cheapest to install and needs no repainting. Fiber cement costs two to three times more, resists fire and pests, lasts 30–50 years, and needs repainting every 10–15 years. The right comparison is installed cost plus repaint cycles over the time you plan to own the house, not sticker price.
Profile: planks, panels, or shingles
Within fiber cement alone, planks run about $0.70–$6 per square foot in material, panels $2.50–$15, and shingles $2–$6 but with materially higher labor because they install piece by piece. Shingle-look siding is the expensive way to get that appearance.
Stories and access
Fiber cement is heavy enough to require two-person crews and sometimes structural reinforcement. Second and third stories add staging and slow installation. Labor runs $2–$8 per square foot, and the top of that range is almost entirely multi-story and difficult-access work.
What is behind the old siding
Siding is the layer that has been keeping water out, or failing to. Removal commonly exposes rot, failed housewrap, or mold that has to be addressed before new siding goes on. Mold remediation on exposed sheathing runs $9–$23 per square foot.
What a complete quote names out loud
- Wall square footage measured, with openings handled consistently between bids
- Removal and disposal of existing siding, priced separately
- House wrap or weather-resistive barrier: replaced or reused
- Trim package, corners, and how windows and doors are flashed
- An allowance for sheathing repair found after removal
- For fiber cement, whether the product is pre-finished or field-painted, which changes both cost and repaint interval
The one to watch: A bid with no line for removing the old siding. Either it is hidden in the per-foot rate, in which case the rate is not comparable to other bids, or the plan is to install over the existing siding, which buries whatever is rotting underneath.
Siding replacement cost: FAQ
How much does siding replacement cost?
Siding replacement runs roughly $2–$13 per square foot installed depending on material. A typical 2,000 square foot home lands near $6,000–$12,000 in vinyl or $12,000–$26,000 in fiber cement. The estimator above prices your wall area and material.
Is fiber cement worth the premium over vinyl?
It depends on how long you are staying. Fiber cement resists fire, moisture, and pests, is roughly five times thicker than vinyl, and lasts 30–50 years, but it costs two to three times more and needs repainting every 10–15 years. Vinyl is cheaper up front and needs no repainting.
Can new siding be installed over the old?
Sometimes it is physically possible, but it is usually the wrong call. Siding is your water management layer, and covering the old one hides rot, failed housewrap, and moisture damage rather than fixing it. Removal is also what lets the installer flash windows and doors correctly.
Why do siding quotes differ so much for the same house?
Three usual reasons: whether removal and disposal is included, whether the weather-resistive barrier is being replaced, and how each bidder measured wall area around openings. Ask all three questions and most of the gap explains itself.