Siding: what to ask, what it costs, and one number to call
Updated June 2026 · By the Mobile Phonebook editorial team · How we research pricing
Siding is your house's raincoat, and replacing it is one of the bigger exterior projects you'll take on, typically a five-figure job on a full house. The trade revolves around two dominant materials: vinyl, the value workhorse, and fiber cement (the cement-board product most people know by the leading brand name), which costs more, looks crisper, and lasts longer. Wood, engineered wood, metal, and stucco fill out the edges of the market.
When you call a siding contractor, the conversation runs on 'squares.' A square is 100 square feet of wall, and it's how the whole industry measures and prices. Know your home's rough square count. Know also that rot discovered under the old siding is the universal change-order in this trade. Those two things move the final invoice more than anything else, and they're both in your control.
What should you have ready before you call?
- Estimate your wall area: rough perimeter times wall height, minus big openings. Or just know your home's square footage and stories so the contractor can ballpark squares.
- Photograph current problem areas: cracked or warped panels, peeling paint, soft spots, gaps at trim, woodpecker or pest damage.
- Know what's on the house now (vinyl, wood, fiber cement, aluminum) and roughly how old it is.
- Decide your material lane and look. Vinyl vs. fiber cement is the fork that changes the budget by half.
- Check for moisture clues inside; stains on interior walls near corners and windows hint at what's under the siding.
- Think about scope add-ons now. Soffit, fascia, gutters, and exterior trim are cheapest to do while the walls are open.
- If storm damage is involved, document it with dated photos and contact your insurer before signing anything a canvasser puts in front of you.
What should you ask before hiring? The 8-question script
This is your script. Nobody expects you to be an expert. Sound like someone who asks the right questions, and anyone good will answer all of these without flinching.
The only way to compare bids. Two quotes $6,000 apart are often identical once you add what the cheap one excluded. Per-square pricing with an itemized scope is the industry's honest format.
The question that prevents the classic siding dispute. You want a written per-sheet or per-linear-foot contingency price agreed up front, photos of anything found, and your approval before repair work happens.
Fiber cement especially has strict install specs (clearances, flashing, fastening). Done wrong, it fails and can void the product warranty. Manufacturer training programs exist for a reason; ask what the crew's experience is with the exact product.
Siding over existing siding is sometimes acceptable with vinyl, but it hides the sheathing's condition and stacks up at windows and trim. Tear-off costs more and is usually the better job. Either way, you should be choosing it knowingly, not discovering it on install day.
Water management behind the siding is the actual job; the panels are just the visible part. A contractor who talks fluently about wrap, sealed laps, kick-out flashing, and clearances is doing the real work.
Siding quality is workmanship-dependent. Subs are common and can be excellent. What you want is a stable crew the company stands behind, not whoever answered a labor post this week.
Product warranties cover the panel, not the install. A meaningful workmanship warranty (several years, in writing) from a company with local history is worth more than a '50-year' panel warranty installed by a crew that vanishes.
A deposit around a quarter to a third with balance on completion is a normal shape; full payment up front is not. Material lead times and weather make schedules move, so get the expected window in writing.
How much does siding cost in 2026?
Siding is priced per square foot (or per 'square,' which is 100 sq ft) installed, and material choice sets the tier. Broad 2026 national ranges for replacement including tear-off.
| Typical job | National range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding, installed | $4 – $12 per sq ft | Panel thickness and insulation backing drive the spread; mid-grade commonly lands around $7 |
| Fiber cement, installed | $8 – $15 per sq ft | Heavier labor and trim detail; repaint cycles every 10–20 years |
| Engineered wood siding, installed | $7 – $14 per sq ft | Wood look with better moisture behavior than raw wood |
| Whole-house vinyl replacement (average 2,000 sq ft home) | $12,000 – $25,000 | Stories, gables, and trim complexity move it more than floor area |
| Whole-house fiber cement replacement | $20,000 – $40,000+ | Often paired with new trim and paint; adds strong curb-appeal value |
| Old siding tear-off and disposal | $1,000 – $3,000 | Sometimes line-itemed, sometimes baked in. Make sure it's somewhere. |
| Sheathing/rot repair contingency | $60 – $150 per sheet installed | Agree on this number before work starts; older homes should expect some |
| Soffit and fascia, installed | $6 – $20 per linear foot | Cheapest to do while siding is off; aluminum wrap vs. full replacement varies |
| Spot repair (damaged panels, small area) | $300 – $1,500 | Matching aged/discontinued vinyl is the hard part |
These are typical 2026 U.S. ranges for planning purposes; your market, season and job specifics can land outside them. Always get the price for your job confirmed on the call and in writing. Ranges compiled June 2026 from national cost data and industry sources (methodology).
When you don't need to call anyone
We get paid when you call, so take this section as seriously as we do. Sometimes the honest answer is that you can handle it yourself or fix it cheaper first:
- One cracked vinyl panel is a repair. A zip tool costs a few dollars and matching panels snap in; nobody needs a whole wall for one crack.
- Faded but sound siding can be cleaned gently or even painted with vinyl-safe paint for a fraction of replacement cost.
- Woodpecker holes and small punctures in wood or fiber cement take exterior filler and paint.
- Replacement earns its five figures when there's widespread warping, moisture trapped behind panels, or rot in the sheathing. Not because one wall looks tired.
How the siding business works
Siding is bid per square (100 sq ft), installed. A typical two-story home runs 15 to 30 squares once you account for gables and walls; the contractor measures, subtracts openings, and quotes material plus labor plus tear-off. The price spread between bids usually comes from what's included: tear-off and disposal, house wrap, new flashing, trim and corner details, fascia and soffit work, and the material line itself. A bid that looks $5,000 cheaper often just excludes things the other bid included. Get every quote itemized to the same scope.
Material sets the budget tier. Vinyl runs roughly $4–$12 per square foot installed, needs near-zero maintenance, and quality varies a lot by panel thickness. Cheap builder-grade vinyl waves and fades; heavier panels don't. Fiber cement runs roughly $8–$15 per square foot installed, takes paint beautifully, resists fire and pests, and adds real curb-appeal value. It's also heavier and pickier to install, so a fiber cement job is only as good as the crew's flashing and clearance details. Engineered wood sits between the two on price with a warmer look.
The rot conversation is where good and bad contractors separate. Nobody can see the sheathing until the old siding comes off, and on older homes (especially around windows, doors, and rooflines) finding some rot is normal. Honest contractors handle this with a written contingency: a per-sheet price for replacing sheathing, commonly somewhere around $60–$150 per sheet installed, agreed before the job starts, with photos of anything they find. The bad pattern is a vague 'we'll deal with wood repair as needed' that turns into thousands of undocumented extras. Its opposite is just as bad: a crew that sides right over rot to stay on schedule.
Siding also attracts the storm-chaser economy. After hail or wind events, out-of-town crews canvass neighborhoods offering to 'work with your insurance.' Some are fine; many are gone before the first warranty claim. Local establishment matters more in siding than most trades, because the warranty on workmanship is only as good as the company's odds of existing in year five.
Red flags & good signs
Red flags
- A bid thousands below the rest with no itemization. Tear-off, wrap, or flashing is missing, or rot repair will be the profit center.
- Vague 'wood repair extra as needed' language with no unit pricing, the open-ended change-order machine
- Door-knockers after a storm pushing you to sign an 'assignment of benefits' or contingency agreement on the spot. That can hand control of your insurance claim to the contractor.
- Plans to side over existing siding without inspecting or even mentioning the sheathing underneath
- Can't name the manufacturer and product line, or quotes 'equivalent' materials with room to substitute cheaper panels
- Demands half or more up front before materials are even ordered
- No physical local address or history. Siding warranties from companies that dissolve are worth nothing.
Good signs
- Itemized per-square bid naming the manufacturer, product line, wrap, and flashing scope
- Written rot-repair contingency pricing before the job starts, with photo documentation of anything found
- Manufacturer training or certification on the quoted product, especially for fiber cement
- Established local presence with jobs you can drive past from several years ago
- Workmanship warranty in writing, separate from the panel warranty, with a payment schedule weighted toward completion
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to reside a house?
Vinyl or fiber cement siding: which should I choose?
What is a 'square' in siding?
How long does siding installation take?
What happens if they find rot under my old siding?
Can new siding go over old siding?
Does new siding increase home value?
Should I replace siding or just repair it?
Related services
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