Boards or squares, house wrap, trim and cost to re-side an existing house.
Estimates are planning aids, not a professional quote. Double-check quantities and product coverage — and any local code or permit requirements — before you buy.
⚠ If the house was built before 1978, assume the existing siding and trim paint contains lead. EPA RRP rules require lead-safe work practices (containment, HEPA vacuum, no dry sanding or open burning) whenever you disturb it — this isn't optional, and it changes the tear-off plan.
⚠ Once the old siding is off, walk every rough opening and roof-wall intersection before you close it back up. Rotten sheathing, missing kick-out flashing at roof lines, and failed window flashing are the actual causes of siding leaks, and they're invisible again the moment new siding goes on.
| Siding & Trim | $3,001–$4,061 |
| Membrane & Fabric | $196–$265 |
| Fasteners & Hardware | $109–$147 |
| Finishing & Sealant | $65–$89 |
| Total | $3,371–$4,561 |
Excludes tools, delivery, tax and permit fees. Labor not included — this is a DIY materials estimate.
These are affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the calculator recommends — the shopping list comes from your dimensions, not from what pays.
About this calculator
Give the Siding Calculator your house's exterior wall perimeter, wall height and story count, and it works out the wall area to cover, then converts it into whichever unit your material sells by — 12 ft lap boards coursed to your exposure, or 100 sq ft squares for vinyl and steel panels. It adds house wrap, starter strip, corner trim and opening trim, fasteners and caulk, with a cost range for the whole re-side.
Pick vinyl, fiber cement, engineered wood, wood clapboard or steel and the takeoff and pricing switch to match. It's built around re-siding an existing house — tear-off, wrap and all — not framing a new wall, so the defaults and warnings (lead paint on older homes, what to check once the wall is open) assume you're covering a house that's already standing.
Step by step
A step-by-step walkthrough to go with your plan above. Follow the product instructions and any local code or permit requirements as you work.
If the house predates 1978, test the old paint before disturbing anything and follow EPA RRP lead-safe practices for the tear-off. Stage dumpsters or a debris chute and strip one wall at a time so you're never leaving a full side of the house open overnight.
Pull the old siding, trim and building paper down to bare sheathing, then walk every stud bay for soft or delaminated OSB or plywood. This is the only point in the house's life the wall is fully open — replace anything questionable now.
Re-flash every window and door head, pipe penetration and roof-wall intersection with the correct step or kick-out flashing before anything gets covered back up. Most siding leaks trace back to a flashing detail skipped at exactly this step.
Roll house wrap horizontally starting at the bottom, overlapping each course by at least 6 inches shingle-style, and tape every seam and fastener. This is the drainage plane the new siding relies on if water ever gets behind it.
Level and fasten the starter strip around the base of every wall, then snap or set a story pole so your exposure stays identical from wall to wall and course to course.
Work bottom to top, keeping fasteners at the manufacturer's line and leaving the recommended gap at butt joints for expansion. Stagger the butt joints between courses so they don't stack in a visible column.
Install outside corner posts or corner boards and window and door trim as you go, or after the field siding is up depending on the profile — check the manufacturer's sequence, since it varies by material.
Caulk every trim joint, corner and penetration with a paintable exterior sealant, then prime and paint cut ends on wood and engineered wood siding before they see weather. Walk the whole house checking for gaps a driving rain would find.
Equip the job
Hand-picked categories that match the shopping list above. Links open a current selection so you can compare brands and prices.
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Keep planning
Decks & Structures
Answers
Multiply your exterior wall perimeter by the wall height (times two for a two-story house), add any gable-end or dormer area above the top wall plate, then subtract roughly 15 sq ft for every window and door. That net square footage converts to lap boards using your exposure (board length × exposure ÷ 12 gives sq ft per board) or to 100 sq ft squares for vinyl and steel. This calculator does that math and adds a waste allowance on top for cuts.
Vinyl is the cheapest and never needs painting but dents and can fade; fiber cement (HardiePlank-style) is heavy, fire-resistant and holds paint for decades but costs more and needs special blades to cut; engineered wood is lighter and easier to install than fiber cement with a similar look, but needs careful sealing at cut ends; solid wood clapboard looks best but needs the most maintenance. Steel is the most impact- and fade-resistant but shows dents differently than vinyl and costs the most per square foot up front.
If you're stripping down to the sheathing, yes — budget a full wrap, since the old one is almost never in good enough shape to leave exposed to weather during the job, and it's your only drainage plane behind the new siding. If you're doing a rare over-existing-siding job (vinyl over vinyl, for example) you can usually skip it; this calculator has a toggle for that case.
Exposure is how much of each board or panel is visible once the next course overlaps it — commonly 6 to 8 inches for lap siding. Wall height divided by exposure gives the number of courses from the base to the top plate, which determines exactly where each course lands relative to window and door heads. A wider exposure means fewer, more visible courses; installers often adjust it slightly so a course line doesn't land awkwardly mid-window.
Many jurisdictions require a permit for a full re-side, especially if you're changing materials, adding insulation, or the work exposes structural sheathing — but a smaller repair or over-existing job may not. HOAs also frequently restrict siding material and color even where the city doesn't require a permit. Check both before you order material.
Materials alone for a mid-size house typically run several thousand dollars for vinyl up through considerably more for fiber cement or steel, before counting the house wrap, trim, fasteners and disposal of the old siding. Labor roughly doubles or triples the total if you hire it out, which is most of why DIY re-siding is worth the weekend commitment for anyone comfortable on a ladder.