Category Archives: Exterior Remodeling Costs

Top 10 Siding Materials: Costs, Pros & Cons and ROI

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Today, you have more attractive house siding options than ever before. This buying guide details the top 10 siding materials to help you decide which type will give your home the look and durability you want, while staying within your budget.

1. Vinyl Siding
2. Fiber Cement Siding
3. Aluminum Siding
4. Natural Wood Siding
5. Engineered Wood Siding
6. Brick Siding
7. Brick Veneer Siding
8. Genuine Stone Siding
9. Stone Veneer Siding
10. Stucco Siding

Did you know? Most other online estimates of house siding costs are unrealistically low. Many only resources take the cost of the basic material and add “base” installation costs to reach their total. — This approach fails to consider accessories like trim, supplies and fasteners that can add $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot.

Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding is made from polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, a plastic. It is blended with pigment to give the siding color. Acrylics are added for strength and fade protection.

The material is extruded into panels. Most panels are textured like rough-hewn wood siding, but smooth panels are produced too.

What we like:

Vinyl siding is known for its relatively low cost and durability. — That combination produces good value. The material lasts 20-30 years depending on its quality.

Vinyl offers excellent styles and color options:

Horizontal vinyl siding is made to look like wood boards from 3” to 8” wide in Dutch lap, beaded and clapboard styles.

Vertical panels are produced in board & batten and flat styles.

Architectural panels are formed like wood shingle and shake siding. Most products are offered in colors from white to deep browns and dark grays.

Vinyl siding is light and easy to install. — This helps cut down costs when hiring a professional and makes a DIY option more viable for handy homeowners.

Maintenance is minimal: Lightly power wash it to remove dust and dirt.

What we don’t like:

It lacks the authenticity of wood: In neighborhoods where homes are sided with wood, stone and brick, vinyl looks inferior.

Plastic isn’t eco-friendly: While vinyl siding can be recycled, most of it ends up in landfills.

Warping, cracking and water penetration are frequent problems with bad installation.

Cost:

The installed cost of basic vinyl siding is $4.25 to $7.50 per square foot when horizontal and vertical panels are used.

Architectural vinyl siding panels cost $2 to $3 more per square foot. Cost factors are the quality of the siding and the complexity of the house on which it is installed.

ROI:

Vinyl siding has an ROI of 80%. The ROI is the percentage of the cost homeowners recoup when selling their home while the siding looks new and is in good condition.

Did you know? Vinyl siding is the most common house siding in the US and Canada. It accounts for nearly 30% of siding jobs. However, vinyl’s market share is slipping as other siding materials gain popularity and homeowners want a greener siding solution.

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LP SmartSide Siding Cost vs. HardiePlank Fiber Cement Siding in 2019

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The top two engineered lap siding brands are the defending champion HardiePlank fiber cement and the up-and-coming contender LP SmartSide engineered wood siding.

LP SmartSide Siding

via Upside to SmartSide

This guide covers both products from all angles that matter to a homeowner – Looks, durability, cost of materials and installation, and pros and cons of each option. Let’s get started!

Material Composition

Both materials are engineered rather than naturally occurring.

HardiePlank Construction: The James Hardie company blends cement, fine sand, wood fibers and water to form HardiePlank siding.

The cement gives it strength and impact resistance, while the fibers hold the cement together to prevent cracking. The materials are naturally resistant to rot and insects.

LP SmartSide Construction: LP Building Products makes SmartSide siding from wood strands that have been coated with wax for moisture resistance and bonded with resin and other binders. Zinc-borate SmartGuard solution is added to protect against rot and insect infestation. The coated fibers are compressed for hardness and durability. Planks are finished with a resin-saturated overlay.

Appearance Comparison

These are very attractive siding products made in a range of options.

HardiePlank appearance: There are four series of HardiePlank siding. They are Cedarmill plain and beaded and Smooth plain and beaded.

The cedar-style siding has an open-grain finish. Each of the series is available in more than 15 colors, and all are applied with Hardie’s baked-on ColorPlus technology. HardieTrim boards are often used to complete the installation.

via James Hardie

LP SmartSide appearance: This siding if manufactured in six different styles. They are Cedar Texture lap, Cedar Texture shakes, 12” bold double-lap and triple-lap profiles, 16” double/triple/quad profiles, Colonial beaded and Smooth.

LP SmartSide Siding on a house in winter settings

LP has a unique program of selling unfinished siding to qualified prefinishers that put a finish coat on the material for retail sale. As a result, LP SmartSide lap siding is available in dozens of colors.

Some of the LP Preferred prefinishers are Diamond Kote, Coastal Coatings, PSPI and Northwest Factory Finishes. Primed LP SmartSide is available at a lower cost and is ready for you to paint.

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Best Types of House Siding: Top Brands, Costs, Pros & Cons

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We’ve put together a comprehensive residential siding guide to assist you in researching your options for replacement and new construction projects.

Kaycan DaVinci Siding

What’s Included: Seven possibilities ranging from affordable to upscale – Vinyl, steel & aluminum, fiber cement & composite, genuine wood, stucco, brick & stone and faux stone.

The information for each siding type includes:

  • Materials and installation cost
  • Tables that allow you to compare these materials at a glance in all key areas
  • An introduction to each material, its construction and options
  • Pros and cons such as durability/longevity, maintenance and repair requirements and appearance including the home styles that each siding types is best suited to
  • Final summaries that might help you make your decision
  • Tips for saving money on a siding project

Cost

Siding Type Materials Installation Total Cost per sq.ft.
Vinyl $2.55 – $4.50 $1.60 – $4.00 $4.15 – $8.50
Aluminum & Steel $3.15 – $5.65 $1.95 – $5.00 $5.20 – $10.65
Fiber Cement & Composite $1.80 – $5.50 $4.00 – $6.50 $5.80 – $12.00
Wood $2.35 – $7.50 $1.80 – $6.50 $4.15 – $14.00
Stucco $4.90 – $6.50 $3.00 – $6.00 $7.90 – $12.50
Brick & Stone Veneer $7.35 – $15.00 $6.30 – $11.00 $14.65 – $26.00
Faux Stone $6.15 – $20.00 $8.55 – $11.00 $14.70 – $31.00

Breakdown of costs by materials and installation

* The materials column in the table above includes siding, trim and the supplies needed to install it.

* The installation column in the table above reflects the cost of professional labor.

The last column is the total installed cost for comparison.

Note: Each siding type in the table above is normally available in a wide range of quality and style options that affect material costs. Installation ranges from easy to difficult due to onsite factors which affect installation cost. Your project’s geography and local economy will also have a major impact on costs.

Types of Siding Material

This table summarizes the information in this section:

Siding Type Options Weatherproof Durability
Vinyl Excellent Good 20-30 years
Aluminum & Steel Good Good 30-50 years
Fiber Cement & Composite Good Good 35-50 years
Wood Excellent Fair 50+
Stucco Fair Good 50+
Brick & Stone Good Excellent 75+
Faux Stone Good Good 30-50 years

The next section provides more details for each siding type, including its options and pros and cons.

Vinyl Siding

This is an extruded plastic material made from PVC resin for durability and resistance to the elements. The material is tinted in the production process, so the color goes all the way through.

There are three appearance options: Horizontal, vertical and shingle/shake panels.

Horizontal siding comes in Dutch lap, smooth and beaded styles. Panels are typically formed into single, double and triple board profiles.

Vertical siding in board & batten, cedar plank, beaded and additional styles are produced in a more limited range of options.

Board and batten vinyl siding via Alside

Vinyl shake and shingle panels feature 2 or 3 rows with up to 6 shakes or shingles per row. These panels are used either as the primary siding or accent siding in gables or above brick or stone.

Shake & Shingle Polymer Vinyl Siding Cedar Shake Impressions via CertainTeed

You have a wide array of colors to consider from white and light shades to deep reds, greens, blues and charcoals. Complimentary trim colors allow you to customize the look you want for your home.

Pros and Cons

The appeal of vinyl siding is its relatively affordable cost and low maintenance.

Pluses:

  • Affordability
  • Style and color options
  • DIY-friendly installation
  • Moisture and insect resistance
  • Good fire rating, though it will melt in high heat
  • Reduced fading with new color technology
  • Very low maintenance

Insulated (R2 to R3) options, though not a good value compared to attaching siding to wall sheathing beneath the siding

Minuses:

  • Shingle and shake styles cost up to 100% more than panels
  • Brittleness and cracking with age/impact
  • Falls short of “genuine wood” look
  • Potential leaks, buckling and cracking with faulty installation
  • Warranties of 25 years to “lifetime,” but expected longevity of 18 to 30 years
  • Recyclable – but few locations accept it

Top Brands:

CertaintTeed, Georgia Pacific (GP), Alside / ABTCO, Kaycan, Mastic, Mitten, Timbercrest

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