Siding replacement costs “$8,000 to $30,000 for most homes,” according to This Old House (June 2026), which prices 2,000 square feet of vinyl siding at $12,252 for materials and installation. Fixr (January 2026) puts the average for a 2,000-square-foot home at $14,500, with most homeowners spending $8,500 to $20,000, or $3 to $15 per square foot installed. The price per square foot of wall depends mostly on the material. By material, Fixr lists vinyl at $3 to $12 per square foot installed and fiber cement at $5 to $14. Taking off the old siding, permits and any rot found underneath can add to the total, so check what each bid includes.
Siding cost per square foot by material
Both guides price siding per square foot of wall covered, materials and labor together. Fixr gives a range; This Old House gives one average from the Homewyse cost database. They are shown side by side, not averaged.
| Material | Fixr, installed (Jan 23, 2026) | This Old House, average installed (Jun 12, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl | $3–$12 | $6.13 |
| Fiber cement | $5–$14 | $9 |
| Engineered wood | $2–$10 | — |
| Wood | $2–$15 | $11.70 (cedar) |
| Aluminum | $3–$10 | $7.32 |
| Steel | $4–$16 | — |
Fixr’s vinyl guide below shows why its ranges are wide: grade and style move the price. Each This Old House average falls inside Fixr’s range for the same material. Labor is part of every figure: Fixr puts labor alone at $1 to $4 per square foot, or $1,800 to $8,000 for an average home.
Vinyl siding replacement cost
Vinyl is the material This Old House calls “the most affordable option.” Fixr (January 28, 2026) breaks installed vinyl down by thickness:
| Vinyl grade (Fixr) | Thickness | Installed, per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Builder’s grade | 0.04 inch | $2–$6 |
| Standard residential | 0.042 inch | $4–$7 |
| Premium | 0.046 inch | $6–$10 |
| Insulated | 0.05 inch | $7–$12 |
Fixr says labor for vinyl averages $2 to $5 per square foot. This Old House’s vinyl guide (updated June 11, 2026, with 2025 Homewyse data) works from about $3.16 per square foot for materials plus labor at $54 to $60 an hour. In its table, 2,000 square feet of exterior wall comes to $12,252: $6,312 in materials and $5,940 in labor. The same guide notes that “you can’t install new vinyl over existing vinyl,” so old vinyl comes off first, at an extra $1 to $2 per square foot when the installer does it.
Fiber cement siding cost
Fixr (January 22, 2026) puts fiber cement at $5 to $14 per square foot installed, an average of $15,000 and a typical spread of $8,000 to $26,600. Labor runs $2 to $8 per square foot, or 40% to 60% of the total. Fixr notes that “Hardie plank” is a brand name (James Hardie) often used for fiber cement in general.
This Old House (April 1, 2026) prices fiber cement by product type, materials plus labor, and puts the average project at $14,674:
| Fiber cement type | This Old House, materials + labor per sq ft |
|---|---|
| Planks (lap siding) | $4.70–$14.25 |
| Panels | $6.50–$24 |
| Shingles | $9–$22 |
Its fiber cement figures come from HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide and Remodeling Calculator, so they are a summary of other guides, not a separate survey.
Aluminum and steel siding
Fixr’s metal siding guide (April 2, 2026) prices installed aluminum at $3 to $18 per square foot, Galvalume steel at $4 to $12 and coated or painted steel at $7 to $16. That aluminum range is wider than the $3 to $10 in Fixr’s own general siding guide; the two pages were updated at different times. For hail country, the metal guide notes that 26-gauge steel panels cost “roughly 20–25%” more than thinner 29-gauge panels but “offer better resistance to hail, wind, and oil-canning (buckling).”
Wall area is not the same as home size
Contractors price siding by the square feet of wall they cover, not your home’s floor area. Fixr notes that wall layout, number of stories and openings change how much siding a house needs, and gives these rough conversions:
| Home size | Siding needed (Fixr) |
|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,200–1,300 sq ft |
| 1,500 sq ft | 1,600–1,800 sq ft |
| 2,000 sq ft | 1,800–2,000 sq ft |
| 2,500 sq ft | 2,000–2,200 sq ft |
| 3,000 sq ft | 2,300–2,500 sq ft |
Fixr’s metal siding page uses its own, slightly different estimates, which shows these are rules of thumb. This Old House suggests measuring the length and height of each wall, subtracting large windows and doors, and adding 10% to 15% for waste, or having a professional installer measure. One more trap: both This Old House guides call $12,252 the price for a 2,000-square-foot house, but the vinyl guide’s table gets it from 2,000 square feet of exterior wall. Ask every bidder which area they priced.
The roof and siding cost calculator multiplies Fixr’s and HomeGuide’s installed ranges, each on its own line, by the wall area you enter. It starts at 1,800 square feet, the low end of Fixr’s estimate for a 2,000-square-foot home, and you can leave out the line for removing old siding.
Removal, permits and other line items
| Item | Fixr | This Old House |
|---|---|---|
| Removing and hauling away old siding | $1,000–$2,500 for the job (Jan 23, 2026) | $1–$2 per sq ft (vinyl guide, Jun 11, 2026); $0.70–$2 per sq ft, plus possible disposal fees (Apr 1, 2026) |
| Permit | $150–$1,500, permit and inspection fees (Jan 23, 2026) | $100–$500 (Jun 12, 2026) |
| House wrap or moisture barrier | — | $0.50–$1 per sq ft (Jun 12, 2026) |
| Trim | $0.50–$30 per linear foot (Jan 23, 2026) | — |
Fixr’s fiber cement guide says some contractors build removal into their first estimate, so a bid without a removal line may already include it, or may not. Both guides warn that taking off old siding can expose rot or water damage, and Fixr says such repairs “may add hundreds or thousands” to the total.
Replacing siding after hail
When hail damages one or two walls, the first question is often repair or replace. Fixr prices siding repairs at $2 to $20 per square foot, “similar to replacement pricing,” and suggests considering full replacement when the damage is extensive or repairs approach 50% of the replacement cost. Matching is the catch: Fixr’s metal siding guide warns that a discontinued color can be hard to match years later and suggests keeping a few spare panels.
Whether an insurer pays to match undamaged walls depends on your policy and your state’s rules. In Colorado, the Division of Insurance says no law requires a company to match the siding or paint on parts of the house that were not damaged; the company “is only required to repair or replace the actual damages caused by the covered event.” Other states set their own rules, so ask your insurer and read how a hail damage claim works and how wind and hail deductibles work. For what dents, cracks and holes look like on vinyl, fiber cement and wood, see hail damage on siding.
Common questions
How much does it cost to replace siding on a 2,000-square-foot house?
Fixr puts the average for a 2,000-square-foot home at $14,500, with most projects between $8,500 and $20,000 (January 2026), and estimates such a home needs 1,800 to 2,000 square feet of siding. This Old House prices 2,000 square feet of vinyl siding (wall area) at $12,252 (June 2026).
What is the least expensive siding to install?
This Old House calls vinyl the most affordable option, at an average of $6.13 per square foot installed. Fixr’s ranges start lower for some wood and engineered wood siding, which it says “can cost as little as $2 per square foot.”
Does the price include removing the old siding?
Not always. Fixr lists removal and disposal at $1,000 to $2,500 and says some contractors include it in their first estimate; ask for it as its own line.
Does insurance pay to replace all the siding if hail hit one side?
It depends on your policy and state. Colorado’s Division of Insurance says no law there requires matching undamaged walls; elsewhere, ask your insurer before you sign a contract.
Questions to ask your siding contractor
- How many square feet of wall did you measure, and does that include the gables?
- Is removing and hauling away the old siding included?
- Does the price include house wrap, trim, soffits and the permit?
- What happens to the price if you find rot behind the old siding?
- For fiber cement or steel, which product line and thickness are you quoting?
- If hail damage is part of the job, can you itemize repaired and replaced walls separately for my insurer?
To compare guides line by line for your wall area, use the roof and siding cost calculator.
Sources
- Fixr — How Much Does It Cost to Replace Siding? (updated Jan 23, 2026)
- Fixr — How Much Does Vinyl Siding Cost? (updated Jan 28, 2026)
- Fixr — How Much Does Fiber Cement Siding Cost? (updated Jan 22, 2026)
- Fixr — How Much Does Metal Siding Cost? (updated Apr 2, 2026)
- This Old House — Siding Replacement Cost (2026 Pricing) (updated Jun 12, 2026; cost data from Homewyse)
- This Old House — How Much Does Vinyl Siding Cost? (updated Jun 11, 2026; 2025 Homewyse data)
- This Old House — Fiber Cement Siding Cost (2026 Guide) (updated Apr 1, 2026)
- Colorado Division of Insurance — After a Hail Storm: Insurance FAQs (no update date shown; checked Nov 11, 2026)