Siding replacement cost in Pennsylvania: what a whole house really costs

Replacing siding on a typical house costs roughly $3.50 to $15 per square foot of wall in 2026, installed. For a 1,500 square foot wall area that means about $5,000 to $14,000 in vinyl and about $9,000 to $19,000 in fiber cement, before removal, sheathing repair and trim. Those last three are what turn a siding estimate from a rough number into a real one, and they are where most surprises come from.

BroomallMay 2025

The numbers first

These are 2026 ranges from national cost databases like Fixr and Inch Calculator, for material and labor together. Your wall area is not your floor area, so it helps to know how siding is measured, which we cover below.

On top of the siding itself, plan for these lines:

• Removal and disposal of old siding: often $1 to $2 per square foot, plus a dumpster.
• Sheathing repair: anywhere from nothing to several thousand dollars, depending on what is under the old siding.
• Housewrap or ZIP System and window and door flashing.
• Trim: corners, window and door casings, frieze, fascia and soffit.
• Permit, where your township requires one.

We put each of those on a separate line in our estimates, so you can see what the walls themselves cost and what is repair.

How siding is measured

Contractors price siding by the "square," which is 100 square feet of wall. To get a rough number for your house:

1. Measure the length and height of each wall.
2. Add the triangles of the gables (half of width times height).
3. Subtract big openings like garage doors, but not windows, because the cutting around windows takes as long as the siding you save.
4. Add 10 percent for waste, more for complicated houses.

A plain two-story box with 1,500 square feet of floor space often has 2,000 to 2,500 square feet of wall. That is why siding totals are higher than people expect.

Why removal matters

You can sometimes install new siding over old, and some quotes do. We almost never recommend it. Taking the old siding off is the only way to see the sheathing, fix water damage, flash the windows properly and keep the trim from looking sunken. Our guide on removing old siding before new siding goes into detail.

On the brick house in Broomall, the frame side of the house came down to the sheathing before anything new went up. That is the photo at the top of this page. Once the wall is open, we can see whether the sheathing is solid, whether the old windows were ever flashed, and where water has been getting in.

The hidden part: sheathing and framing

Under the siding is the sheathing, the boards or panels nailed to the studs. On older houses it might be wide pine boards; on newer ones, OSB or plywood. Common problems:

• Rot below windows where water got behind the trim.
• Rot near the bottom of walls where siding was too close to the ground or the deck.
• Rot behind downspouts and at roof-to-wall joints without kick-out flashing.
• Missing or torn housewrap, or no housewrap at all.

A good estimate includes an allowance or a unit price for sheathing replacement, so if we open a wall and find rot, you already know what the fix costs per sheet. You approve it before we go further.

Material choice and long-term cost

Vinyl

The lowest cost to install, no painting, easy to repair. It can look thin on older houses, it can melt near grills and reflected sunlight, and it needs room to move, so it should never be nailed tight.

Fiber cement

More expensive to install, but it does not rot, holds paint for many years, resists fire and looks like painted wood. It is heavy and needs proper cutting and dust control. Our fiber cement siding cost guide and the comparison of fiber cement, vinyl and LP SmartSide cover the details.

Engineered wood

LP SmartSide gives a wood look at a lower price than fiber cement. Cut ends must be sealed and it should stay off the ground.

Cedar shake

Beautiful on gables, dormers and older houses, and the most maintenance. On the Lower Merion stone house we put cedar shakes on the gambrel ends over tan lap siding, which is a common and good-looking mix.

Lower Merion TwpDec 2025

Trim is part of the siding job

When the siding comes off, the trim usually comes off too. That is the time to replace rotted wood casings, corners, frieze boards and fascia with PVC or fiber cement trim. Doing it later means removing and resetting siding. Trim can be 10 to 25 percent of a siding job on a house with lots of windows.

On the blue-gray lap siding job near Manheim, the new siding went up with white corner trim and black fascia and gutters, which is the kind of contrast that makes a plain house look finished.

Manheim areaApr 2025

Permits and rules in Pennsylvania

Most townships in Lancaster, Chester and Delaware Counties do not require a building permit for re-siding a house in the same way, though some do, and historic districts often need review for exterior changes. If siding work involves structural repairs, new windows in new openings or electrical work, a permit is more likely. We check with your township before we start and tell you at the estimate.

If your house was built before 1978, removing old painted siding or trim is covered by EPA lead-safe rules, and the work must be done by a certified firm with containment and cleanup.

Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires a written contract for jobs over $500, gives you three business days to cancel and limits the deposit on larger jobs.

Ways to control the cost

• Side the worst walls first. The weather sides of a house wear out faster. Matching later is easier with fiber cement and paint than with vinyl colors.
• Keep the design simple. Lap siding is the least labor. Shakes, board and batten and mixed materials cost more.
• Do trim and windows at the same time if they are due, so you only open the walls once.
• Choose a standard color. Pre-finished fiber cement in stock colors costs less than special colors or field painting.
• Fix the cause. Gutters, downspouts and grading that put water on the wall will ruin new siding too.

How long it takes

A typical two-story house takes our crew about two to four weeks, depending on how much sheathing repair and trim is involved. We work one wall at a time so the house is closed up every night.

Signs your siding is due

Siding rarely fails all at once. These are the signs that it is time to price replacement instead of patching:

• Soft or swollen boards, especially at the bottom of walls and under windows.
• Paint that will not stay on wood siding, peeling again a year or two after painting.
• Warped, cracked or loose vinyl, or panels that have melted near a grill or reflected sun.
• Stains or peeling paint inside on the same wall, which means water is getting behind the siding.
• Gaps at corners and around windows where the trim has pulled away.
• Mold or mildew that comes back on the same wall, usually the north side.

One or two of these on one wall usually means a repair. Several on several walls usually means it is time to look at the whole house.

Questions people ask about siding replacement cost

How much does it cost to re-side a 2,000 square foot house? If the house has about 2,000 to 2,500 square feet of wall, vinyl usually lands somewhere around $9,000 to $22,000 and fiber cement around $14,000 to $32,000, including removal and basic trim. Repairs and complex trim add to that.

Is it cheaper to repair siding than replace it? For a few damaged boards or one wall, yes. Our siding repair work covers that. When most walls are failing or water is getting behind the siding in many places, replacement is usually the better value.

What time of year is best for siding? Spring through fall is easiest, but fiber cement and cedar can go up in cold weather. Some caulks and paints have temperature limits, so finishing may wait for a warmer day.

Does new siding increase home value? Siding replacement is consistently one of the better exterior projects for resale value, mostly because it changes how the whole house looks from the street.

Is the estimate free? Yes. We walk every wall, pull a piece or two where water usually gets in, and send a written estimate.

See our siding service and the Broomall siding, windows and doors project.

Ask us to price your siding