Install Fiber-cement Siding: Don’t Paint Your House for 25 Years!

(Page 4 of 4)

June/July 2009
By Dan Chiras 
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Cost estimate per square foot to remove existing clapboard siding and install fiber-cement siding:

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Cost for materials only: $2.50

Contractor’s total per square foot, including materials, labor and markup: $9.00

Includes house wrap, insulation board, and painting and priming the new siding. Costs are national averages and do not include sales tax.

Cost of alternate materials per square foot installed (does not include removal of existing clapboard siding):

Brick veneer: $18.00

Cedar clapboards: $8.00

White cedar shingles: $6.25

Vinyl: $6.50

What Will You Save?

Fiber-cement siding typically comes with an impressive (and transferable) warranty of up to 50 years. Less-frequent painting (every 15 to 25 years, versus every three to five years for conventional wood plank siding) means fiber-cement siding could save you a considerable amount over its lifetime.

In terms of return on investment, Remodeling magazine’s 2007 annual “Cost Versus Value” report rated new fiber-cement siding as one of the highest-value projects, with an average return of 88 cents on each dollar invested if homes were sold.

Go Green!

When working on any home improvement project, plan what you are going to do, and make a complete list of materials and supplies you’ll need. This will save extra trips to the hardware store or home improvement center to buy or return materials, saving you time and reducing gas use and wear-and-tear on your vehicle.

Dan Chiras teaches workshops on renewable energy and green building through The Evergreen Institute. 

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  • Roy Melnick 6/19/2009 11:40:35 AM

    Thank you for the informative article. It is refreshing to see accurrate information about such great siding product. In the New England Area we have been installing fiebr cement products for over a decade and have hundreds of beautiful homes we have transformed. I reccommend fiber cement siding to anyone who needs to replace current failing siding, whether it is old brittle vinyl, rotten cedar, lead painted wood clapboards, old asbestos shingles and so on. If you plan on maximizing the value of your home, reduce your exterior maintenance for the long haul and be green, fiber cement siding is the right choice. In fact realtor magazine has conducted studies that for the last 7 years running replacing existing siding with new fibe cemnt siding give you the biggest return on your investment even more so than a new kitchen or bath. To find out more visit www.roymelnick.wordpress.com or email me at ramelnick@unitedhomeexperts.com

  • Bugler 5/12/2009 7:51:10 PM

    Thanks for a very informative article. I've been experimenting with Hardi products on several small jobs. The advice to buy saw blades designed for this material is absolutely correct and essential. Fiber cement will dull ordinary carbide blades in no time, and the dust created is just unbelievable. The blades designed for the material last, and dust is reduced tremendously.

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