The short answer: siding in Wisconsin runs from about $700 per square for entry-level hollow-back vinyl (closer to $900 for a quality insulated vinyl) all the way up to $4,000-$5,000 per square for premium carbon steel, with fiber wood and fiber cement in between. On a typical 1,500 square foot single-story ranch, that means anywhere from about $10,000 for entry-level vinyl to $60,000-$75,000 for top-end steel. The material you pick is the single biggest lever on your number. Here is the full breakdown.
Siding, known in the trades as exterior cladding, is one of the most important elements of your home's exterior. It presents the color, style, and character of the home, and it plays a significant role in energy efficiency and longevity. No home is complete without some form of cladding, whether that is brick, stone, masonry, lap siding, vertical siding, or stucco. Each has its own attributes, appearance, lifespan, and cost. This post is about the replacement siding materials most Wisconsin homeowners actually choose between.
You will typically have four to five material choices:
- Hollow-back vinyl siding
- Insulated vinyl siding
- Fiber wood siding
- Fiber cement siding
- Carbon steel composite siding
We will go through each one, why you may or may not want it, and what it costs. But first, it helps to understand how siding actually gets replaced.
How siding gets replaced
Siding cannot simply be installed over other siding, though I have seen some cut-rate contractors give it a shot. Most manufacturers require that the old siding be stripped off down to the sheathing (the OSB or plywood that covers your home's framing), then reinstalled new. This matters, because especially on older homes that still have wood or cedar siding, once the tear-off is done you often find water damage to the sheathing that now needs to be replaced.
There are also several elements in a siding project that can be replaced depending on what you want out of it. Windows and doors usually have trim around them that you may choose to replace or keep. Every penetration on your home (water spigots, cable and power entry, laundry vents, and so on) has a mounting block that can be swapped. Mounted mailboxes, house numbers, security cameras, all of it may have a piece that could be replaced. Sometimes those are a must, sometimes they are optional. That is something we determine when we come out, but those are always choices you should be presented with, not decisions made without you.
Vinyl siding
Vinyl is the most popular siding material in the country today, and for good reason. It is completely maintenance-free, it comes pre-colored, and on a higher-quality product the colors carry warranties against fading and cracking. For a long time vinyl had a poor reputation as a cheap product. I am personally VSI (Vinyl Siding Institute) certified, so I have gotten to see behind the curtain at a number of manufacturers including Alside, Royal, and Mastic, and all of them make a high-quality product in today's market. The old problems, fading, degradation, warping, off-gassing, short lifespans, are no longer an issue on a quality line. That said, like anything, there are higher and lower quality varieties.
The two biggest differences in vinyl are the gauge (thickness) and whether the panel is insulated. At Northcraft Exteriors, we do not offer an uninsulated product for a primary residence. A barn, carriage house, or shed, no problem, happy to do it. But if it is where you lay your head at night, insulated siding is what we provide. It is not a big add on cost, typically about $50 per square to insulate. Gauge matters especially here, because we live in a hail-prone part of the country. Thicker siding is more durable and stands up to hail, where thinner siding will pit and crack. Good vinyl ranges from .042 to .046 in thickness. The bigger the number, the thicker the panel.
There are two main downsides to vinyl. First is appearance. There is no mistaking vinyl for real wood. If you are a wood purist who loves the sharp lines, texture, and architectural detail of wood, vinyl may not be for you, and because it is a PVC product it carries a slight sheen. Second, vinyl has overlapping seams, and anywhere it meets a window, door, or stopping point there is a receptor piece called J-channel. It is unmistakable once you notice it, and some folks are not fans.
Cost: entry-level hollow-back vinyl starts around $700 per square, and plenty of contractors sell a lot of it. It is the cheapest full-home cladding you can buy. We do not install it on a primary residence, but you should know it exists so you can tell what you are looking at when a bargain quote lands in your lap. A quality insulated vinyl project runs between $900 and $1,100 per square. For a typical 1,500 square foot, one-story ranch, expect roughly $10,000 for entry-level hollow-back, or $13,000 to $17,000 for a quality insulated project.
Fiber wood siding (LP SmartSide)
Fiber wood is a step up from vinyl in both appearance and cost. The most popular fiber wood product on the market is LP SmartSide. It comes in a standard palette of 12 colors, or primed if you want it painted. LP also offers factory custom-coloring for a relatively small cost, which means you get the exact color you want while keeping the LP color warranty. You will run into a choice between two varieties, Diamond-Kote versus Expert Finish, which differ in the coloring method and some of the installation detail. No need to go far down that rabbit hole here, we will help you understand the difference and make the right call for your home.
LP SmartSide, and several other fiber wood lines, offer nearly everything a la carte: smooth and textured finishes, different lap sizes, different trim options and more, so you can really customize the look.
It has a couple of minor downsides. First, it is still a wood product, so there is a small amount of maintenance, usually just the ends of the trim and some caulking points, once every few years. Not a big deal, but real. Second, and this is why using a reputable contractor with skilled crews matters, LP comes in 12-foot runs and has to be cut to length. Cutting through the factory finish leaves raw wood at the ends, and LP's warranty clearly requires those cut ends be refinished before install is complete. Leave them raw and you are exposing bare wood to the elements, which invites rot. LP includes a touch-up kit with every bundle for exactly this. Good crews take the time to finish the ends. Cut-rate crews do not, and that voids the warranty.
Cost: LP SmartSide has more variables based on color, sizing, texture, and trim, but as a rule of thumb a good project by a reputable contractor runs $1,200 to $1,500 per square. Our ranch example lands around $18,000 to $23,000.
Fiber cement siding (James Hardie)
The most common alternative to fiber wood is fiber cement, and the most popular manufacturer is James Hardie. Fiber cement combines the best of both worlds: it is maintenance-free and precolored like vinyl, with the appearance advantages of fiber wood, a matte finish, a great textured option, clean lines, no J-channel, and plenty of trim and component options.
James Hardie gives you strong color and style options right in its basic line, the Statement Collection, which offers 24 standard colors, 8 trim colors, and 2 textures. Hardie has also partnered with designers on expanded palettes. The most popular is the Dream Collection, which opens up over 100 more colors, and at the top is the Magnolia Collection, designed with Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper. James Hardie is the most customizable product in the siding lineup, different styles, textures, colors, and sizes are all on the table.
It has two main downsides. Because it is fiber cement, it is unforgiving to install: any bowing and it can crack, it is not the easiest product to get clean cuts on, and a poor installer who is not sharp with a wet saw will leave seams chipped and off-color. Second, it cannot be insulated, it goes directly on the sheathing. Fiber cement does have solid insulating properties of its own, which is Hardie's answer to that criticism, but uninsulated is uninsulated.
Cost: supplied and installed by a quality contractor with skilled crews, James Hardie starts around $1,400 per square and ranges up to $2,500 per square depending on lap size, color palette, and trim. Our ranch home comes in somewhere between $22,000 and $38,000.
Why I keep saying "reputable contractor with skilled crews." There are a lot of fly-by-night guys who claim they can install these products. Yes, you can find someone to do the job for less than the numbers here, but the quality of the install will be suspect. Many times in my career I have been called out by homeowners who had a terrible experience with another contractor and needed us to fix or fully redo the project. Do you want to pay a bit more once and know it is done right, or pay less now and pay it again later? I will leave that to you.
Carbon steel composite siding (Vesta by Quality Edge)
Finally, there is a new product that has entered the top of the premium cladding market in the last five years, and as far as I know only one manufacturer makes it: a carbon steel composite siding called Vesta, made by Quality Edge. It is incredible. It does not need insulation at all because the insulating properties of the carbon are so high. It is essentially indestructible. The fire ratings are off the charts, it is basically non-reactive to heat, including flame, and it is anodized so the color cannot degrade. In my opinion, this is the future of exterior cladding.
It has a very contemporary look, and it comes in panels rather than lap, so it takes a particular home to accommodate it. But here in my part of Wisconsin I have seen more and more contemporary builds popping up, so it will absolutely find a home.
The only downside, if you see it as one, is cost. The most innovative products carry a significant price tag. From what I have seen, Vesta prices at $4,000 to $5,000 per square, which puts our 1,500 square foot ranch between $60,000 and $75,000.
Wisconsin siding cost by material, at a glance
| Material | Installed, per square | Typical 1,500 sq ft ranch |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level hollow-back vinyl | $700 - $850 | $10,000 - $12,000 |
| Insulated vinyl | $900 - $1,100 | $13,000 - $17,000 |
| Fiber wood (LP SmartSide) | $1,200 - $1,500 | $18,000 - $23,000 |
| Fiber cement (James Hardie) | $1,400 - $2,500 | $22,000 - $38,000 |
| Carbon steel (Vesta by Quality Edge) | $4,000 - $5,000 | $60,000 - $75,000 |
Ranges are for a quality product installed by a reputable contractor with skilled crews. Insulating a vinyl product adds roughly $50 per square. Your real number depends on your home's size, number of stories, trim and component choices, and any sheathing repairs found at tear-off.
That is the rundown on what a siding project should cost here in Wisconsin. If you want to get a consultation scheduled so you can see, feel, and touch these materials, design your project, and get a true number for your home, send us a contact request and we will be in touch in under five minutes to find a time that works. You can also read where siding falls in the order of exterior projects if you are weighing it against a roof or windows, or see what replacement windows cost in Wisconsin.
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Straight answers on siding cost.
How much does new siding cost in Wisconsin?
Siding is priced by the square (100 square feet). Quality insulated vinyl runs about $900 to $1,100 per square, fiber wood (LP SmartSide) $1,200 to $1,500, fiber cement (James Hardie) $1,400 to $2,500, and premium carbon steel (Vesta) $4,000 to $5,000. On a typical 1,500 square foot ranch, that is roughly $13,000 for vinyl up to $60,000-$75,000 for carbon steel.
What is the cheapest siding material?
Entry-level hollow-back vinyl, starting around $700 per square, and many contractors sell a lot of it. We do not install uninsulated siding on a primary residence, so our vinyl starts insulated at roughly $900 to $1,100 per square. Insulating adds only about $50 per square and is worth it here.
Do you have to remove old siding first?
Yes. Siding should not go over existing siding. Most manufacturers require stripping down to the sheathing, which also lets us find and fix any water-damaged sheathing before the new siding goes on. Installing over the top hides problems.
Is insulated vinyl worth it?
In Wisconsin, yes, on any home you live in. It adds roughly $50 per square, improves energy efficiency, and adds rigidity that helps panels resist hail. We only install insulated products on a primary residence.
Vinyl vs LP SmartSide vs James Hardie?
Vinyl is maintenance-free and most affordable, but has a sheen and visible J-channel. LP SmartSide is engineered fiber wood with a truer wood look and more customization, but needs minor upkeep and its cut ends must be refinished. James Hardie is fiber cement, maintenance-free and precolored with a matte, textured look and no J-channel, but it cannot be insulated and is less forgiving to install.
What is the most durable siding?
Carbon steel composite (Vesta by Quality Edge) is the most durable and fire-resistant, with color that will not degrade, at $4,000 to $5,000 per square. James Hardie and a heavier-gauge insulated vinyl are both strong, more affordable options for Wisconsin hail and freeze-thaw.
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