Easily the most common question that I get asked is, “how much should I expect to pay for James Hardie siding?” The quick answer unfortunately is that its probably more expensive than you thought. Because I remember thinking the same thing when I started working for James Hardie back in 2012.
The cost of James Hardie projects that we at Canes Exteriors have completed has really been all over the board. However, I would say the average house in the Kansas City area should plan on spending about $25-$35K on all new James Hardie siding.
There are a number of different factors that will impact the total cost of your siding project but hopefully this article will provide some insight into what you should plan on budgeting when residing your home with James Hardie siding.
Exterior Square Footage is the biggest factor in costs
The biggest factor that will impact the cost of your siding project is how much exterior wall square footage is on your home. This is not the same as the livable square footage of your home. For example, a ranch is typically going to have the least amount of siding and a 2 story with a walkout basement is going to need the most siding. The average home needs about 2600 square feet of siding. “Squares” is a common term you may hear from your contractor and that is simply a measurement of 100 Square Feet = 1 Square. So 2600 square feet is 26 square.
How we measure and estimate
Some contractors will use a digital service to provide satellite measurements of the exterior. At Canes Exteriors we have found the most accurate way to get the necessary siding measures is to use a tape measurer. It takes a little bit longer but it provides us better info and as a result we don’t have to charge our customers for unnecessary waste due to an inaccurate digital measurements.
Product selection influences cost
Another factor to consider when determining the price of your siding project is the style of James Hardie products that are chosen. For example, shingle style siding is far and away the most expensive option. It is about 6 times more expensive to install than Hardieplank lap siding. Hardieshingle makes for a beautiful accent to your home but may be too costly for most homeowners to install on the entire home. Hardieplank lap siding will typically be the most cost effective option for your home followed by Hardiepanel with Hardiebattens.
Colorplus or primed and painting is very close to the same cost to install in Kansas City so I wouldn’t have that factor too much into your decision. Check out the blog on the difference between Colorplus and Primed to see the pros and cons of both options.
The role of contractor overhead and costs
The contractor that you choose may also have higher overhead than smaller companies which will impact the pricing. Companies that have sales people, project managers, TV / Radio ads, showrooms etc. have to charge more to cover these additional costs. Owner operator type companies may have a lower price but it may be tougher to get ahold of someone throughout the project to address concerns, because the owner is wearing a bunch of different hats and may not be on your job site as much as needed.
As a client of Canes Exteriors, you are assigned a project superintendent that is on the job site every day and provides daily video updates that are sent to you to communicate the work being done that day. We also have a massive warehouse that we use to purchase materials in bulk, so that we can get discounts, to help keep our costs down and provide great service at competitive prices to our clients.
These are by no means all of the factors that go into your siding project but these are the main ones your contractor should talk to you about. At Canes Exteriors we always provide at least three different options for our clients based on their specific wants and needs. We also offer financing with 0% interest or low monthly payments to fit your specific budget. Call today for a free quote!
