Please tell me this is wrong!

[Home'scool]

I need to have my house re-sided. Right now it has shingles and is about 40 years old.

The house is a traditional cape with an addition on the side that was added on abut 20 years ago. We want to just replace the shingles with siding.

A company came out and quoted a price to remove the shingles, re-wrap the house, re-insulate it and install siding ...... $52,000!!!

Doesn't that seem ridiculously high?! We will be getting a few more estimates but idk if they will all be in this range?

The house is about 2500 square feet total, and I live in Massachusetts.

What say the hive?

 

[mommyoffive]

No clue, but as with anything get some more quotes.

[teachermom2834]

It don’t have specific pertinent experience but that doesn’t sound crazy.

We had a house that size sided a couple years ago and it wasn’t even the whole house. (Like almost half the house is brick). We didn’t have anything removed or insulated. Just siding over the old siding and new shutters and gutters and it was like $20,000ish. Pre-covid in  low cost of living Tennessee. We had several estimates and that seemed reasonable. Your job seems much bigger and everything is more expensive now. 
 

Sorry. Definitely get a couple more estimates but it is going to be high I am afraid. Hopefully I’m wrong.

Edited April 8, 2022 by teachermom2834

[Laura Corin]

6 minutes ago, teachermom2834 said:

It don’t have specific pertinent experience but that doesn’t sound crazy.

We had a house that size sided a couple years ago and it wasn’t even the whole house. (Like almost half the house is brick). We didn’t have anything removed or insulated. Just siding over the old siding and new shutters and gutters and it was like $20,000ish. Pre-covid in  low cost of living Tennessee. We had several estimates and that seemed reasonable. Your job seems much bigger and everything is more expensive now. 
 

Sorry. Definitely get a couple more estimates but it is going to be high I am afraid. Hopefully I’m wrong.

@Home'scool I hope you get good answers.

Spin-off question - siding is not something I'm familiar with as such.  Houses in the UK are more usually built of brick or stone.  When I worked for a kit home manufacturer (producing factory-made panels that fitted together to construct a house) people sometimes put a wood or stone facing on, but more often the building was just rendered with cement or harled: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harling_(wall_finish).  Is cementing not used and what is the advantage of siding?  These are houses built from kits by my old employer:

https://scotframe.co.uk/case-studies/neil-robinson-and-fiona-burnett/

https://scotframe.co.uk/case-studies/mr-and-mrs-ogrady/

[Selkie]

It sounds like a job that requires a lot of labor and materials, so the price doesn’t seem shocking to me.

[Pawz4me]

It doesn't sound outrageous to me, but definitely get some more estimates.

[wintermom]

2 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

@Home'scool I hope you get good answers.

Spin-off question - siding is not something I'm familiar with as such.  Houses in the UK are more usually built of brick or stone.  When I worked for a kit home manufacturer (producing factory-made panels that fitted together to construct a house) people sometimes put a wood or stone facing on, but more often the building was just rendered with cement or harled: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harling_(wall_finish).  Is cementing not used and what is the advantage of siding?  These are houses built from kits by my old employer:

https://scotframe.co.uk/case-studies/neil-robinson-and-fiona-burnett/

https://scotframe.co.uk/case-studies/mr-and-mrs-ogrady/

These homes look amazing! I'm very curious about this construction method and whether it's used in North America. I've never heard of it nor seen homes that look like the ones in the links. 

A lot of home construction here is wood framing. There are specialty homes built with other materials, but these are not what commercial home building companies tend to use.

[regentrude]

19 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

 Is cementing not used and what is the advantage of siding?  

Houses here are a wood frame and pressed wood plates and insulation between the beams which must be covered with something,  either wood siding ( or vinyl) or ornamental brick.

[Laura Corin]

9 minutes ago, wintermom said:

These homes look amazing! I'm very curious about this construction method and whether it's used in North America. I've never heard of it nor seen homes that look like the ones in the links. 

A lot of home construction here is wood framing. There are specialty homes built with other materials, but these are not what commercial home building companies tend to use.

Wood framing and then what on top?  I really don't know how that works, except for the kits I used to see made.  They were quite cool.  Construction videos here:  The first in pouring rain

https://scotframe.co.uk/scotframe/galleries/val-u-therm-kit-construction-in-pittenweem-scotland/

https://scotframe.co.uk/scotframe/galleries/scotframe-timberframe-kit-erection-at-kirk-street-dundee/

[Laura Corin]

1 minute ago, regentrude said:

Houses here are a wood frame and pressed wood plates and insulation between the beams which must be covered with something,  either wood siding ( or vinyl) or ornamental brick.

That makes sense.  So very like the kits that I used to see built, it's just that cement facing was used instead of vinyl.

[Elizabeth86]

Sounds insane!!! My actual house barely cost more than that.

[Dianthus]

20 minutes ago, wintermom said:

These homes look amazing! I'm very curious about this construction method and whether it's used in North America. I've never heard of it nor seen homes that look like the ones in the links. 

A lot of home construction here is wood framing. There are specialty homes built with other materials, but these are not what commercial home building companies tend to use.

Stucco and EFIS are used.

[Farrar]

We paid less than that for repointing a few years ago and that's definitely more labor intensive.

But with the price of materials having gone up dramatically, maybe that's the cost. Agreeing that you definitely need to shop around.

[Tanaqui]

In much of the USA, brick would be a bit too warm during the summer. We have a lot of brick construction in NYC - our Dutch heritage, maybe? - and every summer, those apartments are like ovens, especially if you don't have a/c.

[Bootsie]

I do not have any idea what this would cost, especially in the area where you live.  Did they give you break down in the cost?  I am wondering how much the cost of simply removing the existing shingles and hauling them away is.  I am always shocked at what a large percentage of the cost of a job like this is demolition.  

[wintermom]

6 minutes ago, Spirea said:

Stucco and EFIS are used.

There are too many EFIS - what does this mean in this context? 

Stucco (pebbled and smooth - if this is the same material) are definitely used in some areas. 

I find that it's very regional in terms of available materials and design preferences acorss the continent. It's probably also related to the climate in the region. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by wintermom

[Dianthus]

5 minutes ago, wintermom said:

There are too many EFIS - what does this mean in this context? 

Stucco (pebbled and smooth - if this is the same material) are definitely used in some areas. 

I find that it's very regional in terms of available materials and design preferences acorss the continent. It's probably also related to the climate in the region. 

What do you mean, too many? Efis is a synthetic stucco. Works better in cold weather/ extreme temp changes with expansion/contraction and less prone to crack, like traditional stucco can. I'm surprised you don't know of it in Canada for that reason as it is becoming common in cold weather USA areas. 

I mentioned these because the UK product listed above is similar in construction application, though maybe no mesh used.

[maize]

16 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

That makes sense.  So very like the kits that I used to see built, it's just that cement facing was used instead of vinyl.

Many city ordinances require specific types of facing. My town requires brick or stone for the entire front and I think for at least six feet around the sides and back.

This is the current standard and applies only to new construction; it is seen as increasing property value for the town as a whole. There are also minimum square footage requirements for new construction--something over 2000 sq feet if memory serves.

I am not personally a fan of these kinds of requirements as they seem to favor gentrification and make housing increasingly less affordable. Our home fits none of the requirements, but it was built in the 80's so is grandfathered in.

Anyway, I think the reason cement facing isn't used in my area is because of these building codes.

As for the prevalence of wood frame construction, I think one advantage it has over some other construction types is that it holds up fairly well to earthquakes--a certain amount of flexibility is desirable when the ground is moving. Older brick building do not fare well in earthquakes. And historically the US has had an abundance of timber.

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 hour ago, Home'scool said:

I need to have my house re-sided. Right now it has shingles and is about 40 years old.

The house is a traditional cape with an addition on the side that was added on abut 20 years ago. We want to just replace the shingles with siding.

A company came out and quoted a price to remove the shingles, re-wrap the house, re-insulate it and install siding ...... $52,000!!!

Doesn't that seem ridiculously high?! We will be getting a few more estimates but idk if they will all be in this range?

The house is about 2500 square feet total, and I live in Massachusetts.

What say the hive?

 

I don’t know about prices but I’m glad that they plan to remove the siding, wrap it and reinsulate it before putting on the new siding. Our guys tried to cut corners by slapping the new siding right over our old shingles and I wouldn’t let them. So whoever you go with, watch them like a hawk to make sure they do it the way they advertise. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Jean in Newcastle
Typo

[Carrie12345]

Materials-only for re-wrapping and vinyl siding the front face of our 1100sf house was $2,500 four years ago.
I can’t give an accurate breakdown of the rest because our full price had other, different work included and I don’t seem to have that saved.

Add insulation, doing all four sides of a much larger house, materials mark up, disposal costs, and labor for both demo and installation, plus MA COL vs PA COL, and overhead, and my best guess is that quote is on the high end of an appropriate range.

[itsheresomewhere]

That seems inline with the current pricing and shortages.  I don’t think it is high at all for your house size and what they are doing . 

[Miss Tick]

That's in the ballpark of my experience in a low cost of living area. I did pay extra for concrete siding. I had priced it out years before out of interest, so it wasn't so much of a shock when the time came.

[Clemsondana]

I don't know what your specific materials would cost.  When we bought our current house, it was brick and synthetic stucco.  There was water damage to the stucco, so we had it removed, replaced some insulation, and used hardiplank siding to replace it.  We then had to have it painted.  I seem to remember it costing around $25-30K, 10 years ago.  Our house is large, but a lot of it is brick that didn't require any work.  Some of the expense could have come from how awkward some of it is to get to - I'd imagine that the same area of siding would be less expensive on a 1 story ranch than scattered among eaves and overhangs of a 2-story-with-walkout-basement, for instance.  And, right now both supplies and labor could be at a premium.  Over the decade we've been here, there have been times when workers (like a painter that we had used) would ask if we had other stuff that we were wanting done because they needed the work and would rather give us a deal than not work (funny story - one year the painter called and said that somebody had cancelled and he needed some work - did I want to go ahead with that project that I'd said I was saving up to do?  He ended up helping me take down my Christmas decorations so that he could work).  There are other times when we've been told that it's a multi-month wait to have work done.  I'm guessing costs relfect that difference.  

[Carrie12345]

OOPS! My cost is actually from NINE years ago. The receipt from a more recent dumpster rental was on top and I used that date without thinking.

[gardenmom5]

It's the surface area of the exterior. 

Dd did siding and wrap last year.  (She also recently did windows and doors with a different contractor. )  not insulation, which was 15 - 20.

That would probably be ballpark here.

[wintermom]

56 minutes ago, Spirea said:

What do you mean, too many? Efis is a synthetic stucco. Works better in cold weather/ extreme temp changes with expansion/contraction and less prone to crack, like traditional stucco can. I'm surprised you don't know of it in Canada for that reason as it is becoming common in cold weather USA areas. 

I mentioned these because the UK product listed above is similar in construction application, though maybe no mesh used.

There are too many acronyms EFIS. When you google this acronym, there are tons of different orgs popping up.

[skimomma]

This is going to vary a LOT depending on materials.  What type of siding?  For cheap vinyl, that seems high.  Have you looked into repairing your existing shingles rather than replace?  We have cedar shingles that are at least 80 years old.  They were in rough shape a few years ago, so we spot-replaced rotted shingles then repainted.  It was FAR less expensive than residing completely and looks really nice.

This is in general a terrible time to do repairs.  Labor and materials are sky high.  So, I am not at all surprised about the cost.  But I would get a few quotes.  We had our roof redone a few years ago and the quotes were all over the place.  We got one quote that was double the actual company we went with.

[Katy]

I think it’s likely reasonable but I would definitely get more quotes. 

We had cement siding on one of our houses in Florida, it was molded and painted to look like brick. It’s not done in much of the country because it’s not good in extreme climate swings. Cement expands and contracts quite a bit, thin facings over a wood frame crumble in a few years and then there’s an interior moisture & mold issue. It’s a big enough problem that companies that relocate employees won’t buy houses with stucco because they’re difficult to sell. A house built from stone or brick with a facing has enough thermal mass that it doesn’t expand and contract as quickly.

We’re not even allowed to buy a house with faux stone siding that’s made from cement. Apparently there was a multi-million dollar lawsuit in Oregon years ago because water weeped through the siding and every wall had terrible toxic black mold that made everyone sick. 

[Ailaena]

I don’t have any details on what kind of siding, but BIL just got a quote for $60k on his 3000 sqft house here in Colorado, so 🤷🏻‍♀️

[J-rap]

1 hour ago, Tanaqui said:

In much of the USA, brick would be a bit too warm during the summer. We have a lot of brick construction in NYC - our Dutch heritage, maybe? - and every summer, those apartments are like ovens, especially if you don't have a/c.

This surprises me a little.  We live where it gets very hot in the summer (and very cold in the winter).  Not many people here have brick but there's a lot of stucco (I assume because stucco is cheaper?), and the stucco holds the cooler air from the night so much longer into the day than other (wood) homes I've been in.  I'd think brick would be the same, but maybe not.

[katilac]

Somebody link a pic of a shingled Cape Cod house for me, or at least a shingled house, google isn't cooperating. 

I've only heard of shingles on the roof!

[katilac]

1 minute ago, J-rap said:

This surprises me a little.  We live where it gets very hot in the summer (and very cold in the winter).  Not many people here have brick but there's a lot of stucco (I assume because stucco is cheaper?), and the stucco holds the cooler air from the night so much longer into the day than other (wood) homes I've been in.  I'd think brick would be the same, but maybe not.

Yeah, same, I think that probably has more to do with insulation and air flow. A house or apartment isn't well-insulated just because it's brick. 

[HomeAgain]

It sounds about right for around here, sadly. It's spring, and pandemic-building materials are still scarce.  Plus the housing market increased the need for repairs.  Prices are still up.  If you can wait a little, I'd try and give it about two years.  It'll probably be back closer to the $30,000 range which is what we were looking at pre-pandemic.

[Jean in Newcastle]

18 minutes ago, katilac said:

Somebody link a pic of a shingled Cape Cod house for me, or at least a shingled house, google isn't cooperating. 

I've only heard of shingles on the roof!

https://www.google.com/search?q=shingle+siding+cape+cod&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=APq-WBsj9Kve0C1TEMhNxOH4iEpHCmnBbg:1649437444190&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&vet=1&fir=jUM9FzEpC9GLrM%2CpkNncQFWbGatAM%2C_%3B9fNGNeKHTGAcIM%2C2WkYTR5LVnaIGM%2C_%3BOp3ZIRSswzU1JM%2CiVpkw5gtl4PjNM%2C_%3Byd3TOgako9a-lM%2Cdf6LHKDLOZhmsM%2C_%3BsGsMHuAo89muhM%2CkNIeuvHySUw31M%2C_%3B7Z6zBG534hjT9M%2CB89FghzKpmb54M%2C_%3BMkRY33ufF4IHhM%2CbCpDhLLm1mFKKM%2C_%3BXLW85WfC76JpMM%2CCbc0_UTrjJ30PM%2C_%3B2seRmocfPD_xfM%2CgBsLMq3BaJBPeM%2C_%3B1mICoL1mGlpy_M%2CWIFwrGiZXHMdxM%2C_%3B7gWAbAYZz5mm6M%2CB89FghzKpmb54M%2C_%3B5YeVa433bRSRDM%2CAm7Rc0mDSi_RsM%2C_&usg=AI4_-kRI9hpCXTr9XFe8XUXEYKHA_uOLAQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAuMKn-YT3AhWxHTQIHcm8CrYQ9QF6BAhmEAE&biw=1408&bih=653&dpr=1.36#imgrc=MkRY33ufF4IHhM

[Grace Hopper]

Doesn’t sound out of line but a lot depends on the actual siding product. Is it vinyl? Aluminum? Hardie Plank? Big price differences between those. 

[Farrar]

3 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

In much of the USA, brick would be a bit too warm during the summer. We have a lot of brick construction in NYC - our Dutch heritage, maybe? - and every summer, those apartments are like ovens, especially if you don't have a/c.

I'm not sure if that's totally true. My brick house is built such that it cools itself relatively effectively. It helps that there's forced air. But before we added the A/C, we dealt without for a few years and made it through, in part because the high ceilings, transoms, etc. helped keep the temperature lower for longer.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Regional housing  materials are often determined by what is more available locally. My area is rich in timber so timber houses are cheaper and more common. Someone in Arizona would have different housing materials because getting timber there is much more expensive. 

[MercyA]

I'm sorry, but that doesn't sound too unreasonable to me. We considered getting part of a previous house re-sided years ago, and when the estimate came back (definitely in the tens of thousands), we opted for power-washing and a few little repairs instead.

[EKS]

I suspect that if you get more estimates you will find that it isn't out of line.  I know that construction costs have gone up quite a bit since the pandemic started.

[MEmama]

Idk about the quote, but if you go this route make sure to research any energy rebates available in your state. They can be quite significant.

[Guest]

It’s a lot but it doesn’t sound wrong to me. Sorry

[Hilltopmom]

Sob- we need to do the same and just had someone out. Waiting for our estimate but it will likely be about the same 

[Rachel]

2 hours ago, J-rap said:

This surprises me a little.  We live where it gets very hot in the summer (and very cold in the winter).  Not many people here have brick but there's a lot of stucco (I assume because stucco is cheaper?), and the stucco holds the cooler air from the night so much longer into the day than other (wood) homes I've been in.  I'd think brick would be the same, but maybe not.

I was thinking the same thing. It seems like most houses in Texas are brick and that brick in general is more common in the southeast. I always thought it was because of the clay in the soil, it’s easier to make bricks in that region. 
 

Now with more modern materials, brick is expensive so in my region it’s not uncommon to have a brick front with vinyl on the back and sides. 

[itsheresomewhere]

4 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

In much of the USA, brick would be a bit too warm during the summer. We have a lot of brick construction in NYC - our Dutch heritage, maybe? - and every summer, those apartments are like ovens, especially if you don't have a/c.

That is due to poor/lack of insulation not the brick.  We are cooler in the summer and warmer on the winter. 

[Grace Hopper]

1 hour ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Regional housing  materials are often determined by what is more available locally. My area is rich in timber so timber houses are cheaper and more common. Someone in Arizona would have different housing materials because getting timber there is much more expensive. 

It’s also determined by how bad termites are in your area. One of our  homes was cement filled cinder block outer walls with true stucco over it.  
 

ETA OP part of the estimate may be including remediation of any termite damage discovered when the shingles are removed. Though I don’t imagine they’re much of a problem in Massachusetts, the job should include making repairs and putting in measures to prevent future pest and mold invasion. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Grace Hopper

[Amy in NH]

I haven't read the rest of the replies yet...

I read this to dh, who is a residential construction project manager, without giving him the price you were quoted.  I asked him for a ballpark figure.  On the back of a napkin, it took him ten minutes to calculate this job to cost $54,700. 

[cjzimmer1]

Last year we were getting quotes to add a sunroom to the house.  We had a discussion about siding while trying to decide how to integrate the addition with the old siding.  We asked about residing the one short side of the house where it was most visible.   Guess was $5k-$6k for that one side which is probably less than 20% of the siding used on the house.  So add in labor for removing your old stuff (that sounds like it would be a pretty labor intestive job) and yeah I could see getting up to those numbers pretty fast.  The siding that best matched our existing (builder grade cheapo stuff I might add) is $16 per piece times however many hundreds you would need for a house plus all the connectors, and specialty pieces, screws, labor etc.