Adding vinyl siding to your home's exterior may improve its appearance while providing an easily maintained surface. Annual cleaning with a hose will remove most dirt. Whether you hire a contractor or plan a do-it-yourself project, estimate the cost of the vinyl siding before you begin.
Draw a diagram of the side walls of your home, each wall on a piece of graph paper. Draw triangle shapes to represent the gables, the upper area of the side walls below the roof; draw rectangles or squares to represent the lower areas. By dividing the sides of the house into separate geometric shapes, you can more easily figure the area of each side.
Measure each side of your house with the metal tape measure from side to side and bottom to top. Disregard doors and windows for this ball-park measurement; the extra allows for waste, according to consumersreport.org. Measure the height and width of each rectangle or square area on each side of your house. Measure the base and height of all triangle areas, or gables. Mark these measurements on the corresponding shapes on the graph paper diagrams.
Figures the areas of each exterior wall. First multiply the height by the width of each square or rectangular area. Mark the result in the center of each square or rectangle on your diagram. Multiply the height by the base of each triangular shape and multiply this product by 0.50 for the area of each triangle. Write the result in the center of each triangle on the diagram.
Add up the areas of each square, rectangle and triangle on your diagram. The total is the exterior square footage of your home. Divide the exterior square footage by 100 to determine how many squares of vinyl siding you will require.
Select the vinyl siding you want to use. Multiply its cost per square of siding by the number of squares required. Add to this total any applicable sales taxes for your location. The average cost of vinyl siding in 2010 is $5.00 per square foot.
Things You Will Need
- 8-inch by 11-inch graph paper
- Metal tape measure
- There may be additional costs to cover soffits--the space between the top of the siding and the gutters--and any trim areas.
- If you know your house's interior square foot measurement, this area is roughly equivalent to the outside exterior square foot measurement. Do not forget to add the interior garage space to this measurement if you are planning to cover the garage with siding.
- Siding that is more expensive than average is likely to be thicker and may have built-in insulation behind the vinyl. Less expensive siding may not stand up to weather conditions and may sag or become loose over time.
- historical house image by Lise Powell from Fotolia.com