Free siding estimate template with a rot repair price
This free siding estimate template covers the full re-side: tear-off, house wrap and flashing, the siding itself by the square foot, and the trim package by the linear foot where half the labor hides. It also carries a written unit price for rot repair, the line that decides whether the job stays profitable. A downloadable PDF version is on this page.
Tear-off and water management
| Line item | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tear-off and disposal labor | sf | state the number of existing layers |
| House wrap | sf | |
| Window and door flashing tape | lf | |
| Flashing | lf | horizontal transitions and penetrations |
Siding
| Line item | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber cement lap siding | sf | about $2.60 per sf material vs $1.68 vinyl |
| Vinyl siding | sf | |
| Board and batten siding | sf | gables and accent walls |
| Cedar bevel siding | sf |
Trim
| Line item | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Outside corner post | lf | |
| J-channel | lf | every window, door, and termination on a vinyl job |
| Starter strip | lf | |
| Fascia wrap | lf | |
| Soffit panel | sf | |
| PVC trim board | lf |
Fasteners and sealants
| Line item | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Siding nails | lb | |
| Exterior caulk | ea | color-matched, joints per the manufacturer's spec |
Labor
| Line item | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Installation labor | sf | |
| Second-story staging and lift | ls | |
| Rot repair beyond allowance | ls | billed at the written per-sheet and per-lf unit prices |
Example scope
Re-side a 2,000 sf two-story colonial: tear off one layer of vinyl, install house wrap and flashing tape at all openings, hang pre-finished fiber cement lap siding with board and batten in the gables, new outside corners, fascia wrap, and vented soffit. Includes staging, disposal, and a rot allowance of two sheathing sheets, further repairs at the written unit prices.
What a siding estimate must include
Material and profile, spelled out
Fiber cement lap at about $2.60 per sf and vinyl at $1.68 are different products, different labor, and different lifetimes. Name the manufacturer, profile, exposure, and color, and whether fiber cement comes pre-finished or gets painted. Siding bids without a named product are comparing nothing to nothing.
How openings were measured
Common practice does not deduct standard window and door openings from the siding square footage, because the cutting, flashing, and trim work around each opening costs more than the material saved. State the convention you used so your square footage survives comparison with a deduct-everything bid.
A rot repair unit price, agreed before tear-off
Every re-side finds something: soft sheathing at a window corner, a rotted band board behind the old fascia. Write unit prices now, per sheet of sheathing replaced and per lf of framing member sistered, with an included allowance if you like. This is the single most valuable line on a siding estimate.
The trim package by the linear foot
Corners, J-channel, starter strip, fascia wrap, soffit, and frieze are hundreds of linear feet on an ordinary house, and trim is slower work than field siding. Itemize it. Bids that only price the field square footage discover the trim at their own expense.
Water management named as a system
House wrap, window and door flashing tape, and metal flashing at horizontal transitions are the parts that actually keep the house dry. Put them on the estimate as lines. It shows the client what the cheap bid is skipping, and it documents that the system went in.
Access, disposal, expiration, and changes
Two-story work means staging or lifts, and old siding by the dumpster load. Carry both visibly. Hold pricing 30 days, and route color changes after ordering, added accent areas, and rot beyond the allowance through signed change orders at the written unit prices.
Estimating mistakes that cost siding contractors money
No pre-agreed rot price
Tear-off exposes soft sheathing, and now you are negotiating repairs with a house standing open to the weather. Unit prices agreed at signing turn discovery day into paperwork. Without them, it is a standoff with a deadline, and the deadline is rain.
Pricing the field and forgetting the trim
Corners, channels, starter, fascia, and soffit can approach half the labor on a chopped-up elevation, and PVC trim board runs $4.35 per lf on its own. A field-only takeoff looks tight and bids loose. Count the linear feet the same way you count the squares.
Deducting every opening
Each window you deducted still needs cutting, flashing tape, trim, and caulk, which together cost more than the siding that would have covered the hole. Measure gross wall area for standard openings and say so, or the labor around every window is unfunded.
One rate for one-story and two-story walls
Everything above the first floor moves slower: staging, lifts, material handling, and fall protection. A blended rate wins ranches and loses colonials. Carry the height adder as its own line and let each house pay its own way.
Skipping the flashing lines to match a cheap bid
House wrap and flashing tape are nearly invisible in the price and completely decisive in whether the wall rots. Keep them as named lines. When the client asks why you are $900 higher, those lines are the answer, and it is a good answer.
Frequently asked questions
Do you deduct window openings when measuring siding?
Standard practice is no for normal-sized openings: the flashing, cutting, and trim work around each window costs more than the few square feet of material saved. Very large openings like garage doors do get deducted. Good estimates state which convention they used so bids compare honestly.
How should rot repair be handled in a siding bid?
With unit prices written into the estimate before tear-off, per sheet of sheathing replaced and per linear foot of framing repaired, often with a small allowance included. Rot is near-certain on older homes and unknowable in extent, so pre-agreed pricing protects both sides.
Fiber cement or vinyl: how do the numbers compare?
Material runs about $2.60 per sf for fiber cement lap against $1.68 for vinyl, and fiber cement labor is higher too: it is heavy, cuts with dust controls, and wants two workers on long boards. In exchange it takes paint, resists fire and hail, and reads as wood from the street.
What trim pieces do siding estimates miss most?
J-channel around every opening, starter strip at the bottom course, outside corner posts, and fascia wrap. On a typical house that is several hundred linear feet of material and slow, detailed labor. The field siding is the fast part, and the trim is where underbid jobs go over.
How do I fill this template out fast?
Describe the house by voice, 2,000 sf colonial, fiber cement, tear-off, and Eddie, Staxen's estimator, drafts this structure with the trim and rot lines priced, ready to text for e-signature. Eddie is $59 per month, and your first job is free with no card and no time limit.
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