Ok, found myself again sitting in front of the tele around lunchtime Saturday. By Noon it was already 90ºF and I decided to stay indoors. Anyway, I was watching another DIY show about being your own GC, and this time the topic of the episode was exterior siding.
It went without much hoopla that vinyl siding is the cheapest (ahem, economical) of the siding materials along with fiber-cement board. The most expensive is brick, stone, stucco. I think their cost-analysis was to include the cost of installation and if a siding had considerably more labor-time then it made an expensive siding cost.
Ok, now this is what stood out about what was said in this episode: homeowner-GC should understand that the more expensive siding options can be as much as 50% expensive than the cheapest option.
Ok, why do I think that this is being rather conservative? Only 50%? I mean, if the cost of siding on a home is vinyl at $20K (think large home) or $30K for brick or stone then it would seem silly not to go with brick or stone over vinyl, no? I mean, for my home I would imagine the cost differential would be a lot more than 50%.
So, I wonder if any GC’s out there have recently compared the costs for brick, stone, stucco, wood, engineered-wood, fiber-cement, faux stone/brick, or vinyl sidings and found a ratio being least and most expensive?
Replies
Well, let's put it this way- I can have a sub install vinyl siding on a new home for around $2-2.50/SF- brick would run more like $14-18/SF. I'd say that's a little more than 50%, no? lol
Gotta wonder where these shows get their information......
Bob
Not to mention the additional foundation costs for a brick ledge, added lintels over doors/windows, etc..
Very true- you mean all the "other costs" associated with brick veneer.
Did you get a chance to read the email I sent last week yet?
Bob
Sorry I haven't responded back (am horrible with returning emails sometimes). Got your email marked as 'unread' so I wouldn't forget to get back with you, will do so soon! :)
I wonder if they were meaning to compare material cost in that statement of theirs. Two years ago I was comparing the differences between my home and an almost identical copy of it in down the street. Its 3-side brick and mine is just frontal brick. I asked about the difference in homeowner-costs from the track-builder's perspective and they said $17-18K for the sides, which probably didn't cover the side above the garage (where it meets the rest of the house. I should go rough-calculate this as its all Latino-labor (meaning cheap labor).