Upgrading Your Home’s Siding: Cost to Value Comparison

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Although not as glamorous as a newly remodeled gourmet kitchen or the addition of a Master Suite, exterior improvements such as upgrading your home’s siding can offer impressive cost to value. New siding can greatly enhance the aesthetics of your home, enhancing its curb appeal, which we all know is crucial to potential buyers.

A mid-range siding project includes replacing 1,250 square feet of your home’s current siding with new vinyl product, including trim.

A high-end project replaces the same 1,250 square feet with either a foam-backed (insulated) vinyl siding, including factory trim at all corners and openings or a fiber-cement siding option that is factory-primed and painted and includes all trim.

Vinyl siding can be painted at the factory, eliminating the need to paint. It has also greatly improved since its entry into the housing materials market back in the 1950s. It is often cheaper than wood siding and can be simpler to install. If your existing siding is wood, replacing it with vinyl allows for easier maintenance, increases your home’s energy efficiency and restricts the elements from damaging your home.

Fiber-cement siding provides considerable textural versatility, maintains its structural integrity, protects your home against water and moisture, doesn’t warp or fade and has a class A fire rating. It can also eliminate the need to paint for up to 20 years or more. Installation is also generally less than wood siding.

When comparing midrange to high-end siding replacements in both San Jose and San Francisco metro areas, the overriding cost to value is worthwhile.

San Jose’s midrange cost is about $15,000 and offers a 104.5% return while the upscale foam siding costs just over $18,000 and the ROI is 100.4% and the fiber-cement project cost runs $17,700 and recoups slightly over 106%.

In San Francisco, the midrange cost is around $16,700 with an ROI of 96.9%. The vinyl foam siding cost is $19,700, recouping 95% while the fiber-cement siding upgrade costs $18,600 and brings is a whopping 129% return on investment.

If you live in Mountain View or anywhere in the Silicon Valley and your home has aging wood siding, it might be worth investing in either vinyl or fiber-cement to enhance your home’s value and appearance.