Cedar Siding Cost: Wood Siding Prices and Installation Costs

How much does cedar siding cost? This gorgeous wood cladding isn’t cheap siding, but it has many advantages discussed on our Cedar Siding Pros & Cons page.

This guide to cedar siding pricing for the material and installation will assist you in comparing costs with those of other siding types you’re considering. Both cedar plank siding and cedar shakes and shingles siding costs are discussed.

Below, you’ll find:

CEDAR SIDING PRICES FROM LOCAL AND ONLINE SELLERS

Due to its popularity as a wood siding option, cedar plank siding and cedar shingles and shakes are sold by large home improvement stores and retailers online. Here is a summary of the cedar siding prices you’ll find when you shop locally or on the Internet.

These costs are per square foot of siding. The thicker the siding is and the better the quality, the more it will cost. Also, tongue and groove siding costs more than beveled siding from some sellers.

 STORE
CEDAR PLANK SIDING
CEDAR SHINGLES & SHAKES
Home Depot $2.15-$3.65 $2.45-$5.00
Menards $1.95-$3.50 $1.90-$5.50
Lowes $2.10-$3.35 $2.15-$5.70
Build Direct $2.50-$4.25 $4.10-$7.00

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CEDAR SIDING PRICES FROM LEADING BRANDS

Much of the cedar siding sold in home improvement stores is generic in that the brand isn’t emphasized or even mentioned in the sales information. However, there are several manufacturers that produce premium cedar shakes and shingles. The wood is taken from the very best heartwood and clear grades of cedar, so its aesthetics and durability are unsurpassed. In addition, the material is typically machined to be more stylish than standard shakes and shingles. The term “fancy cut” is often used. As you browse these manufacturers’ websites, you will find a range of designs including scalloped, arrow, fishscale, hexagon, round, square and halfcove.

Cedar shakes and shingles are available individually or in panels. The individual shakes and shingles are pure cedar. They are installed one at a time. By contrast, the panels are 4’ to 8’ in width, comprised of shingles or shakes attached to a plywood or particle-board (OSB) backer. Panels offer faster installation on site. Since they are produced in a controlled factory environment, the construction is often superior to what can be achieved when individual cedar shingles and shakes are installed. These are premium products, and they cost more.

Here are some of the finest shingle and shake manufacturers and the cost range of their products. Prices are per square foot of coverage for the product.

CEDAR SHINGLE & SHAKE SIDING COST

SBS – Spenard Builders Supply: $3.50-$6.00
SBC Cedar Shingles: $4.00-$6.75
Cedar West: $4.25-$7.50
Shakertown: $8-$12

Related Reading: Steel Siding vs Vinyl

THE COST OF CEDAR SIDING ACCESSORIES, DECORATIVE ACCENTS AND FEES

As you know, the basic material needed to cover the wall isn’t all that is required for a siding job. Trim for corners, fascia, around windows, vents and piping is needed to give your home a finished look. Fasteners are required for attaching the siding and trim too. Here’s a look at costs for the extras you’ll need when siding your home with cedar.

Required accessories: $0.55-$1.00 per square foot for the total area of wall space. These accessories include fasteners and all trim to surround openings, complete the tops of walls and cover fascia.

Decorative accents: $4.25-$12 per square foot only for the area covered. It is common to cover gable areas with plank siding in a sunburst arrangement or to use shakes or shingles to accent plank siding on the rest of the exterior. The price will vary based on the material used and the complexity of the design.

Materials delivery charge: $50-$125

Building permit: $50-$200 varying from one community to another

Disposal of old siding: Up to $2 per square foot of siding

FACTORS THAT AFFECT CEDAR SIDING INSTALLATION COST

We’ve covered the cost of cedar siding material. Installation costs depend on how difficult the job is.

The shape of your home: The more corners your home has, the higher the cost of installation will be. Corners take extra time to side because of the amount of labor required to measure, cut and fit pieces.

Single-story vs. two-story homes: As you would expect, it takes more time and effort to side a two-story home. Ladders and scaffolding are used to reach the second floor, and the work goes more slowly.

The height of the gables: Most building codes require a roof to have a pitch of at least 3/12 or 4/12, pitches that aren’t very steep. The greater the pitch, the higher the gable will be, the more difficult it will be to reach and the greater the cost will be for siding it.

Plank siding vs. shake or shingle siding: Planks take 45-50 hours of labor per 1,000 square feet of siding while shingles and shakes require 60-70 hours of labor per 1,000 square feet of material. The price estimates for installation will reflect the difference.

Who you hire for the work: If you are installing cedar siding yourself, the cost will be limited to the rental or purchase cost of the equipment you need or the time you have to take off from work for the project. From there, a handyman is an affordable choice, but if the individual or crew isn’t experienced and does a poor job, you might pay more in the long-term to have siding repaired or replaced. The most expensive installation is usually when it is a part of a package deal from a retailer or designer.

The best way to get a fair price and expert installation is to separately hire a siding installer with a track record of excellence.  Getting estimates from several local installers will give you a chance to find the combination of expertise and cedar siding cost you want.

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CEDAR SIDING INSTALLATION COSTS

These costs take all the factors listed above into account. The siding installation prices are in square feet of wall space, not floor space. You can determine the square footage of wall space by multiplying the height of each wall by its length and totaling the sums for each wall.

For gables, you can multiply the base by the height which will give you excess material that can be saved for potential repairs in the future. Or, you can be exact by using the formula for the area of a triangle: A=1/2BH where “A” is the area of the gable, “B” is its base and “H” is its height.

Add up all the square footage of wall surface, then add 5% for trimming and mistakes. In other words, if you have 2,500 square feet of wall space, you should order an extra 125 square feet or a total of 2,625 square feet of material.

Now, onto installation costs per square foot of cedar siding:

Basic cedar siding installation prices: $1.50-$2.50

  • Rectangular single-story home plus garage
  • Up to 6 exterior walls
  • Gables up to 6/12 pitch
  • Cedar plank siding

Intermediate cedar siding installation cost: $2.30-$4.50

  • Rectangular single story using shingle or shake (or combination of plank and shingle/shake) plus garage
  • Complex single-story or rectangular 2-story plus with garage using shingle or shake
  • Up to 8 walls
  • Gables up to 6/12 pitch

Expensive cedar siding installation costs: $3.25-$6.00

  • Complex multi-story home
  • 8 or more walls
  • Gables steeper than 6/12 roof pitch
  • Cedar shakes or shingles

The more factors your home has within its pricing group, the higher the cost for cedar siding installation will be.

ADDITIONAL COSTS OF REPLACEMENT SIDING

New construction is the easiest and most affordable to side. Remodeling with cedar siding requires removing and disposing of the old siding and preparing the home’s sheathing for cedar. The typical cost of removing and disposing of old siding is $0.50-$1.00 per square foot. Costs for two-story, complex homes are on the higher end of the scale than simple, single-story homes.

HOW TO FIND THE LOWEST CEDAR SIDING INSTALLED PRICE

There are three tips to getting cedar siding at the most affordable price for the material and installation.

Choose plank siding rather than shingles or shakes: Planks cost less and they are cheaper to install. You’ve got several gorgeous plank style options (standard lap, beveled, tongue & groove) in white and red cedar.

Compare prices locally and online before you buy: Shop around to find the best prices on the type and quality of cedar siding you want for your project.

Get estimates directly from local siding installers: When someone else arranges the installation, you typically pay more and you can’t control who does the work. You’ll get lower prices and possibly a better installation job when you interview and hire the siding company. Request estimates from three or four installers, learn about their history and the experience of the crew that will be doing the work, and let them know that they are competing on price for the job.

For more siding price information check out our vinyl siding cost guide and fiber cement cost guide.

We’d love to know how much your cedar siding cost. You can let us know in the comments below or contact us direct. Do you have before and after photos of your cedar siding installation? You can submit your project to us and we will feature it.

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REVIEWED AND FACT-CHECKED BY JAMIE SANDFORD

Jamie Sandford - Owner and Lead Editor at RenoCompareJamie Sandford is the Chief Editor at RenoCompare (find out more). Jamie has been involved in construction for over 30 years. Straight out of college, Jamie worked with construction crews for the television, film and theatre industries for over 12 years. In his thirties, he turned his attention to DIY decorating and construction, working on many house renovations and remodels. During this time he started to specialize in home flooring and in 2013 he launched the Home Flooring Pros website. Two years later he launched RenoCompare.

“I’ve seen interior design, remodeling, and construction from both sides of the street, contractors on one side and homeowners on the other. My aim is to close the gap between the professionals and the consumers and make it easier for both sides to work smoothly and effectively side by side. At RenoCompare we want to save you time and money by giving you the information you need as simply and as quickly as possible!”

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