What Vinyl Siding Typically Costs on Long Island
Vinyl siding is priced by the square foot of wall. On Long Island, standard vinyl often runs about $7 to $13 per square foot installed. That usually covers tear-off and new house wrap. It also covers installation and the permit.
Here is what that means for about 2,000 square feet of wall:
- Standard vinyl: about $14,500 to $26,000
- Insulated vinyl: about $22,000 to $34,000
These are typical ranges, not a quote. A small ranch can come in well under them. A big colonial with a lot of trim can go over.
Wall area is not the same as living space. A two-story house often has more wall than floor. Our page on vinyl siding installation on Long Island covers the panel options. It also walks through the install process.
National cost figures online often run lower than these. Labor on Long Island costs more than in most of the country. That shows up in every siding quote here.
How Vinyl Siding Is Measured and Priced
Siding is sold by the square. One square covers 100 square feet of wall. So a house with 2,000 square feet of wall needs about 20 squares of siding.
That puts one square at about $700 to $1,300 installed. Some contractors quote by the square. Others quote one price for the whole house.
The estimator measures each wall and each gable. Most estimates add some extra material for cuts and waste. Large openings like a garage door usually come out of the count.
Trim adds cost on top of the wall area. That covers corner posts and the wraps around windows and doors. It also covers soffit and fascia.
A house with lots of windows and corners costs more. A plain box of the same size costs less.
What Makes Vinyl Siding Cost More
Two houses with the same wall area can get very different quotes. These are the usual reasons.
Height and roof shape
Second stories and steep gables need ladders, staging or scaffolding. That takes more time on every wall. For 2.5 stories or steep gables, expect roughly 8 to 15 percent more.
Tear-off or going over the old siding
Most jobs remove the old siding first. Installing over sound siding can save roughly 10 to 18 percent. It only makes sense when the old layer is flat and dry. It also has to be allowed by code.
What is behind the old siding
Tear-off sometimes turns up rotted sheathing. Repairs for that often run $600 to $2,400. The price depends on how much wood is damaged. A good contractor photographs the damage and gets your okay before fixing it.
Older houses can hide asbestos shingles under a later layer of siding. This is common on postwar homes, like many of the older capes in Levittown. Removing it takes a licensed abatement contractor. That often adds $3,500 to $6,500 to the job.
Permits
Most full resides need a building permit. Each town and village sets its own rules and fees. Our Nassau County siding permit guide explains the rules there. The Suffolk County siding permit guide does the same for Suffolk.
Standard vs Insulated Vinyl Siding Cost
Panel quality changes the price too. Builder-grade vinyl is thin, often around .040 inches. Thicker premium panels cost more. They tend to look flatter on the wall and hold up better in wind.
Color can matter a little. On some product lines, dark colors cost more than whites and light neutrals.
Insulated vinyl has a rigid foam backing attached to each panel. It costs noticeably more than standard vinyl. For about 2,000 square feet of wall, that often means $22,000 to $34,000. Standard vinyl on the same house often runs $14,500 to $26,000.
The foam adds a modest amount of insulation to the walls. It also makes the panels stiffer. That helps wavy old walls look straighter.
Many older Long Island houses have little or no insulation in the exterior walls. For those homes, insulated vinyl siding is worth pricing out.
Is Vinyl Siding Worth the Cost?
For most Long Island homeowners, vinyl is the lowest-cost siding to install. Fiber cement and real cedar often cost a lot more on the same house.
Upkeep is low. Vinyl never needs paint. Most owners just rinse it once a year with a hose and a soft brush.
Well-installed vinyl often lasts 25 to 40 years. How long it lasts depends a lot on the install. Panels need room to move as they heat up and cool down. Nailed too tight, they can buckle on a sunny wall.
How to Compare Vinyl Siding Quotes
Quotes on the same house can be thousands of dollars apart. Often they are not quoting the same job. Before you compare prices, check that each quote spells out these items:
- Full tear-off or installing over the old siding
- House wrap and what kind
- The panel line and its thickness
- Trim, soffit and fascia work
- Permit, dumpster and cleanup
- How rot repair will be priced if it turns up
- What the warranty covers on the panels and on the labor
A higher quote is not always a worse deal. Sometimes it just includes work the cheaper quote left out. Ask each contractor to walk you through anything that is missing.
Getting a Vinyl Siding Price for Your House
Online ranges only get you so far. The real number depends on your walls and trim. It also depends on what is under the old siding.
Still choosing a material? Our siding pricing page compares vinyl with fiber cement and cedar. It uses the same kind of typical ranges as this guide.
For a number on your own house, we can come out and measure it. Call us at (516) 529-2942 to set up a time that works for you.
Still have questions?
This guide was written by Siding Long Island. If your situation has a wrinkle we did not cover, call us direct. Most questions we answer by phone take five minutes.