Fiber cement cost: how much of the price is materials?

When a siding contractor hands you a bid for installing fiber cement siding on your home, how do you know if it's fair or not? If you get three bids from contractors, you can compare the prices to each other. If you know the size of your home, you can figure out fiber cement cost and decipher any siding estimate.

Your fiber cement cost: how's the total price figured?

A siding contractor usually figures his cost estimates by adding labor and materials, then a small percentage for profit. If the company uses its own crews, you may see overhead added to the labor figures or added as a percentage of the total project.

Fiber cement siding cost and quantities are figured in siding squares, just like other types of sidings. A siding square is 100 square feet. So, the contractor takes the exterior area of your home to be covered by siding and arrives at a total number of squares needed for the job. Fiber cement labor and materials cost a little more than vinyl siding, and the average costs should break down like this:

Materials: $130-$150 per square
Labor: $150-$160 per square
Overhead and profit: Ten to 25 percent of total estimate

Take a look at your fiber cement siding estimates, and take 75 percent off the total. Then, divide that number in half. That should give you an approximate idea of how much of the estimate is for labor and how much is for materials. This may help you decide if installing the fiber cement siding on your home should be a DIY siding project.

Fiber cement cost: how much of the price is materials?

Your fiber cement cost: how's the total price figured?

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