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DIY Vinyl Siding Cost: How Much Should You Figure for Labor?

DIY Vinyl Siding Cost: How Much Should You Figure for Labor?

Some homeowners do projects around the house because they enjoy the work and find it a nice change of pace from their regular jobs. Others hope to save a little money by doing their own maintenance and remodeling instead of paying for a contractor. You might fall into one of those categories--maybe even both. If you're ready to start your DIY vinyl siding project, you might wonder how long the project might take and how much your labor may reduce your total siding cost.

How to Figure DIY Labor into Your Siding Cost

A two-person professional siding crew can usually install a square of vinyl siding in two to three hours. How quickly they install the siding depends on:

  • The home's complexity
  • The home's height
  • Whether they install insulation behind the siding

If you're installing vinyl siding yourself, the amount of time required to install a square can double. Realistically, you should probably add another 20 to 40 percent to make up for the difference in experience between you and a professional crew.

Here are some other factors that might slow you down:

  • Having to constantly move a ladder rather than using walk boards
  • Not having all the tools a siding crew might have
  • Not ordering enough materials

A good siding crew could finish an average home with 20 squares of siding in about 50 hours. The same home might take you around 120 hours. But, by the time you're halfway through, you could be proficient enough to go a little faster. Plug in what you think your hourly labor is worth to find out how your time investment affects the total siding cost of your DIY project.

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