DIY vs Hire Siding Installation Cost Comparison Tool

Is $1,980.00 the right DIY cost for siding 12 squares?

On the defaults — 12 squares at $85.00 of materials each, $240.00 of supplies and 16 hours of your time at $45.00 an hour — siding the house costs $1,980.00 to do yourself, against a $2,160.00 pro cost, so DIY wins by $180.00. The DIY cost is the squares times the materials per square plus the supplies plus your hours valued at your hourly rate; the pro cost is the squares times the pro price per square. A pro siding job is usually priced per square — one square is 100 square feet — and a typical house needs 12–15 squares. Vinyl siding installed by a pro usually runs $3–$8 per square foot, fiber cement $5–$13, and wood $6–$12, so a full-house pro job commonly lands between $6,000 and $20,000 depending on the material and the prep.

Four things about the model are worth stating plainly. First, the materials are $85.00 a square — 12 squares is $1,020.00 of siding panels. Second, the DIY cost is $1,980.00 — $1,020.00 of materials + $240.00 of supplies + 16 × $45.00 of your time. Third, the pro cost is $2,160.00 — 12 × $180.00 a square. And fourth, DIY wins by $180.00 — but the answer turns on your hourly value: at $57.00 an hour hiring wins; all listed in Accuracy & limitations.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 12 squares at $85.00 of materials each, $240.00 of supplies, 16 hours at $45.00 an hour, pro price $180.00 a square.

Line 1 — the DIY cost. The DIY cost is 12 × $85.00 + $240.00 + 16 × $45.00 = $1,980.00.

Line 2 — the pro cost. The pro cost is 12 × $180.00 = $2,160.00.

Line 3 — the winner. $2,160.00 − $1,980.00 = $180.00 — DIY wins by $180.00.

Line 4 — the check. $1,020.00 + $240.00 + $720.00 = $1,980.00, the DIY cost; and $1,980.00 + $180.00 = $2,160.00, the pro cost.

Every branch, checked

Hours 8: DIY $1,620.00; pro $2,160.00 — DIY wins by $540.00 — With 8 hours the DIY cost is $1,620.00 — DIY wins by $540.00.

Hours 24: DIY $2,340.00; pro $2,160.00 — Hiring wins by $180.00 — With 24 hours the DIY cost is $2,340.00 — hiring wins by $180.00.

Materials $60 per square: DIY $1,680.00; pro $2,160.00 — DIY wins by $480.00 — With $60.00 of materials a square the DIY cost is $1,680.00 — DIY wins by $480.00.

Materials $120 per square: DIY $2,400.00; pro $2,160.00 — Hiring wins by $240.00 — With $120.00 of materials a square the DIY cost is $2,400.00 — hiring wins by $240.00.

Hours 20: DIY $2,160.00; pro $2,160.00 — exact tie — With 20 hours the DIY cost is $2,160.00 — a dead heat, a TIE, not a hiring win.

Materials $100 per square: DIY $2,160.00; pro $2,160.00 — exact tie — With $100.00 of materials a square the DIY cost is $2,160.00 — a dead heat, a TIE, not a hiring win.

Hours 12: DIY $1,800.00; pro $2,160.00 — DIY wins by $360.00 — With 12 hours the DIY cost is $1,800.00 — DIY wins by $360.00.

The reverses, worked backwards

Smallest whole-dollar hourly value where hiring WINS: At the displayed $57.00 the figures are DIY $2,172.00; pro $2,160.00 — Hiring wins by $12.00. At the displayed $57.00 the DIY cost is $2,172.00 and hiring wins by $12.00. At $56.00 the DIY cost is $2,156.00 and DIY still wins by $4.00 — so $57.00 is the smallest whole-dollar hourly value where hiring wins.

Largest whole-dollar hourly value where DIY still wins by at least $100.00: At the displayed $50.00 the figures are DIY $2,060.00; pro $2,160.00 — DIY wins by $100.00. At the displayed $50.00 the DIY cost is $2,060.00 and DIY wins by $100.00. At $51.00 the DIY cost is $2,076.00 and DIY wins by only $84.00 — below $100 — so $50.00 is the largest whole-dollar hourly value where DIY still wins by at least $100.00.

Smallest whole-dollar pro price per square where DIY wins by at least $100.00: At the displayed $174.00 the figures are DIY $1,980.00; pro $2,088.00 — DIY wins by $108.00. At the displayed $174.00 DIY wins by $108.00. At a $173.00 pro price DIY wins by only $96.00 — below $100 — so $174.00 is the smallest whole-dollar pro price per square where DIY wins by at least $100.00.

Smallest whole-dollar materials per square where hiring WINS: At the displayed $101.00 the figures are DIY $2,172.00; pro $2,160.00 — Hiring wins by $12.00. At the displayed $101.00 the DIY cost is $2,172.00 and hiring wins by $12.00. At $100.00 the DIY cost is $2,160.00 — a dead heat, a TIE, not a hiring win — so $101.00 is the smallest whole-dollar materials per square where hiring wins.

Smallest whole-dollar supplies where hiring WINS: At the displayed $421.00 the figures are DIY $2,161.00; pro $2,160.00 — Hiring wins by $1.00. At the displayed $421.00 the DIY cost is $2,161.00 and hiring wins by $1.00. At $420.00 the DIY cost is $2,160.00 — a dead heat, a TIE, not a hiring win — so $421.00 is the smallest whole-dollar supplies where hiring wins.

Smallest whole-hours value where hiring WINS: At the displayed 21 hours the figures are DIY $2,205.00; pro $2,160.00 — Hiring wins by $45.00. At the displayed 21 hours the DIY cost is $2,205.00 and hiring wins by $45.00. At 20 hours the DIY cost is $2,160.00 — a dead heat, a TIE, not a hiring win — so 21 hours is the smallest whole-hours value where hiring wins.

A note on the ties: at $100.00 of materials a square the DIY cost is $2,160.00 — exactly the pro cost — so it is a dead heat, not a hiring win; hiring only wins at $101.00. The same holds for supplies: at $420.00 the DIY cost is $2,160.00, a dead heat, and hiring only wins at $421.00. And at 20 hours the DIY cost is $2,160.00 — a dead heat, a TIE. One more edge: with 12 squares, materials of $88.125, supplies of $241.375, 13.25 hours at $48.75 an hour and a $177.50 pro price, the DIY cost is 1944.8125 unrounded — shown as $1,944.81 after rounding — and DIY wins by 185.1875 unrounded — shown as $185.19 after rounding. With your time at $60.00 an hour and 30 hours, the DIY cost is $4,100.00 — hiring wins by $2,300.00.

What the defaults assume

The defaults are 12 squares at $85.00 of materials each, $240.00 of supplies, 16 hours at $45.00 an hour and a $180.00 pro price per square — DIY $1,980.00; pro $2,160.00 — DIY wins by $180.00. With Hours 8, DIY $1,620.00; pro $2,160.00 — DIY wins by $540.00. With Hours 24, DIY $2,340.00; pro $2,160.00 — Hiring wins by $180.00. With Materials $60 per square, DIY $1,680.00; pro $2,160.00 — DIY wins by $480.00. With Materials $120 per square, DIY $2,400.00; pro $2,160.00 — Hiring wins by $240.00. With Hours 20, DIY $2,160.00; pro $2,160.00 — exact tie. With Materials $100 per square, DIY $2,160.00; pro $2,160.00 — exact tie. With Hours 12, DIY $1,800.00; pro $2,160.00 — DIY wins by $360.00. With Squares 0, materials $0, supplies $0, hours 0, hourly value $0, DIY $0.00; pro $0.00 — exact tie. With Squares 1, materials $50, supplies $0, hours 1, hourly value $25, pro $100 per square, DIY $75.00; pro $100.00 — DIY wins by $25.00. With Squares 12, materials $88.125, supplies $241.375, hours 13.25, hourly value $48.75, pro $177.50 per square, DIY $1,944.81; pro $2,130.00 — DIY wins by $185.19. With Materials $150 per square, supplies $500, hours 30, hourly value $60, pro $150 per square, DIY $4,100.00; pro $1,800.00 — Hiring wins by $2,300.00. With Hours 0, DIY $1,260.00; pro $2,160.00 — DIY wins by $900.00. With Hours 9.5, DIY $1,687.50; pro $2,160.00 — DIY wins by $472.50. With Win-by bars — DIY $1,980.00, hourly value for a $100.00 DIY win $50.00; pro price per square for a $240.00 DIY win $185.00; materials per square for a $240.00 DIY win $80.00.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner siding 12 squares: they learn siding them costs $1,980.00 to do themselves against a $2,160.00 pro cost — and they check the $57.00 reverse to see where hiring takes over.
• The homeowner whose time is pricey: they learn at $50.00 an hour DIY wins by $100.00 — and they check the $174.00 reverse to see how high the pro price must be before DIY wins by $100.00.
• The homeowner facing a $101 materials bill: they learn hiring wins by $12.00 at that materials cost — and they check the $100.00 tie to see that one dollar less is a dead heat, not a hiring win.
• The homeowner with a 21-hour job: they learn at 21 hours hiring wins by $45.00 — and they check the $421.00 reverse to see how much supplies must cost before hiring wins.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is first-principles: the DIY cost is the squares times the materials per square plus the supplies plus the hours times the hourly value; the pro cost is the squares times the pro price per square; the winner is the lower total. The reverses are judged on the UNROUNDED totals: at $100.00 of materials a square the DIY cost is $2,160.00, exactly the pro cost, so it ties; at $101.00 the DIY cost is $2,172.00, so hiring wins by $12.00. The same rounding shows in the fractional edge: the DIY cost is 1944.8125 unrounded, shown as $1,944.81 after rounding, and the win is 185.1875 unrounded, shown as $185.19 after rounding. What the model cannot do is price your siding: the $3–$8 vinyl, $5–$13 fiber cement and $6–$12 wood per-square-foot pro ranges and the $6,000–$20,000 full-house range are typical figures, not quotes; bad flashing lets water behind the siding, panels buckle if nailed too tight to allow for expansion, working at height on ladders and scaffolding, and a manufacturer warranty that only holds when the install follows their instructions — are the risks of doing it yourself; and the hourly value is yours to set — an hour of a Saturday is not worth the same to everyone. Siding is worth doing yourself when it is a small repair or a single wall, the wall is straight and single-storey, and you have a helper — a square of siding is bulky and awkward alone. A pro is worth it for a whole house, second storeys, fiber cement (heavy, needs special cutting tools and dust control), or when the deadline matters — most pro jobs carry a labour warranty the DIY route does not. Use it to see which side wins on your numbers — then get a real quote before you book.

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