Siding installation

Siding Installation Estimate Template (Free)

By ShowTheReceipts · Updated

Short answer

A siding estimate needs wall area in squares with the material and profile named, tear-off and disposal of existing siding, house wrap and flashing, trim, corners, and J-channel, soffit and fascia if included, an as-found rate for rotten sheathing, and a written exclusions list covering windows, painting, and landscape restoration. Copy the template below, or use software that saves those rates and converts the accepted estimate into an invoice.

What belongs on the estimate

  • Business name, license number, contact info
  • Customer name, property address, phone
  • Material and profile — vinyl, fiber cement, engineered wood; lap width
  • Wall area in squares, with stories noted
  • Tear-off and disposal
  • House wrap, flashing, and trim
  • Corners, J-channel, and starter
  • Soffit and fascia, if included
  • As-found sheathing rate
  • Payment schedule and exclusions

The template

[Your Business Name] · License #________
[Phone] · [Email]

Estimate #____        Date: __________
Prepared For: [Customer Name]   Phone: __________
Property: _____________________________________
Material: [vinyl / fiber cement / engineered]
Profile: __________  Color: __________  Stories: ___

--------------------------------------------------
Description                              Amount
--------------------------------------------------
Siding — ___ squares @ $___              $______
Tear-off + disposal — ___ squares        $______
House wrap + seam tape                   $______
Flashing (windows / doors / roof-wall)   $______
Trim + corners + J-channel               $______
Starter strip + finish trim              $______
Soffit — ___ lf @ $___                   $______
Fascia wrap — ___ lf @ $___              $______
Sheathing replacement (as found) $___/sheet $____
Scaffolding / lift rental                $______
--------------------------------------------------
Subtotal                                 $______
Tax (if applicable)                      $______
Estimate Total                           $______

PAYMENT: ___% deposit · ___% at [milestone]
         balance at completion.
NOT INCLUDED: window/door replacement, painting,
gutters, landscape or deck restoration, structural
repair beyond sheathing.

Progress payments are not optional on a re-side

A house of fiber cement is thousands of dollars of material you buy before anyone pays you. A deposit for material, a milestone payment, and a completion balance is standard and reasonable — and asking for it after you’ve started never goes as well.

Photograph every wall before you touch it

Existing damage, failing flashing, and old repairs all become your problem the moment the old siding comes off. Photos taken the morning you start are the cheapest insurance in exterior work.

Skipping the copy-paste

Software with your per-square rates, trim lines, and as-found sheathing rate saved builds this estimate quickly, then bills the deposit, the milestone, and the balance off the same job record.

Frequently asked questions

How do I price rotten sheathing I can't see yet?

As an as-found rate per sheet or per square foot, stated on the estimate, billed only with photo approval. Every re-side finds some rot — pricing the rate up front turns the discovery into a routine change order rather than a renegotiation.

Should siding jobs be billed in progress payments?

Yes on anything multi-day: a deposit for material, a progress payment at a defined milestone, and the balance at completion. Fronting a full house of siding and waiting weeks for one payment is how solo contractors run out of cash mid-job.

What has to be in the exclusions?

Window and door replacement, painting, gutter work, landscape and deck restoration, and any structural repair beyond sheathing. These are the five things customers most often assume are included, and the only reliable fix is writing them down.

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