HOW LONG DID YOUR SIDING PROJECT REALLY TAKE?

HOW LONG DID YOUR SIDING PROJECT REALLY TAKE?

Funny thing about siding jobs - no two are ever quite the same. I’ve seen projects wrap up in four days flat, and I’ve seen others crawl along for three weeks or more. Weather’s the big wild card, of course. One summer, we started a job on a Monday with clear skies in the forecast, but by Wednesday, we were dodging thunderstorms and tarping everything down every afternoon. That one dragged out almost double what we’d planned.

Surprises behind the old siding can really throw a wrench in things too. There was this one house where we pulled off the first panel and found rot all along the rim joist - turned into a mini framing project before we could even think about new boards. The owner wasn’t thrilled, but honestly, better to find it then than let it fester another year.

On the flip side, sometimes you get lucky. We had a crew on a small ranch last fall - perfect weather, no hidden damage, materials all delivered on time. Wrapped it up in five days, and the homeowner was shocked (in a good way). Those are rare, though.

If you’re trying to figure out what’s “normal,” I’d say most straightforward jobs on an average-sized house take about a week if nothing goes sideways. Add a few days if you’ve got tricky trim work or if you’re switching from wood to fiber cement or something heavier. And if your place is older or there’s been water intrusion...well, brace yourself for some curveballs.

It’s never as simple as just slapping up new boards and calling it done. Every house has its own story hiding under that old siding.

You nailed it - every siding job’s a bit of a gamble. I once budgeted six days for a flip, thinking I was being generous. Ended up taking two weeks after we found carpenter ants had turned half the sheathing into confetti. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get humbled...

That five-day ranch job sounds like the best-case scenario. For planning, I’d also ask whether the estimate includes:

- Removing and disposing of the old siding
- A pause to inspect the sheathing once it is exposed
- Minor sheathing repairs, or just an allowance for them
- Extra time if the house has multiple siding layers or historic trim

On older homes, the visible siding can look fine while the sheathing or framing underneath needs attention. Even when repairs are limited, waiting for materials or approval can add days. I’d want those assumptions written into the estimate so a “one-week” project does not quietly become two.