MKECONTRACTOR

Garage builder here been doing vinyl forever and thinking of pushing the fiber cement more. I have found that fiber cement is actually close to the same price as vinyl. Here is my calculations based on what I pay, for what I use, in this area. I welcome corrections and suggestions, in other words, tell me where I am wrong.

For example I will use a 24' x 8'. (We'll call it 2 square)

Vinyl
ABTCO Timbercrest siding $ 144
3 Starters $ 12
2 Vinyl outside corners $ 30
3 Pieces of undersill $ 14

Vinyl total $200-or $100 Per Square

FiberCement
7 1/4" x 12' - 17 pieces per square, 5.50 per piece (primed)
Trim Pieces- Smartside trim, $8.00 for a 16' piece.

Siding $187
Smartside trim pieces 4 total $32

Fiber Cement total $219 or $110 bucks per square

$10 bucks a square is not much difference at all. As far as labor, my guys can put vinyl up faster, because that is what they have done it for years, but that may change as they work more with FC.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

house bldr

You will always be able to hang vinyl faster than cement board,probably twice as fast, and don't forget you still need to paint that primed board you figured.

needthingsdone?

Yeah, but at least when it's done the FC house looks like a house and not like a plastic box!

Fiber Cement all the way!!!

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"It's not the first freakin' time I've done this you know!"

Cole

Really?

I can hang Fiber Cement, faster.

IMHO- Vinyl looks like crap.

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Midtown Tulsa Remodeling

house bldr

I'm not endorsing one over the other,opinions vary,I was just pointing out the painting that the original poster may have overlooked.As far as speed hanging it,I have a hard time thinking it would be faster than vinyl unless you have no vinyl experience.One guy can hang vinyl very easily,it doesn't require felt or butt joint connectors at the seams,each row covers 8-9or10 inches depending on the profile where as fiber cement typically covers 63/4 or less.Vinyl can be cut with snips carried in your pouch and nailing is easier(unless you are shooting it)That being said,I have hung thousands of square of vinyl compared to maybe a hundred or so square of fiber cement so maybe I'm not experienced enough with the fiber cement to judge to quickly!As far as looks, I think the fibercement looks good,its just not quite as maintenance free!

vinylguy

well said hsebldr, that guy must be smoking crack if he thinks he can hang fiber cement faster than vinyl even if he's never hung vinyl before! IMO!

concretemasonry

Nothing is cheaper or will be worth less than vinyl siding.

This choice is just a balance of cost and value if pride is not involved.

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Dick

Engineer, designer and consultant recently active internationally on construction and design in about 35 countries.

house bldr

I take a lot of pride in my work regardless of what I am doing! When I install siding of any type it is by customer request,they pay me to install what THEY want.While vinyl siding probably wouldn't be my choice on a high end house,it isn't that bad if using a quality siding that is PROPERLY installed.

Cole

Coming from someone who hangs vinyl day in and day out.

Your opinion is biased.

Any honestly, I hate vinyl and will never use it, unless the customer wants it.

And even than I will try to talk them out of it.

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Midtown Tulsa Remodeling

Same Old

You're forgetting the paint MKE. Vinyl will always go up faster than Hardie all things equal.

But it's a good upsell and probably worth it to a percentage of your clients if they value asthetics.

I wouldn't have vinyl on my house but I have learned to appreciate that my clients put differing values on their homes than I do. Vinyl is a decent product for a lot of people's circumstances.

MKE can you PM me your email? I'd like to ask you a few questions about your Garage business. I'm in Minneapolis, so we share a lot of the same concerns and don't directly compete.

SteveCal

Your comparisson betwen fibercement and vinyl is leaving out some important facts.
1. You did not include the cost to paint the fibercement. You used the primed fibercement. In order to fairly compare you need to finish the job.
2. The cost of the caulking. Fiber cement requires alot more caulk than vinyl.
3. Cost to transport the material to the job site. Fiber cement is vey heavy. Your transpertation cost will be much higher.
4. Waist. You have aprox. 10% more waist on a fibercement job than with vinyl. The panels are very brittle and break.

I install both materals but to tell you the truth, other than the fact that fiber cement does not rot. I do not see the attraction.

rbsremodeling

You can get prepainted siding

My guys hang FC quicker than siding.

Vinyl siding is crappy looking

A good FC job makes a house look so much better

FC is almost the same cost of vinyl here as well.

__________________

Being an idiot frees a man from having to live up to others peoples expectations.

enforcer

fiber cement cost much more on the labor side.then you have to take into account the corners and everything else,its more than vinyl.i don't see how FC is on par with vinyl when comparing price. fiber cement can cost as much as $1,000 per sq around here.

rbsremodeling

Supply and demand No one wants vinyl here anymore. Everyone wants and alot of guys do FC.

So Competition is up supply of FC is there. The price is competitive to Vinyl a bit more, but not outrageous

__________________

Being an idiot frees a man from having to live up to others peoples expectations.

enforcer

don't get me wrong. FC is nicer than vinyl imo...that said,it is much more expensive arounf here. not just the siding but the accessories and the labor.

thesidingpro

Personally I like vertically ran soffit.

All joking aside, I sell more fiber cement these days but i'd rather have a high quality vinyl panel on my house any day. Installed properly with a good panel looks the best when it comes to lap siding imo.

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enforcer

trick to vinyl siding is using the least amount of J possible as well as using a very good quality product.also incorporating trim work helps.

tomstruble

its all junk givr me clear western red cedar with a sikkens finish and azek trim anyday