Are PA Siding Contractors On Crack Or Is Me?

Royal-T

Twice this week I have shocked H.O.'s with siding prices to remove and reinstall D4 siding for a labor only cost of $200.00 per square. I learned how to bid siding from 2 buddies of mine that strictly do windows and siding and they both charge the same and have been doing so for years. I build complete homes except elec and plumbing (Leave that to the pros). I just want to know if all these guys doing siding for $80 to $120 are just hacks taking work from the real contractors or if things are that slow right now that people slit their own throats to make a few bucks. I actually had a home flipper tell me he wasnt happy with the work from one crew he had doing a square for $85 and I told him you get what you pay for but he still wanted a cheaper price. Please help me out guys because if I am crazy on my price I want to know!

Patrick

We just finished for a builder at $235

I know a lot of guys working for 75-100, but they are getting extra for soffit, returns, trim foam etc

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Originally Posted by Celtic
Like I said...I'm sure you are very good at what you do ~ whatever that is and where ever it happens.

vinylguy

royal,
maybe your the one on crack! let me ask you a question! did you set with the customer and do a presentation as to why you cost more and did you show him how you provide better quality and offer better service?
or did you just go measure him up and shoot him a price by phone mail or e-mail?
we install for much more than $200 per square but it takes alot of education on our part to do so.
are the guys doing siding for $75 per square hacks? maybe maybe not! but its up to you to show the homeowner why you should do the work.
and one more thing, working for a home flipper will only make you a pay check and never keep you in business for long. so my opinion is as follows stick to what it is you do best whole house building or spend some money and learn the presentation sales method.

MIbeachbuilder

ok. there is the problem. house flippers don't want to pay contractors one red nickel because it takes out of their bottom line and generally will hire the cheapest folks they can find to do the work licensed or not. Working with investors is a whole different animal. They want it cheap and last thursday.

That said....The guys doing it that cheap dont always mean quality either. Educate the HO about the importance of the contractor having a license, insurance, etc...

I have met HO's that have been sued because the (unlicensed, uninsured) guy they hired to do the roof, siding, etc... fell off the roof, ladder... HO's don't understand the risks they take when hiring these guys.

Grumpy

For siding I start at $225 a square for an .042. Just siding, nothing else. I charge extra for tyvek, insulation, tear off, windows trim, soffit, fascia, doors, etc...

Home Depot is doing it for $400 with siding and 3/4" insulation. Everything else is extra.

fredIII

patrick, does your price include anything ? facia, soffit, openings wrapped , gotters, or downspouts.......ect ?

grumpy, labor & materials ?

Patrick

Thats a price for the few builders we work for doing new construction, it includes me, my guys, our equipment, to install siding, soffit, and trim, THATS IT, ALL MATERIALS BY BUILDER. Our remodel jobs go a lot differently. Most builders just want J channel everywhere. Our own houses look a lot better and cost a lot more

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Originally Posted by Celtic
Like I said...I'm sure you are very good at what you do ~ whatever that is and where ever it happens.

Grumpy

Yes.

I don't do anything labor only. I want to controlt he materials I use and the methods of installation, and I want the added profit from the markup of those materials. Just look at what Patrick said above, his builders want him to use j channel, assuming where inside corners should be used. While acceptable by the manufacturers I can't warrant this method of installation, thus I need to be able to control the materials purchased so I can stand behind my warranty.

Patrick

No, I mean builders want J channel around windows, doors, rakes, and soffits. On OUR Houses, we Eliminate almost all visible J channel, making the house look like it has real wood siding. Funny though, as inside corners are where we always use J channel, and frankly, our inside corner method is more water tight than a vinyl inside corner, I take a full width of coil and bend it in half making a 12" x 12" L nail it in the corner, run my siding on one wall, and then nail a J channel against it to accept the other wall. Looks better than the premade one, and prevents water better, I also put the same 12" x 12" L bend on ALL outside corners on top of the foam to keep out water.

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Originally Posted by Celtic
Like I said...I'm sure you are very good at what you do ~ whatever that is and where ever it happens.

A W Smith

Is your coil the same color as the siding for those inside corners? what I have been doing is taking the first J and slitting off the face of it and putting the nailing fin on the wall I am siding up to. I put another J on top of that nailing fin tight against the siding as you describe for the siding on the other wall.

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Al Smith
http://www.awsmith.com

Patrick

I ALWAYS for our houses, and the builders we deal with know, that I ALWAYS want one roll of coil that matches the siding color. Another example, a wide shed dormer on a house, most guys slop J channel along the roof, I bend a modified Z which hugs the roof, and goes up the wall at least 6" (because its a Z, (actually looks like a lower case h sorta, you dont get that flappy line of coil on the roof when you come out enough to cover the roofers nails. and then I nail a starter strip on that to start the siding, sometimes we have 3-1/2" of coil exposed, if so, i get another bend in it and from the ground it looks like another course of siding. Its little things like this that get me SO aggrivated when i see houses where the siding is just slapped on its guys like that, that are scaring people away from vinyl

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Originally Posted by Celtic
Like I said...I'm sure you are very good at what you do ~ whatever that is and where ever it happens.

shoemaker

Nice.And I thought I was the only one to do that.
I've had many people(installers included)ask me why I do that.
Better protection IMO and it looks great too.By the time you factor in the cost of a CIC as opposed to one J and coil,the price is close to equal.
Outside corners I don't do that on as I wrap Tyvek around the OC and over the foam.
I've caught two of my installers putting up the OC then run the Tyvek into the corners and told them to change it.They pi$$ed and moaned but did it in the end.
I told them it's my rep on the line,not theirs and if they didn't like it,they could go work for the illegals down the road.
Plus I pay better

Shoemaker

fredIII

shoemaker, i do my inside corners that way too. its a cleaner and tighter look. i also cover the j's when wrapping the windows.