Siding Replacement in Bellingham: What It Costs, What to Choose, and How Long It Takes
How much does it cost to replace siding on a house?
Around Bellingham, replacing siding with prefinished James Hardie siding typically runs $11–$16 per square foot of wall, installed, with the tear-off of the old siding included. Siding is priced by the square footage of wall, not the home's living area. On the homes we've measured, there are typically about 1.3 to 1.9 square feet of wall for every square foot of living space, because gables, attached garages, and daylight basements all add wall. That's also why a smaller home doesn't cost proportionally less.
Prices change often with inflation, material costs, the economy, and tariffs and other policy changes, so these ranges are a guide, not a quote. Your written estimate has the current price for your home.
Price per square foot is a gauge, not a quote. Contractors measure wall square footage differently. Some include the window and door openings in the wall area, and others subtract them, so the same house can measure differently from one bid to the next. A contractor who quotes a higher price per square foot but subtracts the openings can end up costing less than one who quotes a lower price per square foot but includes them. Use per-square-foot numbers to get a rough idea, and compare bids by their total price for the same scope of work.
Cost by wall area. Before sales tax, for prefinished James Hardie siding:
- About 1,000–1,500 sq ft of wall: typically $13,000–$20,000.
- About 1,500–2,500 sq ft of wall: typically $21,000–$35,000.
- About 2,500–3,500 sq ft of wall: typically $29,000–$45,000.
- 3,500 sq ft of wall and up: typically $36,000–$50,000, and more on the largest homes.
Cost by home size. We checked the homes we've measured against county property records. Here's what those numbers typically mean by home size, before sales tax:
- About a 1,500 sq ft home (typically 2,300–3,000 sq ft of wall): typically $25,000–$38,000.
- About a 2,000 sq ft home (typically 2,500–3,800 sq ft of wall): typically $28,000–$45,000.
- About a 2,500 sq ft home (typically 3,300–4,000 sq ft of wall): typically $38,000–$50,000.
- Larger than 2,500 sq ft (typically 3,500 sq ft of wall or more): typically $36,000–$60,000 or more. A compact two-story home has less wall per square foot of living space, so it can land lower than its size suggests.
Most single-family whole-home re-sides typically land between $20,000 and $60,000. Sales tax is added on the whole job at your address's rate, which varies by city and county; check the Washington Department of Revenue's website for the current rate at your address.
What moves the price. Within those ranges, the biggest factors are how much wall there is, how many stories the home has and how easy the walls are to reach, and how much trim and detail the house carries: corners, band boards, gables, and blocks around lights and vents. The finish matters too. Prefinished ColorPlus siding arrives with its color applied at the factory, while primed siding is painted on site after it's installed. The ranges above are for prefinished siding. Rot repair can add to a bid, too; on full-home re-sides, sheathing rot repair is typically included at no extra cost, and on partial re-sides it's decided case by case.
Windows during a re-side. If windows are anywhere in your plans, price them with the siding. Windows replaced during a re-side typically cost 20–35% less than the same windows replaced on their own, because the tear-off, disposal, and trim work are already part of the siding job. Our window replacement cost guide has the numbers.
Can new siding go over old siding? Rarely. We only install over existing siding when it's wood panel siding with good shear strength, which we check with a probe test using a scratch awl, and when it's very flat, without deep or wide channels. Going over it saves the cost of a tear-off, but there are real downsides. The framing underneath isn't inspected, so problems behind the old siding stay hidden, and old siding usually isn't as flat as new sheathing, so the new siding is more likely to show waves. That's why our standard re-side includes a full tear-off.
Compare siding bids by their total price for the same scope, not by price per square foot. Contractors measure wall area differently, some including the window and door openings and some subtracting them, so the same price per square foot can mean a different total.
What's the best siding for the Pacific Northwest?
James Hardie fiber cement siding is the only siding we recommend for homes here. It's made from cement, sand, and cellulose fibers, so it doesn't rot the way wood siding does, and installed to James Hardie's instructions it stands up to our long rainy season and wind-driven rain. We don't install vinyl siding in western Washington, and we explain why in that article.
Prefinished or primed. James Hardie siding comes two ways. Prefinished ColorPlus siding has its color applied and cured at the factory, so there's no painting on site. Primed siding is installed and then painted, which lets you choose any paint color. Either way, we install it the same way: trim at every window, door, and corner, metal Z-flashing above the windows, and joint flashing behind every seam.
Warranty. Right now, James Hardie backs HardiePlank lap siding with a 30-year non-prorated, transferable limited warranty, and the ColorPlus finish with a 15-year limited finish warranty. Check James Hardie's website for the current terms.
Who installs it matters. Siding & Window Vault is a James Hardie Elite Contractor. Most of what makes a re-side last happens behind the siding: the weather barrier, the flashing at every opening, nailing into the studs, and joint flashing behind the plank seams instead of caulk, which is James Hardie's recommended seam treatment.
How often should siding be replaced? There's no set schedule. Replace siding when it's failing, not because of its age: soft or swollen boards, cracks, gaps at seams and corners, or water getting into the wall. Our guide to how to tell if your siding is failing walks through the checks.
How long does a siding replacement take?
A typical re-side takes 1–2 weeks on a small to medium-sized home and 2–3 weeks on a larger home, depending on permit inspections, the weather, and how much rot repair turns up once the old siding is off.
Here's the order of work on a full re-side:
- Tear-off: the old siding and trim come off, and the debris is hauled away.
- Rot repair: any rotted sheathing is replaced, typically at no extra cost on a full-home re-side, and the wall is ready for new siding.
- Weather barrier: house wrap goes over the walls, the studs are marked, and flashing tape seals the windows and doors.
- Trim and flashing: trim goes on at the windows, doors, and corners, with metal Z-flashing above the windows and doors.
- Siding: each plank is nailed into the studs, with joint flashing behind every seam.
- Caulking: sealant goes where siding meets trim, but not at the plank seams, which James Hardie's instructions call for.
Permits. Some cities require a permit for siding replacement, and Anacortes is one of them. When a permit is needed, the inspections are part of the timeline. Our guide to permits for siding and window replacement covers the five counties we serve.
Weather. We re-side year-round, but heavy rain and snow can pause the work for a day or two. The rainy, snowy months, roughly November through March, are our slow season, and that's when we sometimes offer a Flex Schedule Discount. Our article on replacing siding in a Northwest winter covers what changes in the wet season.
