How to Make A Budget?

You need to know how to make a budget before you can go buy anything. New car or house, it's the same question, can I afford it?


Why Do You Need to Make A Budget?

Why do you need to make a budget, because vinyl siding costs are different depending on quality of the siding.

Economy siding costs $3 to $5 per sq. but premium vinyl siding cost $10+ per sq. So, a 2,000 sq ft home will either cost you $6,000 or $20,000. 

Making a budget will allow you to buy the absolute best vinyl siding that fits your pocketbook.

Just like buying a car, a vacuum cleaner or anything else, you want to buy the absolute best product that you can afford.  

Better vinyl siding lasts longer, and it looks better on your house.

So, your very first question will be: 

How much can I afford?    

Creating a budget will give you the numbers so you can pick and choose the different types and styles and grades to find the very best vinyl siding for your house.  So, let's get started.


Plan the project

What Information Will I Need?

What information will I need to start the budgeting process? First steps.

Vinyl siding costs are a combination of several different components.  

  • The amount of vinyl siding you need to buy,
  • The quality or grade of siding you are interested in,
  • The add-on's you will need, such as trim packages,
  • The amount of work required to make your house ready for the new siding,
  • Any repair work needed to your house before you install new vinyl siding.  

To see more information on the actual costs involved in installing new vinyl siding on your house, check this section out.

Click here to review Vinyl Siding Costs....


Each one of these items impacts the total costs you will pay to have vinyl siding installed on your house.  Each item is a separate component of the total job. 

The first two items, the amount of vinyl siding you need to buy, and the grade of siding, can collected up front before you call any contractors.

The last three items you will need to call several contractors to get their prices, so you have something to compare to.

Once you get prices for each of the items, just add them up and that will be your ballpark budget.

There may be other items that will need to be included, but this will give you a good ballpark idea of the cost of installing vinyl siding on your house.  

NOTE: 

ALWAYS MAKE YOUR BUDGET BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY HIRE A CONTRACTOR!  

  


How Do I Get Started?

First thing get some notebook paper or copy paper and a pencil. You need to start writing everything down. And don't forget to take a lot of pictures.

How Much Vinyl Siding Do I Need?

Step One: How much vinyl siding do I need to buy?  


Siding is sold by the square foot, so you need to know how many square feet of vinyl siding it will take to cover your house.  

Calculate the total square footage of your exterior walls, write the number of square footage down on your budget.


Line 1. on your budget.   'I need 1,800 sq feet of siding'.

To review more information on how to measure your house to get the approximate square footage,   

Click here    How to Measure Your House

Choose the Style of Siding You Like Best

Step Two: 

Choose the Type of Vinyl Siding You Like Best for Your House

Which style of vinyl siding do you think will look best on your house.

Remember that each type of siding will come in several grades and unlimited colors, textures and profiles.

  • Economy
  • Standard 
  • Premium
  • Super-premium

The prices range from about $3 per square foot to about $10 per square foot depending upon the grade, and the geographic area you live in and the time of year you are looking.   Prices are lower in the dead of winter and much higher in the beginning of spring.

You should pick out several different types and styles of vinyl siding and then choose one or two that you are most interested in.

Once you choose the particular type of siding you like best, say Clapboard, then you want to call around to several local home improvement stores and ask them what their clapboard siding is running in economy and also in premium grades. 

If you house is approximately 1,800 sq ft, just do the math.

1,800 x $3 (economy) =  $5,400

1,800 x $6 (premium) =  $10,800  

Now you have a ballpark range for your budget.


Remember you still must buy add-on's like the trim packages, extra insulation, gutters, etc.

And we have not figured in any contractor's labor.


Add-on's or Trim Packages and Accessories

Step Three: 
 
Add-on's or Trim Packages and Accessories are an important part of your siding project. 

Beautiful trim around all your windows, doors, soffit, and facia will make your house really stand out.  So, you should include it.

To figure out what trim package you will need you should to talk to several contractors and just ask them.  'What would you cover and what products would you use'.

They will tell you what needs to be trimmed and the material they would suggest and about what it would cost to install.  


Write everything down

Be sure to write this information on your budget and your 'project workbook'.

This information will be especially important when you start comparing the different prices from different contractors.


NOTE:   Click here to review Vinyl Siding Costs


Step Four:

Call  Siding Contractors


Now you are ready to actually call some vinyl siding contractors to get some prices.

Any good siding contractor will want to come out to take a look at your house.

They will want to do their own measuring to come up with the square footage that will be needed.

They also want to see what repair work will be needed before they can install the new vinyl siding.

This is the time to sit down and go over each detail of the project with each one of them.  How the answer your questions about the details will give you much insight on how interested they are in doing the job.

Calling A Siding Contractor

Installing vinyl siding requires quite a bit of skilled labor and special tools. You should call several licensed contractors in your area that have a good reputation and pick their brain.  Ask lots of questions.

Go over each and every detail in your 'Project Workbook' with each siding contractor This is especially important.  

If you forget to go over any details of leave out anything, there will be confusion as to what the contractor is expected to do for the price you pay him.  


put c2 invitation 'how did you find the 'right' vinyl siding contractor"

Now you have a realistic idea of your budget.  Where on that range of pricing fits your overall needs and budget.  How much do you really want to spend?

To see more information on what all goes into the final price when installing vinyl siding Click Here Go to Vinyl Siding Cost