Siding Estimating and Takeoff Services

We quantify siding from your elevations and wall sections — cladding by system and area, plus the water-resistive barrier, flashing, trim and accessories behind and around it — and deliver an editable Excel workbook with the marked-up plan set.

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What We Take Off

Siding estimates go wrong in the space between the cladding and the sheathing. The visible material is straightforward to measure; the assembly that keeps water out of the wall is where the cost and the risk sit. Water-resistive barrier, flashing at every opening and transition, furring for a drained and vented cavity, and the trim that terminates it all are separate measured items, and they are the difference between a wall that performs and a callback.

Claddingnet area by system and elevation, separating fibre cement, vinyl, wood and engineered wood, metal panel, composite, brick veneer and stone veneer, since each carries its own substrate, fastening and trim requirements

Profile and exposurelap siding quantified at the specified exposure rather than a nominal one, since exposure decides the course count and therefore both material and labor

Panel systemssheet and plank panel quantified by piece with the joint treatment, reveal and attachment system specified, because panel layout drives waste in a way lap siding does not

Water-resistive barrierby area with the specified product and any drainage mat or rainscreen layer as a separate line, quantified including laps rather than at net wall area

Air barrier interfacewhere the WRB also serves as the air barrier, the transitions and detailing at openings, foundation, roof and penetrations are quantified as their own items

Furring and rainscreen cavityvertical and horizontal furring by linear foot with the fastener type and length the assembly requires, plus cavity closure, insect screen and venting at top and bottom

Continuous insulationboard area by thickness and type where the assembly includes it outboard of the sheathing, with the extended fastener requirement it drives

Flashinghead, sill, jamb, kickout, step, transition and penetration flashing by linear foot and count, individually measured because it is the single most consequential item in the assembly

Openingswindow and door surrounds counted with their trim, flashing and sealant, with net deductions taken at the opening and the returns and trim added back rather than netted away

Trim and accessoriescorner boards, starter strip, J-channel, drip cap, frieze, band, water table, soffit and fascia by linear foot and profile

Soffit and fasciaby linear foot and area with the ventilation requirement stated, including vented soffit area against the attic ventilation calculation

Sealantby linear foot at joints, terminations and penetrations, by sealant type and joint size, rather than as an allowance

Fasteningfastener type, length and spacing against the substrate and the wind design, with corrosion-resistant fasteners identified where the cladding material or the environment requires them

Wind designcladding attachment quantified against the design wind pressure, with corner and edge zones separated from the field

Substrate preparationsheathing repair, levelling and any required transition from existing conditions on re-clad work

Removal on re-clad workexisting cladding removal by area with the number of layers stated, disposal, and any hazardous materials survey requirement on older buildings

Access and stagingarea split by working height and access method, since the same square foot costs differently from a ladder, a scaffold and a lift

How Siding Quantities Are Measured

Every quantity below is reported in the unit the scope is actually bought and bid in — not converted into a single convenient unit that hides where the cost sits.

CladdingSF net by system and elevationBy elevation, since exposure, access and trim conditions differ face by face. A single building total hides all of it.

Lap sidingSF at specified exposure, or squaresExposure sets the course count. Seven-inch and eight-inch exposure over the same wall are different material and different labor.

Panel systemsEA by panel sizeCounted as pieces against a layout, because panel waste is driven by the layout rather than by an area percentage.

Water-resistive barrierSF including lapsGross with laps, not net wall area. Laps are a real quantity and a WRB priced at net area is short.

FurringLF by size and spacingWith the extended fastener the cavity depth requires — a fastener long enough to reach structure through insulation and furring is a different item.

Continuous insulationSF by thicknessSeparate from cavity insulation, with the fastener length implication carried through.

FlashingLF and EA by conditionHead, sill, jamb, kickout, step and transition measured individually. Kickout flashing in particular is small, cheap and the most common cause of wall failure when missed.

OpeningsEA with trim LFCounted with their surround trim, flashing and sealant. Netting an opening out without adding its perimeter back understates trim substantially.

TrimLF by profileBy profile — corner board, J-channel, starter, drip cap and band are different items at different rates.

SealantLF by joint size and typeBy joint dimension and sealant type against the joint schedule, not as a lump allowance.

Fastenerscount by zoneAt the spacing the wind design requires, with corner and edge zones separated from the field.

AccessSF by access methodSplit by ladder, scaffold and lift, because the same square foot is a different labor cost at each.

Who This Is For

General contractors carrying this trade directly, or checking a subcontractor's number before it goes into the bid.

Subcontractors pricing their own scope in this division.

Developers and owners validating a number they've already been given.

Material suppliers and distributors verifying a customer's order.

What You Receive

An itemized Excel takeoff, organized by division
A marked-up plan set — every quantity traces back to a location on the drawings
Labor, material and equipment split out separately
Waste and overage factors shown as visible line items
An assumptions and exclusions schedule

Marked-up siding plan crop

What Moves the Number on Siding

What is behind the cladding. The water-resistive barrier, the drainage cavity, the flashing at every opening and transition, and the sealant joints are the assembly. They are also where the failures happen. An estimate that measures the face and allows a percentage for everything behind it has priced the cheap half and guessed at the consequential one.

Flashing detail count. Flashing is measured per condition, and the count depends on the building rather than its area. A heavily fenestrated elevation with multiple roof-to-wall intersections has several times the flashing of a blank wall of the same size. Kickout flashing at roof-wall junctions is the clearest example — small, inexpensive, and the single most common cause of concealed wall rot when it is left out.

Rainscreen and furring. A drained and vented rainscreen cavity adds furring, cavity closure, venting, insect screen and a longer fastener that must reach structure through the cavity and any continuous insulation. It is a genuinely different assembly from direct-applied cladding, and treating the two as the same square foot is a large understatement.

Material system. Fibre cement, vinyl, wood, engineered wood, metal panel and masonry veneer differ in material cost, in installed labor, in the trim they need and in the substrate they demand. Masonry veneer in particular brings a shelf angle, ties, weeps and a drainage cavity, and it is a different trade in all but name.

Exposure and layout. Lap exposure sets the number of courses and therefore both material and labor for a fixed wall area. Panel layout decides waste. Neither is visible from an area figure, and both are read from the elevations and details rather than assumed.

Wind design and fastening. Cladding attachment is a wind-driven requirement, with corner and edge zones needing higher fastener density than the field. On coastal and high-wind sites this also drives fastener material for corrosion resistance and can restrict which systems are permitted at all.

Access and building height. Siding is an exterior trade worked entirely from access equipment above the first storey. The split between ladder, scaffold, lift and swing stage changes the labor rate for an identical square foot, and staging and protection on a constrained site are their own cost.

What We Need From You

A complete set is ideal, but rarely what exists. Send what you have — we will tell you at quote stage what can be quantified firm and what has to be an allowance.

Exterior elevations for all faces, with materials and extents identified
Wall sections and exterior details — the governing documents for this trade, since they show the assembly behind the cladding
Flashing details at openings, roof-to-wall transitions, foundations and penetrations
Window and door schedules, for opening counts and surround conditions
Specification section for Division 07 siding and the water-resistive barrier
Wind design criteria — design wind speed and exposure category — for the attachment requirements
Joint and sealant schedule where one is provided
For re-clad work: existing assembly information, substrate condition and any hazardous materials survey

How It Works

1 Send your plans — PDF, DWG, DOC, images or ZIP, up to 100MB per file.
2 Get your quote — a flat price for the scope with a delivery date, confirmed in writing.
3 Approve — nothing starts until you confirm.
4 We take it off — quantities from the drawings and schedules.
5 Delivery — workbook, marked-up set, assumptions schedule.

How Pricing and Turnaround Work

Every project is priced individually from your drawings. Send the plan set and you get a flat quote for the scope before any work starts — no hourly billing, no open-ended engagement.

Turnaround depends on the size of the package and how many trades are in scope — which is why you get a firm delivery date with your quote rather than a generic promise.

Tools and Standards

Takeoffs are produced in Bluebeam, PlanSwift, Trimble, STACK, organized against CSI MasterFormat divisions — this scope is specified under Division 07 — Thermal and Moisture Protection (07 40 00 Roofing and Siding Panels, 07 46 00 Siding).

Quantities and assemblies are read against the published standards that govern this trade, because the standard is what decides whether two apparently identical items are actually the same line item:

ASTM E2266 and related — design and construction of low-rise frame building wall systems to resist water intrusion
ASTM C1063 / ASTM C926 — where lath and stucco assemblies interface with the siding scope
ASTM D3679 — rigid PVC siding specification
ASTM C1186 — flat fibre cement sheets
ASCE 7 — wind load provisions setting the cladding attachment requirements and the corner and edge zones
AAMA 711 and related — flashing tape and self-adhered flashing standards
Manufacturer installation instructions, which on most cladding products are a condition of the warranty and frequently exceed the code minimum

Pricing is built on RSMeans cost data localized to your project's market, then reconciled against current supplier quotes and our own completed project costs. Every estimate states its pricing basis and the date it was priced.

Why Siding Is Estimated Wrong

The drainage assembly priced as a percentage. Water-resistive barrier, furring, cavity closure, venting and flashing are the parts of a wall that decide whether it performs. Measuring the visible cladding and allowing a percentage for the rest understates the assembly and, worse, hides whether it was priced at all.

Flashing not counted per condition. Head, sill, jamb, kickout, step and transition flashings each have their own quantity driven by the building's geometry, not its area. Kickout flashing is the one that matters most — omitting a handful of inexpensive pieces at roof-wall junctions is the leading cause of concealed rot in clad walls.

Openings netted without adding the perimeter back. Deducting an opening at its rough size while ignoring the surround trim, flashing and sealant around it understates trim and flashing and overstates the cladding saved. On a heavily fenestrated elevation those two errors do not cancel — the perimeter work exceeds the material saved.

WRB measured at net wall area. Barrier material laps at every horizontal and vertical seam and at every transition. Priced at the net wall area it is short by the lap allowance, which on a tall elevation with many courses is not a trivial figure.

Rainscreen priced as direct-applied. A drained and vented cavity adds furring, closure, venting and a longer fastener that must reach structure. It is a different assembly with different labor, and the two are frequently conflated because the finished face looks the same.

One fastening rate across all elevations. Corner and edge zones require higher fastener density than the field under wind design, and coastal environments may require corrosion-resistant fasteners throughout. A single field rate understates both, and on a high-wind site it may not comply.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you measure siding quantities?

Net cladding area by system and by elevation rather than one building total, with lap siding quantified at the specified exposure since exposure sets the course count. Trim is measured by profile in linear feet, openings are counted with their surround work, and the assembly behind the cladding is quantified as its own set of line items.

Do you include the water-resistive barrier and flashing?

Yes, always as separate measured items. The WRB is quantified including laps rather than at net wall area, and flashing is counted per condition — head, sill, jamb, kickout, step and transition. This is the part of a siding estimate that decides whether the wall performs, and it is not something to carry as a percentage.

Do you price rainscreen assemblies differently?

Yes, because they are different assemblies. A drained and vented cavity adds furring, cavity closure, venting, insect screen and a longer fastener that has to reach structure through the cavity and any continuous insulation. Pricing it as direct-applied cladding understates it substantially.

Do you account for wind design in the attachment?

Yes. Fastener type and spacing are quantified against the design wind pressure with corner and edge zones separated from the field, and corrosion-resistant fasteners are identified where the cladding material or a coastal environment requires them.

Do you estimate re-siding and renovation work?

Yes. Removal is quantified by area with the number of existing layers stated, along with disposal, substrate repair and any transition detailing at retained construction. Where the documents do not establish the existing assembly, the assumption is stated rather than absorbed — and on older buildings a hazardous materials survey may be required before work starts.

Do you quantify access and staging?

Yes. Area is split by access method — ladder, scaffold, lift or swing stage — since the same square foot is a different labor cost at each, and staging and protection on a constrained site are carried as their own items.

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