Top 5 Siding Questions We Hear In Colorado

The Questions We Hear Most, Answered Honestly

How much does siding replacement cost in Colorado, and how long does it take? Short answer: James Hardie fiber cement runs about $19 to $23 per square foot installed, which comes out to roughly $30,000 to $37,000 on a typical 2,000 square foot home, and a standard full-house replacement takes about one week. Here are the questions we hear most, answered straight.

I am Patrick Knackendoffel, founder of WestPro Home Exteriors, and James Hardie fiber cement is the siding we install the most. This guide walks through the real numbers and the honest trade-offs before you get a single quote.

How Much Does New Siding Cost?

We are going to talk mostly about James Hardie fiber cement siding, because it is the product we actually install the most, and it runs about $19 to $23 per square foot installed on most Front Range homes. That includes a full tear-off of the old siding, since we are talking about a replacement.

On a typical 2,000 square foot home with about 1,600 square feet of actual siding area, which is pretty normal, that works out to roughly $30,000 to $37,000, depending on the siding options, the trim profile, site conditions and access, and the condition of the sheathing or plywood underneath the old siding.

For comparison, LP SmartSide engineered wood siding runs about $17 to $20 per square foot, and vinyl siding starts around $8 for the really cheap stuff up to about $14 per square foot. These ranges are wide because every house is a little different. The factors that move the total are how much trim is involved, site access, whether the sheathing needs work, and whether you choose a prefinished or a primed siding.

Prefinished versus primed is a bigger deal than most people realize. Primed siding needs to be painted after it is installed. A prefinished product like James Hardie ColorPlus siding is painted at the factory, so we install it already finished. ColorPlus adds about $1.25 to $1.60 per square foot over primed siding, but field-painting that same primed siding costs about $8,000 to $15,000 on an average home. So going prefinished should save you roughly $5,000 to $12,000 on a typical Colorado home, and you get a factory finish with a 15-year color warranty on top of it.

How Long Does a Siding Replacement Take?

In our experience, a standard full-house siding replacement on an average home takes about one week.

Here is what that looks like: day one is tear-off and house wrap. Days two and three are trim and flashing, which are very important days and easy to underestimate. Then there are usually about two days of actual siding installation, caulking, cleanup, and touch-up, a lot of small details that matter.

For larger homes, or homes with difficult access or more complex installations, plan on about two weeks total. Separate from the install itself, your lead time from signing the contract to the install date is mostly driven by permitting, material ordering, and installer availability.

Every siding replacement we do is assigned a dedicated WestPro project manager who oversees the installation, manages the timeline, and, most importantly, makes sure you are 100% satisfied with the work.

Does New Siding Actually Improve Energy Efficiency?

A little bit, yes, but I do not want to oversell this.

You get some improvement, mostly from sealing penetrations, installing new house wrap, and properly flashing all the windows, doors, and the transitions between the siding and those openings. That reduces air infiltration, which genuinely helps.

But the best way to meaningfully improve energy efficiency is to add or upgrade insulation before or during a siding replacement, and that only applies to some projects depending on the existing wall assembly. This is a big "it depends" answer, and it is nuanced. We will tell you honestly whether it is a real option for your home and whether it is something you should seriously consider.

Some siding companies, in my experience, will push installing a half-inch or three-eighths-inch of insulation over the sheathing. But in our experience, that does not necessarily create a meaningful increase in the R-value of the wall. These decisions should be approached carefully if you want a real return on your insulation investment.

Here is a real example. We had a homeowner with a cool home outside of Lyons, Colorado, who really wanted to improve his energy efficiency. The issue was his house had so many windows and corners that adding insulation would have meant a huge amount of extra sheathing work in between all of it. When we really thought it through, it was such a patchwork that it did not make sense. He wanted to spend more money with us, but we actually talked him out of that additional insulation, because the juice was not worth the squeeze. He would not have gotten a good return on it. Instead, he put that money toward other insulation details that would have a more meaningful impact. I would much rather see someone spend their money where it actually moves the needle.

The point is, it is not one-size-fits-all. Getting new siding with insulation does not automatically benefit the home. It is a case-by-case scenario, which is exactly why a proper inspection and a diligent estimate actually matter.

What Warranty Do You Offer on Siding?

Every residential siding installation comes with our WestPro lifetime workmanship warranty, at no additional cost. It just comes with the job. That means we guarantee our installation for as long as you own your home.

That is a workmanship warranty from us, WestPro Home Exteriors, as the siding contractor. On top of that, James Hardie, the manufacturer, carries a 30-year non-prorated substrate warranty. And if you choose a ColorPlus factory finish, that adds a 15-year color warranty from Hardie.

So our workmanship warranty covers the labor and installation quality, and the manufacturer warranty covers the product. Combined, those two protect your investment if you ever have a problem down the road, whether it is the product itself or our installation.

Here is our warranty in action. We had a homeowner in Boulder whose siding we did about five years ago. She chose a dark iron-gray James Hardie color. During installation, darker colors can be a little tougher to keep from scratching, and any siding installer who hangs a lot of Hardie will tell you the same. So we had a few scratches, and we did some touch-up paint on them at the time. About four to five years later, she started noticing some blotches on the exterior. She assumed it was a James Hardie issue and called us out, figuring the product was at fault because our work had been so good. But when we looked at it, we were honest: it was actually our touch-up paint application, so it was on us, and we owed it to her to repaint those sections to meet our workmanship warranty. That was not catastrophic, it was an aesthetic issue, but it was ours to correct, and we did, years later. That is what a lifetime workmanship warranty actually means.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does James Hardie siding cost in Colorado?

About $19 to $23 per square foot installed, or roughly $30,000 to $37,000 on a typical 2,000 square foot home, including full tear-off. LP SmartSide runs about $17 to $20, and vinyl about $8 to $14 per square foot.

Is prefinished siding worth it over primed?

Usually yes. ColorPlus factory finish adds about $1.25 to $1.60 per square foot, but it saves roughly $5,000 to $12,000 over field-painting primed siding on an average home, and it comes with a 15-year color warranty.

How long does siding replacement take?

About one week for an average home, and up to two weeks for larger or difficult-access homes. Lead time from signing to install depends on permitting, material ordering, and crew availability.

Does new siding make my home more energy efficient?

Somewhat, mostly from new house wrap and proper sealing and flashing. The bigger lever is insulation, but whether that pays off depends on your wall assembly, so it should be evaluated case by case.

What warranty comes with WestPro siding?

A WestPro lifetime workmanship warranty at no extra cost, plus James Hardie's 30-year non-prorated substrate warranty, and a 15-year color warranty on ColorPlus finishes.