Every siding quote in New Jersey comes down to one decision: vinyl or fiber cement. Call (201) 676-3099 or book a free estimate.
Every siding quote in New Jersey comes down to one decision: vinyl or fiber cement. Here's what each one costs installed in 2026, what you actually get for the difference, and the honest answer for which house should get which. Spoiler: the part behind the siding matters more than the siding.
2026 New Jersey price brackets
The per-foot number is wall area, not floor area. A 1,800 sq ft house is a normal two-story colonial or a big split-level. Those are fixed prices for a licensed, insured crew that tears off the old siding, wraps and flashes the house, and puts the new siding on the way the manufacturer says. A price that's half of these is a layover with no wrap.
| Siding | Installed, per sq ft | Typical 1,800 sq ft house |
|---|---|---|
| Standard vinyl (.044-inch panel) | $6 – $9 | $11K – $16K |
| Insulated vinyl (foam-backed) | $8 – $11 | $14K – $22K |
| Fiber cement lap siding (James Hardie and similar) | $12 – $16 | $22K – $29K |
| Fiber cement with shakes, board-and-batten or a full trim package | $15 – $19+ | $27K – $38K+ |
| Add: replace rotted sheathing | — | +$100 – $160 per sheet |
| Add: soffit, fascia and trim wrap | — | +$2K – $6K |
| Repair a storm-torn or damaged section | — | $450 – $2K |
What's inside the per-foot price
- Tear-off of the old siding and the dumpster to haul it
- House wrap over the sheathing, seams taped
- Self-adhered flashing membrane at every window and door
- Kick-out flashing where a roof meets a wall — the piece missing on half the rotted corners we see
- The panels or boards, starter strip, corners, J-channel and trim
- The right nails, set the right way — loose for vinyl, tight and blind for fiber cement
- Fiber cement only: caulk at the joints, primer on every cut end, touch-up paint or a factory-finished color
- Cleanup every day and a walkthrough of every wall at the end
Vinyl vs fiber cement, head to head
Fiber cement costs roughly double. The boards cost more, they're heavy, they need special blades and dust control to cut, and the install takes about twice as long — five to ten days for a house versus three to six for vinyl.
Fiber cement looks like painted wood from three feet away, with crisp shadow lines and real corner boards. Good vinyl looks good from the street. Thin vinyl looks like vinyl from anywhere. If you're going vinyl, spend on the thicker panel — .044 inch or insulated — not on the accessories.
Good vinyl: 30 to 40 years. Fiber cement: 40 to 50, with a repaint every 12 to 15 years. Both outlast the mortgage. Neither outlasts rotten sheathing under it.
Vinyl gets hosed off. Fiber cement gets repainted and its caulk joints get checked. A repaint on a whole house is real money — figure that into the 30-year math.
Vinyl can warp near a grill or under a neighbor's reflective low-E window, and it gets brittle on a January install. Fiber cement doesn't burn, doesn't dent from hail, and doesn't care about the sun — but it wicks water at cut ends if it isn't primed and flashed. Both handle salt air at the Shore fine; the fasteners are what rust.
Buyers in Bergen and Essex notice fiber cement and say so. They don't knock a house for clean, thick vinyl. Neither one is a bad decision for resale. Peeling paint over rotten wood is.
When vinyl is the right answer
- You're selling within ten years and want the house to look clean and new without spending like you're staying
- The budget is real and the alternative is leaving cracked, leaking siding on for another five years
- You never want to paint anything again
- You're near the water and want the lowest-maintenance wall you can buy
When fiber cement is the right answer
- You're staying 15 years or more and the 30-year math favors the longer-lived wall
- You want the painted-wood look on an older colonial, a Victorian or a Craftsman without the wood
- Fire is a concern — a close neighbor, a detached garage on the line, a grill on the deck
- You want to change the color someday instead of the siding
The part that matters more than the panel
Siding is not waterproof. Some water always gets behind it — wind-driven rain, a leaky window corner, a gutter that overflows onto a wall. What keeps your sheathing and framing dry is the wrap and the flashing underneath: taped house wrap, membrane at every opening, and kick-out flashing where a roof runs into a wall. Skip that layer and the most expensive fiber cement on the market is a lid on a wet wall.
That's why we strip every house to the sheathing, replace what's soft by the sheet, and wrap and flash before a single panel goes on. It's also why we won't side over old siding. It hides the rot and skips the wrap. The cheap quote usually does both.
How the price is built
We measure every wall on the free visit, probe the corners and the areas under the windows for rot, and count the trim, soffit and fascia that go with the job. Your itemized price lists the panel by brand and thickness, the wrap, the flashing, the trim, a sheathing allowance by the sheet, and the disposal. It's fixed before we start and can't change without your signature on a written change order. No franchise fees, no commissioned salesmen and no rented subcontractors is how we land typically 15–30% under national-brand quotes for the same or better spec. Bring us any written quote and we'll match the scope line by line.
Questions people ask next
Do I need a permit for new siding in NJ?
Replacing siding on a one- or two-family home is usually ordinary maintenance under New Jersey's construction code, so no permit. Replacing a lot of sheathing or changing structure can change that, and a few towns have their own rules. We check with your construction office before we start.
Can I put new vinyl over the old siding to save money?
You can. We won't. A layover hides rot, skips the house wrap, and leaves the wall thicker than the window and door trim was designed for. Tear-off costs a little more today and is the difference between siding that lasts 30 years and siding that hides a problem for five.
Does fiber cement really need repainting?
Yes, on a 12–15 year cycle. Factory-finished boards hold color longer than site-painted ones. The caulk at the butt joints and trim needs a look every few years too. Budget for it — it's part of the honest price of the product.
Which siding holds up better at the Jersey Shore?
Both handle salt air. What fails at the Shore is wind and fasteners. Pick a thicker vinyl with a high wind rating or fiber cement, and make sure the crew uses stainless or hot-dipped galvanized nails. We'll price both for your house and tell you which one we'd put on our own.
Need siding near you?
If you searched “siding near me” anywhere in New Jersey, that's us. First Call Contracting is based in Paramus and sends its own licensed crew to all 21 counties — written price before work starts, no deposit, a real person on the phone 24/7.
Two numbers. One honest recommendation.
Free in-home estimate: we measure every wall, check the corners for rot, and price vinyl and fiber cement side by side on the spot.
Or call Alex direct: (201) 676-3099