Sidings

Conscious of the fact that architectural forms can be undermined by their materials, we decided to look into the cost of exterior finishes and create a cost-comparison. At this stage we have no idea what sort of cottage we’re going to build, just that the cost has to be kept to a minimum, and since we are trying to minimise cost, it makes sense to determine what affordable and base our design on these findings.

There wasn’t a whole lot of information online about siding materials and their costs; many sites have information dedicated to only one particular finish, so in terms of a complete comparison there were really no resources available. Despite this, we managed to find enough information to compile the following list. These projected costs include labour (which we don’t have to consider as we are doing the work ourselves) so they’re not accurate for bottom line price comparison.

Aluminium: $1.50 - 3.00 sq.ft.
Brick: $5.00 - 10.00 sq.ft.
Cedar Shingles: $2.40 - 3.00 sq.ft.
Stone: $18.00 - 30.00 sq.ft.
Stucco: $5.00 - 9.00 sq.ft.
Vinyl: $1.50 - 3.00 sq.ft.
Wood Clapboard / Board and Baton: $1.50 - 4.00 sq.ft.

Aluminium and vinyl are the cheapest sidings available, and have the advantage of being relatively easy to install. Unfortunately, despite the great product improvements these two industries have made in the recent years, we simply do not like the look of either of these sidings. Ideally, we would sheath our cottage in cedar shingles. Our finding indicated that cedar is more expensive; however it’s also more difficult to install which undoubtedly adds to its cost.