There’s a (relatively) new sheriff in the composite siding market, known as cellular polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It closely resembles natural wood, both in how it is cut and shaped, yet overcomes the primary disadvantages of the natural product.
PVC as a construction material has been used for nearly a half century. Whereas cellular PVC is still in its first decade of residential use as a siding material.
While wood is its most obvious competitor, there is more than one product that many consider in the category of composite siding.
Essentially, any siding that seeks to mimic wood fits here. That includes cellular PVC, engineered wood, fiber cement board and even vinyl. The last three have their own niche in the market and fairly established brands.
Top manufacturers of cellular PVC include: CertainTeed (trim), Royal Building Product’s Celect line, and NuCedar. As this short list shows, whatever wood does for home siding, cellular PVC can do. This includes, lapboard, vertical boards, cedar shingles immigration, trim, etc.
Pricing Information – Part 1
NuCedar notes the cost as more expensive than fiber cement, and slightly less expensive than natural red cedar.
Thus, expect to pay in the range of $10.50 to $16.50 per square foot installed, which is similar to the cost of composite wood siding. This translates to roughly $21,000 to $33,000 for a typical two bedroom house with 2,000 square feet of siding walls.
Note: When it comes to pricing cellular PVC siding, it is not so easy to do. None of the manufacturers above convey such information in specific terms. This is perhaps due to the variation in application or desire to avoid sticker shock.
