Key takeaways
- Siding is one of the hardest exterior projects to take on yourself, even for handy homeowners.
- A siding job calls for specialized tools and specialized flashing details that most homeowners don’t have.
- Our five-person crew, with 10 years of installing Hardie siding together every day, might need about 10 days for a house. A homeowner might need weeks or even months.
- Siding work isn’t repeatable. Walls aren’t flat, trim widths change, and bumpouts and old framing decisions make each wall different.
- A long DIY timeline leaves your home exposed to the elements, which is one of the biggest risks of doing it yourself.
DIY or hire a siding contractor is a common dilemma for handy homeowners, and for most homes, the answer is to hire a pro. Siding takes specialized tools, detailed flashing, and weeks or months of a homeowner’s time.
We say that as a team of handy people who also install decks and windows. Some projects make sense for a weekend warrior. Siding is not one of them, and the reasons come down to complexity, time, and risk.
How Siding Compares to Other Home Projects
We do projects around our own homes, so we understand the urge to tackle a job yourself and save on labor. That’s why we’re happy to talk it through when a homeowner calls and asks if siding is something they could handle. Our honest answer comes from working in siding, decking, and windows every day.
Windows and Decks are More DIY-Friendly
Many homeowners could replace one window, and some could even replace every window in the house. Plenty of people could also build their own deck. The result might not be built to code or look perfect, but these are some of the more approachable projects around a home.
The reason is simple. Window and deck installs follow a repeatable process:
- Windows: You do the exact same steps every single time.
- Decking: You repeat the same process board after board.
Once you learn the method, you can keep applying it until the job is done.
Where Siding Ranks Against Electrical and Plumbing
Siding probably isn’t as big a deal as electrical work, and it may not be as risky as plumbing. Outside of those two trades, though, siding sits near the top of the list of projects you shouldn’t take on alone.
Key Takeaway: Being handy with windows or decks doesn’t mean siding will go the same way. The skills don’t carry over as neatly as most people expect.
Why Siding is Uniquely Difficult
Siding asks more of the installer than almost any other exterior project. Two factors make the biggest difference: the equipment and know-how the job requires, and the way every house throws new problems at you.
Specialized Tools and Flashing Details
A siding job requires a long list of specialized tools. Most homeowners don’t own them, and buying or renting them for a single project adds up.
Siding also involves many specialized flashing details. These details direct water away from your walls, and they have to be done correctly around every opening and transition on the house. Getting them right takes training and repetition.
No Two Walls are the Same
Siding is not a repeatable task. Each wall on your home can present something different:
- Walls that aren’t perfectly flat
- Trim widths that change from one area to the next
- Bumpouts that need their own detailing
- Unique trim sizes based on the widths around the house
Older homes add another layer. When a framer built a house 30, 40, 50, or 60 years ago, he often had to make a last-minute call on site. The builder or architect didn’t plan for it, so the framer did what he thought worked. Those decisions rarely affect a window or deck project, but they show up all over a siding job.
Pro Tip: Walk around your house and count the corners, bumpouts, and trim changes. Each one is a spot where a siding installer has to stop, measure, and solve a new problem.
How Long Siding Takes for a Pro Crew vs a Homeowner
Time is where the gap between DIY siding and professional installation becomes clear. The longer a project runs, the longer your home sits open to weather.
What Our Crew Can Do in About 10 Days
Our crew of five has installed Hardie siding every single day for 10 years together. Even with that experience, a full house might take them around 10 days. That timeline reflects how detailed the work is, even for people who know every step by heart.
Why a DIY Job Can Stretch Into Months
A homeowner working alone faces a learning curve on every wall, trim change, and flashing detail. Based on how long our experienced crew needs, the same house could take a DIYer weeks, if not months.
| Factor | Hiring Our Siding Crew | DIY Siding |
| Experience | Five installers with 10 years of daily Hardie siding work together | Learning as you go |
| Estimated timeline | About 10 days for a house | Weeks, if not months |
| Specialized tools | Already on hand | Must be sourced for the job |
| Flashing details | Handled with daily practice | New and unfamiliar |
| Home exposure to the elements | Limited to a shorter project window | Extended over a longer project |
Key Takeaway: The real cost of DIY siding is time. Every extra week on the job is another week your walls stay exposed.
Need expert help with your siding project? Contact Fairway Exteriors for a free consultation.
Should You DIY or Hire a Siding Contractor?
We offer plenty of services that a homeowner could reasonably handle alone. Siding is not one of them. The specialized tools, the complicated details, and the long timeline all point toward hiring a professional.
The Risk of Leaving Your Home Exposed
The biggest danger of a drawn-out DIY project is exposure. Once the old siding comes off, your home’s walls are open to the elements until the new siding is fully installed. A job that runs for weeks or months keeps your home vulnerable for that entire stretch.
A professional crew shortens that window. Less time exposed means less chance for weather to cause problems behind your walls.
When to Hire a Siding Contractor Instead of Going DIY
It makes sense to call a professional if any of these apply to your home:
- Your walls have bumpouts, uneven surfaces, or changing trim widths.
- Your house was framed decades ago and may hide unplanned framing decisions.
- You don’t own the specialized tools siding requires.
- You can’t commit weeks or months to a single project.
- You want the flashing details done right the first time.
Pro Tip: Save your DIY energy for projects with a repeatable process, like a single window or a basic deck. Leave siding to a crew that installs it every day.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it Cheaper to install siding yourself?
Any savings from DIY siding come with real tradeoffs. The job requires specialized tools and a much longer timeline. A project that takes our crew about 10 days could take a homeowner weeks or months, and your home stays exposed to the elements the whole time.
- How long does it take to install siding on a house?
Our five-person crew, with 10 years of daily Hardie siding experience together, might need about 10 days for a house. A homeowner doing it alone could need weeks, if not months.
- Why is siding harder than replacing windows or building a deck?
Windows and decks follow a repeatable process. Siding changes from wall to wall because of uneven surfaces, different trim widths, bumpouts, and framing decisions made decades ago.
- What are the biggest risks of DIY siding?
The main risks are the complicated details, the specialized tools, the time involved, and leaving your home exposed to the elements during a long project.
- Which home projects can homeowners handle on their own?
Many homeowners could replace a window, or even all the windows in a house, and many could build a deck. Those results may not be up to code or perfect. Electrical work, and possibly plumbing, are harder to take on yourself, and siding belongs on that list too.
Get Your Siding Installed the Right Way
Siding is one of the few exterior projects we recommend leaving to professionals. The specialized tools, detailed flashing, unique wall conditions, and long timeline make DIY siding a risky choice for most homeowners.
Why Hiring a Pro Pays Off
Our crew brings 10 years of daily Hardie siding experience to every job. That experience means a faster project, fewer surprises, and less time with your home exposed to the elements.
Get an Honest Answer on Your Home’s Siding
Ready to talk through your siding project? Contact Fairway Exteriors today to schedule a free consultation and get an honest answer on your home. Our team will walk you through the process so you never have to wonder whether to DIY or hire a siding contractor again.
