How much does 18 squares of siding cost in San Francisco, CA?
| Typical total$961 per square | $17,296 |
|---|---|
| Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this | $8,648 – $34,592 |
| Labor portion55% of the job — this is the part that moves by city | $9,513 |
| Material portion45% — bought at national prices | $7,783 |
| Carpenters pay near San Franciscoabout $43/hr · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro | $89,630/yr |
| U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-2031 | $65,630/yr |
| Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs +36.6% against the U.S. mean | +$2,896 |
Notes
- Where the number comes from. The national price for a siding replacement is $800 per square — installed siding pricing published for 2026, $4–$16 per ft² depending on material. Labor is about 55% of that. Carpenters near San Francisco, CA average $89,630 a year against a U.S. mean of $65,630 — a factor of 1.366 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, SOC 47-2031.
- Why the city matters, not just the state. Trade pay moves inside a state as much as it does between states. Crews do not commute across a state to bid a job, and materials ship at national prices either way — so a metro wage is the honest input here and a state average quietly rounds four different cities into one number.
- What is in the price: tear-off of one layer, house wrap, the siding, J-channel and corner posts, fasteners, disposal and labor.
- What is not: sheathing replacement found once the old siding is off, insulation added behind the new siding, window and door trim replacement, and permits. These are the lines that turn a $17,296 quote into a $21,620 invoice, so ask about each one before signing.
- Use this as a bid check, not a quote. It prices an average job in average condition. Difficult access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a per-unit average.
a siding replacement in San Francisco, CA
$17,296 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $8,648 and $34,592.
That is $2,896 more than the same job priced at the national average.
Why the city changes the number
About 55% of this job is labor — $9,513 of the $17,296 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.
Carpenters near San Francisco average $89,630 a year, against a U.S. mean of $65,630. That is a factor of 1.366, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, SOC 47-2031.
What the quote should include
The lines that turn a quote into an invoice
Ask about each of them before you sign. On a job this size they are the difference between $17,296 and something a quarter higher.
Use it as a bid check, not a quote
This prices an average job in average condition. Access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a national average.
If a bid lands outside $8,648 – $34,592, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.
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