Fiber Cement Siding - Cost

"Larry Allar, president of Timber Land Co., a St. Louis Park-based builder, said many builders have started using Hardiplank and other products because they replicate the look of wood siding at a lower cost.

Cement siding does cost about 20 percent more than vinyl siding, and it costs about 50 percent more than vinyl to install because it takes more people to hold the boards. They are brittle and can crack, so special tools are needed to cut through the sidewalk-like material, he said.
Vinyl costs about 75 cents a foot, he said, while cement board costs about $1.25 a foot. Natural cedar costs about $2 a foot.