Siding for a 2,000 Square Foot House
Siding needed
20 squares
180 ft perimeter, 9 ft walls, two 34 ft gables at 6/12, 14 windows, 2 doors, 12% waste.
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How that number is worked out
These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.
- Wall perimeter180 ft
- Wall height to the eave9 ft
- Gable ends2 each
- Gable width34 ft
- Roof pitch, rise per 12 in6 /12
- Windows14 each
- Doors2 each
- Outside corners4 each
- Waste allowance12 %
Siding needed20 squares
| Wall area | 1,620 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Gable area | 289 sq ft2 gables at 6/12 |
| Openings deducted at half | 126 sq ftof 252 sq ft total |
| Net area | 1,783 sq ft |
| With 12% waste | 1,997 sq ft |
| Squares | 20 |
| Vinyl cartons at 2 squares | 10 |
| Starter strip | 180 ft |
| J channel | 260 ftaround windows and doors |
The material list this produces
| Siding, cartons at 2 squares | 10 |
|---|---|
| Starter strip, ft | 180 |
| J channel, ft | 260 |
| Outside corner posts, 10 ft | 4 |
| Undersill trim, ft | 180 |
| House wrap, sq ft | 1,909 |
| Siding nails, lb | 5 |
Roof pitch compared
Pitch only moves the gable triangles, but it moves them fast. Going from 4/12 to 12/12 triples the gable area on the same house, which is about three extra squares of siding on a 30 foot wide elevation and closer to six on a 40 foot one.
| Roof pitch | Siding needed | Gable area |
|---|---|---|
| 4/12 | 18.9 squares | 193 sq ft |
| 6/12 | 20 squares | 289 sq ft |
| 8/12 | 21 squares | 385 sq ft |
| 10/12 | 22.1 squares | 482 sq ft |
| 12/12 | 23.2 squares | 578 sq ft |
What else matters here
Twenty squares even, ten cartons. Wall area is 1,620 square feet and the gables add 289, because a 34 foot gable at 6/12 is 144 square feet on its own.
That gable figure is worth sitting with. Going from a 30 foot wide house to a 34 foot wide house adds 64 square feet of gable, more than half a square, before a single foot of wall is counted. Gable area goes up with the square of the width.
Twenty squares is also the point where ordering matters. Vinyl runs in dye lots the way tile does, and a short order filled three weeks later can come back visibly different in the sun. Order the full quantity including waste in one go.
What this calculator assumes
- A gable is a triangle, so its area is the width squared times the pitch divided by 48. Two gables on a 30 foot wide house at 6/12 add about 225 square feet, which is more than two squares of siding that people routinely forget.
- Openings are deducted at half, not in full. You still cut siding around a window and the offcut is usually scrap, so the trade rule is to take off half the opening and leave anything under 10 square feet in.
- 12 percent waste is normal for vinyl on a straightforward house. Lap siding, a cut up elevation or a staggered shake course runs higher.
- A carton of vinyl siding covers two squares, 200 square feet. Fiber cement and wood lap are sold by the piece, so use the square figure and convert at your supplier's coverage.
Questions people ask
How much siding do I need for a 2,000 square foot house?
About 20 squares, ten cartons of vinyl, for a 180 foot perimeter with nine foot walls and two 34 foot gables at 6/12. A two story house of the same floor area needs considerably more, because the walls are taller and the footprint is smaller.
How many squares are in a box of vinyl siding?
Two. A standard carton covers 200 square feet, which is why siding is quoted in squares rather than square feet. Fiber cement and wood lap are sold by the piece, so take the square figure here and convert at whatever coverage your supplier lists.
How do you calculate gable area?
Width squared times the pitch divided by 48. A 30 foot wide gable at 6/12 is 30 times 30 times 6 divided by 48, which is 112.5 square feet each, 225 for a pair. That shortcut is the triangle area formula with the rise already substituted out, so you never have to measure the height of the peak.
The siding calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.