Vinyl siding is famously low-maintenance, affordable, and—depending on which style of siding you get—energy efficient, making it one of the best siding options for homeowners on a tight budget. However, vinyl is a plastic product, so it’s vulnerable to extreme heat and cold.
This means you should only attempt vinyl siding replacement in moderate temperatures. Undertaking this home improvement project in the summer heat, freezing weather, or a rainstorm can damage your home’s new siding panels, house wrap, or sheathing, resulting in significant (and costly) problems with your home’s curb appeal, energy efficiency, and structure.
In most regions, fall and spring are the ideal seasons for a siding project. That’s just the short answer, though, and several other factors must be considered. Keep reading to learn more about the ideal time to re-side your home’s exterior with vinyl panels.
Key takeaways
Ideally, vinyl siding should be installed when outdoor temperatures are somewhere between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. In most climates, spring or fall is the best time of the year for vinyl siding installation.
It typically costs between $7,476 to $13,602 to install vinyl siding, though home size and siding style can significantly affect pricing.
Vinyl siding contractors tend to charge less when business is slow, so you can get a better deal on your new siding by installing it in early spring or late fall.
Avoid extreme temperatures
Vinyl siding is a bit like Goldilocks: it needs the temperature to be just right, so it’s important to avoid extremely high and extremely low temperatures when you install your new vinyl siding.
Part of the reason for this is that vinyl expands when the weather is hot. If it’s installed in its expanded state, it can sometimes get nailed down in a way that won’t accommodate how much it will contract when temperatures cool. This can result in significant warping and tearing, making your home look much worse and leaving it vulnerable to adverse weather.
At the same time, you also want to avoid freezing weather because vinyl tenses up and becomes relatively brittle when it’s cold. This means that vinyl installed in frigid conditions is more likely to break during installation.
You want moderate temperatures that are neither too hot nor too cold. Fall and spring generally have the best temperatures for replacing old siding with fresh, new vinyl. However, this can vary depending on where you live. In some regions, early fall can be just as hot as the summer months, and freezing temperatures can very well extend into late spring.
When you schedule with a contractor, aim for whatever season you know has the most moderate temperatures in your region. As a general rule, you should shoot for temperatures somewhere between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Vinyl siding installation is best done in spring and fall. In both seasons, the temperature remains more or less moderate; hence, there is less expansion and contraction due to extreme heat and cold. This makes the installation process smoother and provides a more durable finish.
Avoid rain and snow
Hot weather and cold temperatures aren’t the only things you should plan for when installing your siding. This project will also expose your home’s structure to the elements for at least several hours, so it’s best to avoid re-siding in adverse weather conditions like rainstorms and snowfall.
Otherwise, your home’s sheathing and frame could sustain extensive moisture damage, resulting in issues like mold, rot, and mildew. If left unaddressed, these problems can eventually make your home unsafe to live in without costly remediation.
The bottom line is that you should schedule your new siding installation during a long stretch of clear skies.
Shoot for low labor rates
On average, U.S. homeowners pay between $7,476 and $13,602 to install new vinyl siding on their homes. This means the material costs far less than alternatives like wood siding, stucco siding, and fiber cement siding. However, costs can be greatly impacted by location, home size, and the style of your vinyl siding.
Additionally, seasonality can greatly impact installation prices.
Contractors are usually busiest in the summer because most people remodel their homes, so they tend to charge more for their labor in summer. Outside of this peak seasonality, labor costs tend to be considerably lower.
The good news here is that you can get a better deal on your siding project by scheduling it for the months that will be safest for installing the material anyway, so it’s a win-win.
DIY vs. pro installation for vinyl siding
Many homeowners attempt to install their vinyl siding themselves to save money on labor costs. While this is possible, we highly recommend getting your new siding installed by a professional.
DIY work is always less reliable than pro installation, so it leaves your home much more vulnerable and is likely to require repair and replacement far sooner. Working with a professional will also ensure your siding is only installed under ideal weather conditions instead of leaving the guesswork around this decision to you.
DIY installation can even void the manufacturer’s warranty on your siding materials, leaving you to pay for all the costs if something goes wrong during installation.
Hiring a professional contractor to do the job right can save you money in the long run, even if it costs a bit more up-front.
Installing vinyl siding at the right time
Now that you know what time of year is ideal for installing new vinyl siding, you can put your name on a local contractor’s schedule. Use the link below to find the most qualified and affordable siding installers in your area and start getting some quotes.
Frequently asked questions
Vinyl expands when temperatures are high, so vinyl siding installed on a hot day will be stretched longer than normal. This can lead to nail placement that causes the siding to warp and break when temperatures cool and the vinyl contracts. To avoid this, you shouldn’t install vinyl siding when the thermostat reads above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. At the same time, vinyl also becomes very brittle when it gets too cold, so you shouldn’t install vinyl in frigid temperatures, or the panels may break during installation. Avoid working with vinyl siding when temperatures are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit for best results.
Yes, contractors tend to charge less when they’re less busy, so many homeowners get better deals on projects like siding and roofing in the winter months. However, the cold weather may also cause problems with vinyl siding installation, so the low prices may not be worth it. Spring and fall are the best months for snagging an affordable price without risking the issues caused by cold weather.
Because it is made of plastic, vinyl siding will start to melt and warp at temperatures that exceed 160 degrees Fahrenheit. While temperatures may not get that hot outside in your region, light reflected off of glass can cause your vinyl to overheat and melt. Additionally, darker vinyl (or vinyl painted a darker color) will retain excessive heat on a summer day.
Joe is a home improvement expert and content specialist for Fixr.com. He’s been writing home services content for over eight years, leveraging his research and composition skills to produce consumer-minded articles that demystify everything from moving to remodeling. His work has been sourced by various news sources and business journals, including Nasdaq.com and USA Today. When he isn’t writing about home improvement or climate issues, Joe can be found in bookstores and record shops.