# Vinyl Siding Fort Collins | Fort Collins Siding Contractors > Vinyl siding for a whole house runs $9,000 to $20,000. Inside Fort Collins city limits, new vinyl needs a permit and a fire-rated wall behind it. URL: https://fortcollinssidingcontractors.com/vinyl-siding/ ![Two-story house with light gray vinyl lap siding and white trim](/images/misc/two-story-house-with-clean-light-gray-vinyl-lap-si.webp) # Vinyl Siding for Fort Collins Homes, With the City's Permit Rule Up Front New vinyl siding and repairs to existing vinyl. Inside Fort Collins city limits, new vinyl needs a permit and a fire-rated wall behind it, and we say so before anything else. Get Your FREE Estimate [#estimate →](#estimate) See All Services [/#services →](/#services) Free EstimatesRequest one with the form Over 10 YearsIn business LicensedSiding work done legally InsuredCovered on every job Thinking about vinyl siding in Fort Collins but not sure what the job really involves? At Fort Collins Siding Contractors [/ →](/) , we put vinyl siding on homes and repair existing vinyl across Fort Collins and the nearby towns. Vinyl is the lowest-cost siding we install. Here’s the catch, and you should hear it from us first. Inside Fort Collins city limits, new vinyl siding needs a permit and has to go over a fire-rated wall, which costs more than the standard vinyl range. Outside city limits, each town has its own rule. Grab a coffee, and we’ll walk you through the rules, the panel choices, and what a good install looks like. ## The Fort Collins Permit and Fire-Rated Wall Rule This is the first thing to know about new vinyl in Fort Collins. Inside city limits, new vinyl siding needs a permit and has to go over a fire-rated wall. The fire-rated wall is the layer behind the siding, and building it costs more than the standard vinyl range shown on this page. We put that in front of you at the start, so the plan and the price range reflect it from the first conversation. Here’s what that means for you: - **Permit first:** New vinyl siding inside city limits needs a building permit before work starts. - **Wall behind the siding:** The siding goes over a fire-rated wall. - **Older buildings:** If your building is 50 years or older, city code calls for historic review first. - **Budget:** Ask for a price that includes the wall, not just the panels. Outside Fort Collins city limits, the rule depends on the town. Our town pages for Wellington [/areas/wellington/ →](/areas/wellington/) , Berthoud [/areas/berthoud/ →](/areas/berthoud/) and Laporte [/areas/laporte/ →](/areas/laporte/) cover the ones we know about. ## Insulated or Standard Vinyl Panels Vinyl comes as standard hollow panels or insulated panels with foam bonded to the back. Both lock together the same way. If you’re deciding between them, our guide to insulated vs standard vinyl siding [/guide/insulated-vs-standard-vinyl-siding/ →](/guide/insulated-vs-standard-vinyl-siding/) walks through how they differ. Here’s the trade-off at a glance. Foam adds stiffness, and it adds cost. | | Standard hollow vinyl | Insulated vinyl | | --- | --- | --- | | Backing | Hollow | Foam bonded to the back | | Feel on the wall | Flexes over the wall | Stiffer, sits solid against the wall | | Trim | Standard J-channel and corner posts | Deeper trim for the thicker panel | | Cost | The lower-cost panel | Costs more than standard | Profiles vary too: - **Standard lap:** The most common, with a flat face. - **Dutch lap:** Has a small groove along the top of each course that throws a deeper shadow line. The face is concave with a notch, which gives the wall a more three-dimensional look. ## How Vinyl Should Be Hung Vinyl moves as the temperature changes, and good installs let it. Each panel hangs on nails driven through the middle of the nail hem slots, snug but not tight, so the panel can slide. We leave a small clearance between the nail head and the vinyl, about the thickness of a dime, because a long panel grows and shrinks noticeably between a cold morning and a hot afternoon. At every end, where a panel meets a corner post or J-channel, we leave an expansion gap. Panels nailed tight or butted hard against trim are what buckle and wave on a hot afternoon. ## Repairs to Existing Vinyl Not every vinyl problem needs new siding. Cracked, holed or loose pieces are replaced and matched to the wall around them. Here’s what we usually see: - **Cracked panels:** Often from impact, and the most common cause is hail. - **Holed panels:** Punctures from hail or flying debris. - **Loose panels:** Pieces that have worked free and need to be re-hung. Hail is the most common cause we see, and our hail damage siding repair [/hail-damage-siding-repair/ →](/hail-damage-siding-repair/) page covers what a storm does to vinyl. For full tear-off and wall prep on a whole-house job, see siding replacement [/siding-replacement/ →](/siding-replacement/) . If you want a painted wood look instead, compare engineered wood siding [/engineered-wood-siding/ →](/engineered-wood-siding/) . Not sure whether you need a repair or new vinyl siding in Fort Collins? Reach out, and we’ll look at the wall with you and tell you straight. ## How Much Does Vinyl Siding Cost in Fort Collins? This range is for a whole house, roughly 1,250 to 2,000 sq ft of wall, with tear-off and new trim included. Vinyl siding $9,000 to $20,000 whole house, roughly 1,250 to 2,000 sq ft of wall, tear-off and new trim included Inside Fort Collins city limits, new vinyl needs a permit and a fire-rated wall behind it, which costs more than this range. Get Your FREE Estimate [#estimate →](#estimate) ## How Does a Vinyl Siding Job Work? Every job starts with the free estimate form. Here's what happens after that. 1. ![Vinyl siding samples in standard lap and Dutch lap profiles](/images/features/vinyl-siding-profile-samples-standard-lap-and-dutc.webp) 1 ### Panels, color and rules You choose a profile such as standard lap or Dutch lap, insulated or standard panels, and a color. Inside city limits, the permit and fire-rated wall are part of the plan from the start. 2. ![House wall stripped to the sheathing with fresh house wrap](/images/features/house-wall-stripped-of-old-siding-showing-sheathin.webp) 2 ### Tear-off and wall prep Old siding comes off under the state's asbestos and lead paint rules. The wall is checked, repaired and wrapped. 3. ![Vinyl J-channel around a window and a corner post on a wrapped wall](/images/features/white-vinyl-j-channel-trim-fitted-around-a-window-.webp) 3 ### Starter, corners and J-channel Starter strip, corner posts and J-channel go on first so every panel has a straight line to follow. 4. ![Finished vinyl lap siding wall with straight courses](/images/features/finished-wall-of-new-vinyl-lap-siding-with-straigh.webp) 4 ### Panels hung to move Panels are nailed through the center of the nail hem slots, not tight, and left an expansion gap at every end so they can move with the temperature. ## The Fort Collins Vinyl Rule, and the Towns Around It Vinyl comes with one rule inside Fort Collins city limits. Outside city limits, each town has its own. Get Your FREE Estimate [#estimate →](#estimate) ### Inside Fort Collins city limits New vinyl siding needs a permit and has to go over a fire-rated wall. That wall costs more than the standard vinyl range. ### Outside city limits Each town has its own rule. Wellington lists siding among the projects that need a town permit, and Berthoud requires a permit when the new siding is different from what's there. ### Laporte Laporte falls under Larimer County's building code, which treats all of unincorporated Larimer County as wildland-urban interface. Re-siding a quarter or more of the walls means fire-resistant siding on the whole house. ## Vinyl Questions What is the cheapest choice for replacing siding on a house? Vinyl is the cheapest choice, at $9,000 to $20,000 for a whole house. Inside Fort Collins city limits, new vinyl needs a permit and a fire-rated wall behind it, which costs more than this range. What color vinyl siding fades the most? Dark, saturated colors like deep reds, blues, greens and browns fade the most in strong sun. Lighter colors such as whites, creams and light grays show fading the least. How much does it cost to replace vinyl siding on a 2000 sq ft house? Replacing vinyl siding on a whole house, which we figure at roughly 1,250 to 2,000 sq ft of wall with tear-off and new trim included, runs $9,000 to $20,000. Inside Fort Collins city limits, new vinyl needs a permit and a fire-rated wall behind it, which costs more than this range. ## Vinyl Siding Guides ### Insulated vs Standard Vinyl Siding Foam-backed or hollow vinyl panels? How insulated and standard vinyl siding differ in stiffness, feel against the wall, dents and fit at trim. [Insulated vs Standard Vinyl Siding →](/guide/insulated-vs-standard-vinyl-siding/) ## Related Siding Services Other work that often comes up alongside vinyl siding. ### Siding Replacement Old siding off, the wall behind it checked and wrapped, new siding on. View service [Siding Replacement →](/siding-replacement/) ### Hail Damage Siding Repair Cracked and holed vinyl, dented panels and chipped fiber cement after a hailstorm. View service [Hail Damage Siding Repair →](/hail-damage-siding-repair/) ### Engineered Wood Siding Wood strands bonded with resin, in lap and panel profiles. Sometimes searched as LP SmartSide. View service [Engineered Wood Siding →](/engineered-wood-siding/) ## Get Your FREE Estimate Tell us what is going on with your siding and where the house is. We will take a look and give you a straight repair-or-replace answer with the price range that goes with it. Contact is by this form only. There is no phone line, so the form is the fastest way to reach us. - Free estimates - A plain repair-or-replace answer - Real price ranges, not "it depends" - Licensed and insured, over 10 years in business ### Thanks, we got your request. We'll get back to you about your free estimate using the contact details you sent.