A useful siding budget starts with the walls and work being purchased, not a price per apartment. Measure the scope, identify repairs and access needs, then obtain comparable proposals. Keep the construction price separate from professional costs, contingencies and financing. No property-specific quote or verified St. Louis market-price survey is represented by the examples below.
What belongs in the budget?
Separate defined work from unknown quantities and owner expenses. This lets a board see whether a higher total reflects better coverage, a different product or simply a larger assumption about concealed damage. An unexplained contingency cannot substitute for describing what the project includes.
| Budget line | What to establish before award |
|---|---|
| Base construction | Buildings, elevations, products, removal, installation and disposal included |
| Access and protection | Lifts or scaffolds, staging, resident routes, landscaping protection |
| Concealed repairs | Investigation findings, allowance, unit prices and authorization rules |
| Design and testing | Adviser scope, hazardous-material investigation, necessary drawings |
| Approvals and closeout | Application responsibility, fees, inspections and documentation |
| Owner contingency | Who holds it, what can use it and how approvals are recorded |
| Funding costs | Loan fees, interest and collection timing, if applicable |
Historic review can affect choices before materials are ordered. For a City Historic District property, include time to resolve the applicable exterior standards with the Cultural Resources Office. Do not treat that review as an automatic fixed-dollar fee in a metro-wide calculator.
Why is cost per unit misleading?
Unit count divides a total; it does not describe the construction. Two hypothetical 24-unit communities could have very different wall areas, roof intersections and access requirements. One might contain two compact buildings; another might contain a long series of townhomes with many corners and entrances. The same number of homes does not produce the same scope.
Use per-unit figures only after defining the numerator. “Construction contract divided by units” differs from “complete project budget divided by units.” Label which one you mean. For an association, the actual assessment allocation may follow the declaration rather than equal shares.
The complete replacement guide explains the assessment-to-bid sequence. Record the initial building information in the scope builder before soliciting a total.
How is siding area calculated?
For a hypothetical rectangular elevation, 80 feet wide × 24 feet high = 1,920 square feet of gross wall area. If the agreed takeoff convention deducts 20 windows measuring 3 × 5 feet, the deduction is 300 square feet and the net illustrated area is 1,620 square feet. A separate triangular gable 30 feet wide and 8 feet high adds 30 × 8 ÷ 2 = 120 square feet, for 1,740 square feet total.
This is a geometry example, not a property measurement or order quantity. Confirm how each bidder treats opening deductions, cut waste, overlaps and material coverage. Trim, flashing, access and removal may use different units. Do not add a universal waste percentage or assume a net square foot carries all of those costs. Ask for a marked takeoff so quantities can be checked against the same elevations.
How does the funding calculation work?
The following is a worked hypothetical, using invented amounts to demonstrate arithmetic. It is not a price estimate, a reserve recommendation or an assessment proposal.
| Hypothetical item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Defined construction scope | $300,000 |
| Investigation and professional costs | $18,000 |
| Owner-held contingency | $30,000 |
| Total planning budget | $348,000 |
| Funds available and authorized for this work | −$120,000 |
| Remaining funding gap | $228,000 |
If the community used 24 equal shares solely for this illustration, $228,000 ÷ 24 = $9,500 per share. If its governing allocation instead assigned one unit a 3.5 percent share, that unit’s arithmetic share of the same gap would be $7,980. Whether either allocation is legally appropriate requires the governing documents and association advice.
Timing also matters. A positive year-end balance does not prove cash is available when a deposit or progress payment is due. Add a monthly schedule of expected collections and payments, and show the lowest projected cash balance. Keep money reserved for unrelated near-term obligations visible rather than treating every reserve dollar as available for siding.
How should allowances be compared?
Give each bidder the same hypothetical quantity for comparison while keeping the eventual measured quantity subject to the contract. Suppose one proposal includes 200 square feet of sheathing repair and another includes none. Their headline prices cannot be compared fairly until the difference is resolved.
Request a written unit price and define what it covers: removal, disposal, material, labor, fasteners and any associated layer repairs. Ask whether access costs or minimum charges are additional. Specify how quantities will be measured and photographed, who approves the work and how unused allowance money will be credited.
Do not add an invented “reasonable” price to fill a missing bid line. Mark it unpriced and obtain clarification. The bid comparison tool is useful once the inputs are known; the comparison guide explains how to preserve unknowns.
What should the board approve?
Present the recommended scope, total planning budget, funding source, cash schedule and authority for changes together. Show alternatives that were actually priced, including a defined phase option if relevant. Explain what has been deferred and what monitoring that decision requires.
Keep the approved budget distinct from the signed construction contract and the final actual cost. Those three amounts may differ for legitimate reasons, but the record should show why. Use the funding and approvals guide for the decision packet, or share a board project when you are ready to develop the scope.