What cladding means
Cladding is the outer skin of a wall: siding, brick veneer, stucco, stone or panels. It sheds weather and gives the house its look.
Where it matters on a siding job
Cladding only sheds most of the water; the water resistive barrier behind it does the rest. When you replace cladding, check and repair that layer and the flashings at windows and doors, or the new siding will hide the same rot.
What the model code says
- The code requires at least one layer of water-resistive barrier behind exterior wall cladding. (IRC 2021, Chapter 7)
Check which code edition your building department enforces for cladding before you quote.
What it costs
For cladding, the closest koira.ai price is the siding replacement cost guide, near $11,500 for a typical job and $5,550 to $17,500 for most. The guide shows its sources and what moves the price. The siding cost calculator prices a job line by line.
Work it out
- Free calculator: Siding cost calculator
- Cost guide: Siding replacement cost
- Tools, templates and guides: Free siding resources
Sources: 2021 International Residential Code, Chapter 7, Wall Covering (ICC). Checked October 9, 2026.