How we estimate cladding replacement cost
Every estimate combines a national price for each part of the job with a local labor adjustment for your state. Here is exactly how that works and where the numbers come from.
The formula
For each line item we multiply a quantity (driven by your exterior wall area, number of storeys, cladding material, and whether the old cladding is removed) by a national unit cost, then apply a quality-grade factor. A regional labor multiplier is applied to the labor portion only — materials are priced nationally. We show the itemized result as a ±18% range.
National unit costs
| Line item | National unit cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Old siding removal | $11.00 / m² | ref |
| House wrap / weather barrier | $5.50 / m² | ref |
| Siding material | $38.00 / m² | ref |
| Installation labor | $43.50 / m² | ref |
| Trim, corners & wrap | $54.00 / m² | ref |
| Disposal | $2.70 / m² | ref |
Regional labor multipliers
Each state's labor multiplier is its private-sector all-industry full-time adult ordinary-time weekly earnings relative to the national private-sector mean, from ABS Average Weekly Earnings (November 2025, Table 14, by state) — used as a proxy for construction labour because Australia publishes no carpenter-by-state (ANZSCO 331212) earnings series in public form, and the private-sector cut strips out the public-service distortion that inflates all-industry figures in the ACT. Multipliers are bounded to a sane range and applied to the labor share of each line item, so materials stay nationally priced while labor tracks local wages.
Data vintage & limitations
Compiled June 2026 from public cost aggregators and government wage data — these are derived estimates, not live contractor quotes. Local prices vary with project complexity, access, and material availability; always confirm with a licensed contractor before budgeting.
Sources
- https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/sales-tax-rates-midyear-2025/
- https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/average-weekly-earnings-australia/latest-release
- https://www.totalroofingandcladding.com.au/cladding-replacement-cost-guide-price-per-m%C2%B2-and-total-project-costs/