HOUSE WRAP COST ESTIMATOR
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House Wrap Installation Cost Calculator
House wrap is cheap material and valuable work. The roll itself costs very little per square foot, but what actually keeps water out of your walls is how the seams are taped and how the wrap ties into window, door and roof flashing. This house wrap installation cost calculator prices six barrier types with taping, flashing details and labor, and shows Budget, Standard and Premium totals.
- Free planning estimate
- No obligation
- 6 barrier types
Four short steps. Enter your wall area or estimate it from your home size, and count every window and door. Choose the barrier type, set your labor market, then add flashing details, a rainscreen gap or air sealing. ZIP code is required so we can match you with local contractors. It does not change the estimate. Planning estimate only. Not a quote.
Enter your wall area or estimate it from your home size, and count every window and door.
Choose from six barrier types, from asphalt felt to liquid-applied.
Set your labor market for local installation rates.
Add flashing details, a rainscreen gap or air sealing. ZIP code is required for matching; it does not change the estimate.
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How to read your result
The large number is the Standard estimate: a quality barrier with taped seams and flashed openings installed by an established contractor. Budget assumes a basic barrier and independent crew rates. Premium assumes a premium barrier and full flashing details. Notice how much of the total is labor and tape rather than the wrap itself. That split is the main thing this calculator is trying to show.
Planning estimate only. This is an estimated project budget based on typical U.S. planning assumptions, not a quote or a guaranteed price. Actual contractor pricing may vary based on location, product choice, wall condition and project complexity. A weather-resistive barrier only works if it is lapped, taped and tied into window, door and roof flashing correctly, and requirements vary by local code. Always get written quotes from qualified contractors.
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How a house wrap bid breaks down
A house wrap bid is mostly labor and detailing. The calculator shows:
- Materials: the barrier with extra for laps and waste, seam tape, cap nails or staples, and flashing tape at each window and door.
- Labor: installation hours for the barrier type, seam taping and opening detail labor, and a mobilization and cleanup charge.
- Removal and disposal: stripping the old wrap or felt off the sheathing, if you choose it.
- Equipment: scaffolding or lift rental for upper stories.
- Permit / inspection: an optional allowance. Usually this is part of the siding permit rather than separate.
- Project extras: sheathing repair, sill pans, kick-out flashing, rainscreen furring, air sealing and a blower door test.
What a correct installation actually includes
| Detail | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Shingle-style laps | Upper sheets lap over lower ones so water runs down the face, never behind it. |
| Taped seams | Untaped seams let wind-driven water and air through, which is most of what the barrier is for. |
| Window & door flashing | Flashing tape ties each opening into the barrier. Most leaks start at openings, not in open wall. |
| Sill pans | Catch any water that gets past the window and send it back out. |
| Kick-out flashing | Diverts roof runoff away from the wall where a roof edge meets siding. |
| Bottom edge detail | Water must be able to exit at the base of the wall rather than pool behind the siding. |
Image 3 placeholder — Close-up of a taped seam and a cap nail. Alt: Taped house wrap seam with cap fasteners.
How much does house wrap installation cost?
In this calculator's planning assumptions, standard house wrap on 1,800 sq ft of wall, with taped seams, flashing at 12 openings and the old barrier stripped off, comes to about $4,800 at Standard prices, or about $2.68 per sq ft, within a Budget-to-Premium range of $3,300 to $6,900. A drainable wrap on the same walls comes to about $6,300, and a self-adhered membrane to about $9,400. These are planning numbers, not quotes. House wrap is nearly always installed as part of a siding job, so use this to check that the barrier line in a siding quote covers real taping and flashing work.
The material is cheap, the work is not
A roll of standard house wrap costs a fraction of a dollar per square foot. On the sample job, the wrap itself is a small part of the Standard total. The rest is labor, seam tape and flashing at openings. That is the single most useful thing to understand before you read a siding quote. A line that says "house wrap included" for a token amount probably means the wrap gets stapled up and the siding goes over it. What you want is the wrap lapped correctly, every seam taped, and every window and door tied into the barrier with flashing tape.
See the Siding Installation Cost Calculator for the siding going over the wrap.
Barrier types compared
| Option | Budget | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt felt (#15 / #30) | $1.82 | $2.63 | $3.79 |
| Standard woven house wrap | $1.84 | $2.68 | $3.85 |
| Premium / commercial-grade wrap | $2.05 | $2.97 | $4.25 |
| Drainable wrap (built-in gap) | $2.42 | $3.48 | $4.97 |
| Self-adhered membrane | $3.58 | $5.21 | $7.53 |
| Liquid-applied barrier | $4.01 | $5.81 | $8.32 |
Installed price per sq ft of wall, including taping and flashing. Planning assumptions only.
Asphalt felt is the traditional barrier. It still works in a conventional assembly, but it tears easily and does not tolerate long exposure.
Standard woven house wrap is the usual choice on most siding jobs and the calculator's default.
Premium or commercial-grade wrap is tougher and tolerates longer exposure before the siding goes on, which matters when a job runs long or the site is windy.
Drainable wrap has a textured or creased face that holds a small gap so water can run down and out. It is the upgrade most worth considering behind stucco, fiber cement, stone veneer and in wet climates.
Self-adhered membrane sticks directly to the sheathing and seals around every fastener, giving excellent water and air control. It costs the most in both material and labor, and the wall must be clean, dry and warm enough for the adhesive to bond.
Liquid-applied barriers are rolled or sprayed on and cure into a seamless membrane. They suit complex walls where taping sheets is awkward, but applied thickness and weather conditions decide how well they perform.
Image 2 placeholder — Rolls of felt, standard wrap, drainable wrap and a peel-and-stick membrane. Alt: Weather-resistive barrier types compared.
What a correct installation actually includes
The product matters far less than these details. A premium wrap installed without taped seams and flashed openings performs worse than a basic wrap installed properly.
Windows and doors are where water gets in
Very little water comes through the middle of a wall. It comes in at openings and at joints. Around a window, the correct order of operations is: barrier first, sill pan or sill flashing, then the window, then flashing tape up the jambs, then the head flashing lapped over the top, and finally the barrier above lapped over that head flashing. Done in the wrong order, the tape sends water behind the barrier rather than in front of it. If you only watch one part of a siding job, watch how the crew flashes the first window. Adding sill pans, kick-out flashing and air sealing to the sample job brings the Standard total to about $6,900, which is a meaningful increase over $4,800 but small compared with the cost of repairing a rotted wall.
Image 4 placeholder — Window opening with sill pan and flashing tape in the correct order. Alt: Window opening flashed into the house wrap.
Kick-out flashing
Where a sloped roof ends against a wall, a kick-out flashing diverts the water running down that roof edge away from the siding and into the gutter. Without it, every rainfall sends a concentrated stream behind the wall covering. This is one of the most common causes of hidden rot found during siding replacement, and it is cheap to fix while the walls are open.
Image 5 placeholder — Kick-out flashing where a roof edge meets a wall. Alt: Kick-out flashing diverting roof water from a wall.
Rainscreen: a gap behind the siding
A rainscreen is a small ventilated gap between the barrier and the siding, usually created with furring strips or by using a drainable wrap. It lets water drain and the wall dry out. It is increasingly standard in wet and coastal climates, and behind absorptive claddings like stucco and stone veneer. In the calculator, a drainable wrap with furring strips comes to about $8,500 on the sample job. Compared with the cost of the siding going over it, that is a modest premium for a wall that dries.
See the Stone Veneer Cost Calculator for barrier details behind stone veneer. Fiber Cement Siding Cost Calculator — Link still needed — URL not verified.
Image 6 placeholder — Furring strips over house wrap creating a drainage gap. Alt: Furring strips creating a rainscreen gap over house wrap.
Air sealing while the walls are open
House wrap slows air leakage, but it is not an air barrier on its own. If you want the energy benefit, the time to do it is while the sheathing is exposed: sealing the rim joist, the bottom plate, and every penetration for pipes, vents, wiring and exterior fixtures. A blower door test afterwards tells you whether it worked. Doing this later, from inside finished rooms, costs far more and is less effective.
When do you need new house wrap?
Any time siding comes off. It is the one chance you get at the barrier. If the existing barrier is torn, brittle or water-stained. Strip it rather than wrapping over it. If there is no barrier at all, which is common on older homes. If you are moving to stucco, stone or fiber cement, where drainage behind the cladding matters more. If the existing wrap is intact and you are only replacing a small area, patching into it with compatible tape is reasonable.
See the Siding Replacement Cost Calculator for tear-off, wrap and new siding in one estimate.
Can you install house wrap yourself?
On a single-story wall it is physically straightforward: the rolls are light and the work is simple. The judgment is in the details, especially the order of flashing at windows. If you do it yourself, follow the manufacturer's instructions for that specific product, use their tape, and do not leave the wrap exposed longer than the product allows.
Budget, Standard and Premium
Budget: a basic barrier and taping with independent crew rates.
Standard: a quality barrier, taped seams and flashed openings from an established contractor.
Premium: a premium barrier with full flashing details and a premium contractor.
Estimated wall area by home size
| Home living area | 1 story | 2 stories | 3 stories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,180 | 1,668 | 2,043 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 1,445 | 2,043 | 2,503 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 1,668 | 2,359 | 2,890 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 1,865 | 2,638 | 3,231 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 2,043 | 2,890 | 3,539 |
| 3,500 sq ft | 2,207 | 3,121 | 3,823 |
| 4,000 sq ft | 2,359 | 3,337 | 4,087 |
All figures in sq ft.
How much does house wrap cost to install? In this calculator's planning assumptions, standard house wrap on 1,800 sq ft with taped seams and flashed openings is about $4,800 at Standard prices, or about $2.68 per sq ft.
Is house wrap material expensive? No. The wrap itself is a small part of the cost. Most of the price is labor, seam tape and flashing at windows and doors.
Is drainable house wrap worth it? It is worth considering behind stucco, fiber cement and stone veneer and in wet climates. On the sample job it comes to about $6,300 against $4,800 for standard wrap.
Frequently asked questions
How much does house wrap installation cost?
In this calculator's planning assumptions, standard house wrap on 1,800 sq ft of wall with taped seams, flashed openings and the old barrier stripped is about $4,800 at Standard prices, within about $3,300 to $6,900.
How much does house wrap cost per square foot?
About $2.68 per sq ft installed on the sample job. The wrap material itself is only a fraction of that; most of the cost is labor, tape and flashing.
Do I really need house wrap under siding?
Siding is not watertight, so the barrier behind it is what keeps water out of the wall. It is required by code in most places, and it is the only part of the assembly you cannot easily fix later.
What is the difference between house wrap and felt?
Felt is the traditional asphalt-saturated paper. Modern wraps are tougher, easier to tape and tolerate more exposure. Both work in a conventional wall; the installation details matter more than the choice.
What is drainable house wrap?
A wrap with a textured or creased face that holds a small gap so water can drain out. It is worth considering behind stucco, fiber cement and stone veneer and in wet climates.
What is kick-out flashing and do I need it?
It diverts water at the point where a roof edge meets a wall, away from the siding and into the gutter. A missing kick-out is one of the most common causes of hidden wall rot.
Does my ZIP code change the estimate?
No. ZIP code is used to match you with local contractors. The labor-market selector adjusts labor and other local costs.
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Planning estimate only. This is an estimated project budget based on typical U.S. planning assumptions, not a quote or a guaranteed price. Actual contractor pricing may vary based on location, product choice, wall condition and project complexity. A weather-resistive barrier only works if it is lapped, taped and tied into window, door and roof flashing correctly, and requirements vary by local code. Always get written quotes from qualified contractors.