So you’ve decided to make your cabin a thousand times easier to take care of without giving up that natural wood look. You’ve decided to install Timbermill vinyl siding. But before you place your order, you need to measure your building. This ensures you buy the right number and types of siding pieces.
We are going to walk through this process together with our ultimate guide to measuring your cabin for siding. And don’t worry—you don’t need a degree in engineering to do this. A sturdy ladder, a long tape measure, a notebook, a calculator, and a helping hand are all you need to get started.
Calculate the Basic Formulas: Rectangles and Triangles
Most cabins are essentially a collection of simple geometric shapes. You simply need to separate the flat wall areas (rectangles) from the gable ends (triangles).
Measuring the Main Walls
Your first task involves calculating the surface area of the rectangular sections of your cabin. Go around the house and measure the width and height of each wall. Multiply the width by the height to get the square footage. For instance, a wall that is 20 feet wide and 10 feet high equals 200 square feet. Repeat this for every rectangular wall section on the building.
Tackling the Gables and Dormers
Gables are the triangular sections of the wall found between the eaves and the peak of the roof. Calculating their area requires a slightly different formula.
Measure the width of the gable at its base (along the eaves line) and the height from the center of the base to the peak. Multiply the width by the height, then divide that number by two. Consider a gable that is 20 feet wide and 8 feet high. You multiply 20 by 8 to get 160. Divide 160 by 2, and you have 80 square feet of siding needed for that gable.
Dormers usually consist of small sidewalls (rectangles) and a front face with a peak (triangle). Treat these exactly the same way, measuring each face individually and adding them to your total.
Factor in the Openings
Once you have the total square footage of all walls and gables, you might be tempted to order that exact amount. However, you likely have windows, doors, and perhaps a sliding glass door that you won’t cover with Timbermill panels.
The industry standard suggests a specific approach to deductions. Generally, you do not subtract the area for standard-sized windows and doors. The extra material covers the waste you create when cutting panels to fit around these openings. Moreover, keeping this waste in your total provides a safety buffer.
You should, however, deduct for very large openings. Subtract the square footage for the following:
- garage doors
- large sliding glass patio doors
- bay windows that project significantly
- large stone fireplaces or chimneys that are not being sided
Calculate the area of these large elements (width x height) and subtract that number from your total wall square footage. The final number is your estimated net siding area.
Account for Vital Accessories
Siding panels are only part of the equation. A proper vinyl installation system relies on accessories to manage water runoff and hide cut edges. Timbermill siding is unique because it features a thick foam backing, meaning you must use specific accessories designed to accommodate that depth. You cannot use standard, off-the-shelf trim from a big-box store.
Starter Strips
Gravity is the enemy of siding, so your first course must be locked down tight. Measure the linear footage of the bottom of every wall where the siding will begin. This gives you the total length of starter strip required.
Corners
Corners provide a clean transition between walls and protect the edges from weather. Measure the vertical height of all outside corners on your cabin to determine the linear footage needed for outside corner posts.
Do the same for the inside corners. You can use a dedicated inside corner post, or in many cases, two J-channels installed back-to-back can serve this function effectively.
J-Channels: The Universal Receiver
J-channel is the workhorse of vinyl siding accessories. It hides the cut ends of your siding panels around obstacles. You need to measure the perimeter of the following:
- all windows and doors
- where the siding meets the roofline (angled cuts)
- where the siding meets the soffit (top of the wall)
- around utility blocks or vents
Add all these linear measurements together, and that’s how much length of J-channel you need.
Undersill and Finish Trim
Utility trim, often called undersill trim, secures the top edge of a panel that has been cut horizontally. This typically happens under windows or at the very top of a wall under the eaves. Measure the width of your windows and the length of your eaves to estimate how much of this trim you will need.
Remember the Waste Factor
Professional installers never order the exact amount of material required. Mistakes happen, cuts go wrong, and shipping damage can occur. Therefore, you must add a waste factor to your final numbers.
A standard rule of thumb is to add 10 percent to your total siding square footage and your accessory linear footage. If your cabin has a complex design with many dormers, steep gables, or intricate angles, bump that waste factor up to 15 or even 20 percent. It is far better to have a few extra boards stored in the garage for future repairs than to halt your project for two weeks while waiting for one more box of siding to arrive.
Review Your List
Double-check your math before hitting the checkout button. You should now have a comprehensive list containing the following:
- total squares of Log Cabin Board (Wall Area + Gable Area – Large Openings + 10% Waste)
- total linear feet of starter strip
- total linear feet of outside and inside corner posts
- total linear feet of 1-1/8" J-channel
- total linear feet of finish/undersill trim
- sufficient nails or screws (penetrating at least 3/4" into the stud)
Place Your Order
Measuring your cabin is the first step in a successful siding project, and we hope this ultimate guide makes it easy for you. When you have your measurements ready, visit the Timbermill Siding Kit Builder to streamline your order of imitation log cabin siding. This tool helps you compile all the necessary components, from the Log Cabin Board to the specific J-channels and corners, ensuring you don’t miss a single piece of the puzzle.
