Why three siding bids never actually match
Vendors scope differently — sometimes by mistake, sometimes on purpose. One includes full tear-off; another sides over the old, failing cladding and never sees the wall’s real condition. One carries a defined rot-repair allowance; another writes “rot repair extra” and back-charges it at full price later. One prices kick-out flashing; another leaves it off. The dollar figures look comparable, but they’re pricing different projects — so the cheapest number usually belongs to the least-complete scope, and the gap surfaces as change orders mid-job.
The omissions that most often make a low bid look low:
- Tear-off — re-cladding over old, failing siding hides the wall’s condition.
- The rot/sheathing repair allowance — left out, it becomes an uncontrolled change order.
- Flashing — especially kick-out flashing where roofs meet walls.
- The water-resistive barrier — the layer that actually prevents the next leak.
- Disposal, access, and resident notices — real costs that quietly vanish from thin bids.
What a complete multifamily siding bid includes
Every bid should spell out the same line items, each priced separately, so a board can see what’s in and what’s missing. A bid with all of these is comparable; a bid missing several is a future negotiation.
| Line item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Material and profile (HZ5 if Hardie) | The wrong spec is the wrong climate match |
| Full tear-off | Re-cladding over failure hides it |
| Rot / sheathing repair allowance | KC hardboard and stucco hide rot |
| Water-resistive barrier (WRB) | The drainage plane that prevents leaks |
| Flashing, including kick-out | The most common hidden-leak source in KC |
| Trim and accessories | Often dropped to lower a bid |
| Disposal and site protection | Tear-off volume is real cost |
| Access equipment | Lifts and scaffold on tall elevations |
| Resident-disruption plan | Occupied-building requirement |
| Permit and inspection responsibility | Required for KC MO multifamily; licensed contractor on the Kansas side |
| Warranty terms — material and labor | Defines who fixes a future failure |
| Separated alternates for phasing | Lets the board spread cost |
Hold every bid against this list. The most dangerous omissions are the invisible ones — rot repair and flashing — because they’re hidden until the wall is open. Full detail: what a real multifamily siding bid must include.
The four areas that decide the outcome
A scope review organizes the project around the four things that actually drive cost and risk on a KC multifamily building, so nothing important gets priced by accident. Each one maps to a section of the bid document.
| Area | What it covers | Why it decides the outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hail resistance and the wall | Impact-rated cladding, WRB, flashing, kick-outs, sheathing repair | In KC, the wall and the hail rating decide whether you’re back in a claim |
| 2. Resident disruption and access | Parking, balconies, entrances, noise, notices, sequencing | Occupied buildings make logistics the board’s problem |
| 3. A comparable bid scope | Line-item quotes, defined allowances, separated alternates | A scope every vendor prices the same is what a board can defend |
| 4. Funding and assessment reality | Reserves, special assessment, loan, MO/KS rules | Neither MO nor KS requires reserves, so the bill often beats the savings |
How the rot allowance and alternates keep a project honest
Two tools keep a phased KC project from blowing up: a rot allowance and separated alternates.
A rot/sheathing allowance puts a defined dollar figure on hidden damage so it’s budgeted, not back-charged. KC’s 1980s–90s hardboard and stucco routinely hide rot behind the cladding, and you can’t know how much until the old siding comes off. A bid with no allowance — or a token one — looks cheaper but transfers all that risk to the association as full-price change orders. The fix is to require a stated allowance with a defined unit rate, so every bidder prices the same assumed rot quantity and overages bill at a pre-agreed rate. That converts an unknown into a controlled variable instead of a blank check.
Separated alternates do the same for phasing. They price optional or later scope — a second building, a trim upgrade — apart from the base bid, and lock unit prices so building 12 costs what building 1 did. Together, allowances and alternates prevent the two classic blowups: surprise change orders and drifting phase pricing. (Any real dollar figures need live KC quotes — flagged below.)
How the scope review works
It’s a four-step process that runs before bids go out, then again when they come back:
- Define the scope. Walk the four areas across your building — hail and wall, residents, the bid line items, the funding.
- Write the bid document. Turn it into a like-for-like scope every vendor prices the same way, with alternates separated.
- Review the returned bids. Compare line by line, flag the omissions, and translate the differences into plain language for the board or owner.
- Map the funding. Tie the chosen scope to reserves, a special assessment, or a loan under Missouri or Kansas rules, so the decision is fundable as well as defensible.
Who reviews this
Built with input from our vetted Kansas City install partner, an established local siding contractor with a 5.0 Google rating from 100+ reviews. The goal is bid clarity, not borrowed reviews.
Plan the complete project
Not ready to talk yet? Start with the complete Kansas City multifamily siding replacement guide for condition records, wall scope, comparable bids, funding, occupied access and closeout.