Local options for home siding (materials, contractors, etc.) (new house, neighborhood)

[Camden Northsider]

So, we're looking at residing our home either now or scheduling it for the spring, and I was wondering if there were some knowledgable folks out there that might be willing to help us out with our decision. We currently have a pretty aggressive company hounding us which I don't like, but they might just be desperate enough for business that we could negotiate a decent price.

Anyways, we're looking for something that is as environmentally friendly as possible yet still not going to totally break the bank. Here are my initial thoughts:

1. Vinyl/ PVC - obviously the cheapest option, but my understanding has always been that any vinyl/ PVC siding is not a green/ environmentally friendly choice - although some companies making vinyl products are claiming to be very green, use recycled products, etc., it seems that PVC products in general are very bad choices for this category due to how they are manufactured and toxins/ waste created in the process.
2. Engineered Wood - I understand that this is less expensive than real wood, looks close to the real thing, and can be viewed as very environmentally friendly if manufactured correctly - but it also seems that any engineered wood product is very prone to moisture damage and not good for climates like ours.
3. Fiber cement siding - this seems to be a decent option, somewhat low maintenance and holds up in tough climates (?), the one thing I am unsure of and couldn't find any information on was price and where it falls in comparison to other siding products (e.g. real wood, etc.).
4. Real wood - I like wood (ideally would like cedar shakes), but I think this is really out of our price range, and although I don't really buy that much into the whole "low-maintenance" thing, I can't see myself getting on a ladder/ scaffolding every other year to repaint/ restain the second floor exterior areas.
5. Other? - I've also heard or read about other products like Hardiplank (?) - but again, am not sure if this is right for our climate or what pricing is like for this product. And what other options am I failing to research/ look into here?

We have a relatively small story and 1/2 bungalow-ish home - large gables on the two sides (which are longer than front/back) of the home, with shed dormers in the front and back. Otherwise there's just a few strips to side on the front as it's an enclosed porch, and as for the back, again, it's not a very big house. We were hoping that the project itself wouldn't too greatly exceed 10K but again, we realize that we're ignorant as to what to expect (and this will vary based on materials/ labor), but we may be willing to go up to 15K if this is too unreasonable of an expectation.

If anyone has any experience or knowledge in this area, or if you know a great siding contractor that is reasonable/ honest, any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

So, we're looking at residing our home either now or scheduling it for the spring, and I was wondering if there were some knowledgable folks out there that might be willing to help us out with our decision. We currently have a pretty aggressive company hounding us which I don't like, but they might just be desperate enough for business that we could negotiate a decent price.

Anyways, we're looking for something that is as environmentally friendly as possible yet still not going to totally break the bank. Here are my initial thoughts:

1. Vinyl/ PVC - obviously the cheapest option, but my understanding has always been that any vinyl/ PVC siding is not a green/ environmentally friendly choice - although some companies making vinyl products are claiming to be very green, use recycled products, etc., it seems that PVC products in general are very bad choices for this category due to how they are manufactured and toxins/ waste created in the process.
2. Engineered Wood - I understand that this is less expensive than real wood, looks close to the real thing, and can be viewed as very environmentally friendly if manufactured correctly - but it also seems that any engineered wood product is very prone to moisture damage and not good for climates like ours.
3. Fiber cement siding - this seems to be a decent option, somewhat low maintenance and holds up in tough climates (?), the one thing I am unsure of and couldn't find any information on was price and where it falls in comparison to other siding products (e.g. real wood, etc.).
4. Real wood - I like wood (ideally would like cedar shakes), but I think this is really out of our price range, and although I don't really buy that much into the whole "low-maintenance" thing, I can't see myself getting on a ladder/ scaffolding every other year to repaint/ restain the second floor exterior areas.
5. Other? - I've also heard or read about other products like Hardiplank (?) - but again, am not sure if this is right for our climate or what pricing is like for this product. And what other options am I failing to research/ look into here?

We have a relatively small story and 1/2 bungalow-ish home - large gables on the two sides (which are longer than front/back) of the home, with shed dormers in the front and back. Otherwise there's just a few strips to side on the front as it's an enclosed porch, and as for the back, again, it's not a very big house. We were hoping that the project itself wouldn't too greatly exceed 10K but again, we realize that we're ignorant as to what to expect (and this will vary based on materials/ labor), but we may be willing to go up to 15K if this is too unreasonable of an expectation.

If anyone has any experience or knowledge in this area, or if you know a great siding contractor that is reasonable/ honest, any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hardiplank is a brand of cement siding. You can see this at Home Depot or Lowes. Not sure about Mennards. In my opinion this is a very solid product. Something like a 50 year warranty, it looks very nice painted and paint is supposed to stay looking good longer. 8 years or so is what I am told. This stuff is very hard. You really need a nail gun to install it. Our new house has this. Generally expensive compared to vinyl.

Vinyl - it is cheap. Only redeeming quality. It is subject to cracking in extreme cold, becomes brittle as it ages, looks like crap, and the color fades rather quickly. You can paint it, but then it really looks bad.

Engineered wood - generic term and you really need to look at specific brands/product. Traditional siding is probably an example of this. Made from fibers and pressed. It is subject to moisture dammage, however proper installation and maintanence should make this not a big deal. Genenerally affordable and looks pretty good.

Wood siding is nice but spendy and requires maintenece. I built my cabin and put on cedar siding with stain. It is holding up well and has a great look. Not sure that is great look for the city, but cedar shake certianly is. Similar cost, but much harder to install. Must use stainless nails to avoid rust runs and most will say hand nail it. Translate this to expensive.

You might want to consider doing shakes up high in gable with something else on the lower part. Very classic look and it cuts down labor and material costs.

[craigger]

Hey Camden - I'm no expert, but my wife and I recently resided our home as well. A big thing to keep in mind when you're making this decision is how long you'll stay in your home - and/or what you plan to do with it.

While Vinyl has it's drawbacks, (as mentioned above) we only plan to be in our house for 5-10 years tops, and for the money we think it is the best investment which will provide a great look, and up our resale value (over our current 1950s cedar shake siding) at a reasonable cost.

If I was going to stay in my house for a longer time I might have done Cement Board (like Hardiplank), because it lasts so long - but I'm not thrilled about the idea of having to paint every 10 years or so - and I believe that is required with cement board.

Another thing to keep in mind is your neighborhood. If everyone in your neighborhood has high-end siding like cement board, cedar shake, or stone/brick, than Vinyl may negatively affect the resale value of your house. But if that's not the case, than spending money on a more premium product may not give you the kind of ROI you'd hoped when you go to sell your house.

Get an idea of the pricing with a (e-z-quote has siding calculators for different products: http://www.e-z-quote.com/siding/quote/) and evaluate what is going to be most worth-while considering your time frame, neighborhood, and goals. Good luck!

[Camden Northsider]

good advice craigger, and thanks for the link to that website. I had forgotten to post an update, but we have already purchased our siding (hasn't quite gone up yet, however, will be shortly). In the end we went with fiber cement board/ Hardiplank- it seemed the most environmentally friendly, long-lasting (and we got the ones that come 'painted' or with the color baked into them), and attractive for what we were looking for. Most of the homes in our neighborhood are stucco, brick, wood, ocassional vinyl/ other, etc.- but a neighbor down the street had recently resided with cement board and it looks great so we considering everything, we decided to go with that. Now I'm trying to figure out how to handle all of the other projects that have come up since my last post here.