House siding
 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to best siding to use . I am in So.Calif...not sure about James Hardy....or any other fiber cement material. I am about 1 mile from the beach.....Thanks

There are a lot of very good sidings you could use. Some of What needs to be taken into consideration is the style house, maintenance and cost. You can always mix sidings and styles.

Hardie is a very good product that lasts a long time, is basically fire proof, has the look of wood with little maintenance in comparison to wood. There have been cases of deterioration in Hardie siding so as with every product it isn't perfect. In comparison it is more expensive than vinyl.

Vinyl can be a good product as well and can be inexpensive. The better looking vinyl can be costly. Darker colors tend to fade rapidly in high UV areas so you may wish to stay away from those.

Wood is classic but can be expensive even for pine clapboards. It also has a higher maintenance schedule compared to vinyl or Hardie.

Stucco. Long lasting, low maintenance, some what costly. Stucco can promote rot if improperly applied to a wood structure and often not detected until it is a major problem. Excellent finish over masonry construction.

EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finish system)- I would not even consider this product. Widely used through the 1980's and 1990's. A synthetic stucco applied over foam fastened to the exterior of a wood structure. Causes moisture to be trapped between the foam and wood sheathing promoting rot. Many insurance companies will not insure buildings with this siding.

I have had a bad experience w/ stucco. There are a lot of construction defect lawsuits related to stucco, consequently if you have a problem, at least in my area, no one will touch it for repairs. I own a commercial building w/ stucco issues at 15 years of age. No one who is insured will touch it for repairs. Never again.

Hardy board is nice, but very costly.

Nickshu- Likely you are talking about EIFS not stucco. EIFS looks like stucco.

We have a light brown/cream coloured vinyl siding on our house. Have had it for over 30 years. The occasional panel gets blown off by wind but pretty easy to repair.

A neighbour had a darker blue/grey vinyl but it actually melted in the hot sun. Possibly a cheap brand. I prefer the lighter colours as the house stays cooler in summer.

I like the no maintenance aspect of it. Wood siding looks great but you likely have to stain it.

There are a lot of construction defect issues with true brown coat stucco. I don't think EIFS manufacturers will allow you to use EIFS on a residential building. I would highly recommend staying away from stucco completely. Hardi can be a nice product but it deteriorates if it gets wet. It has to be painted so there are no exposed sides, including ends that are cut. There are several class actions against Hardi and CertainTeed, the big fiber cement manufacturers. Louisiana Pacific makes a wood/glue composite board similar to Hardi's cement fiber board that I like better. It has more natural moisture resistance than cement board siding but the ends where you make cuts to fit the boards have to be painted. Again, you're depending on the quality of the installation for the product performance. Vinyl doesn't have any widespread water intrusion related weaknesses, but it doesn't look as nice and some people wouldn't buy the house if you ever resell just because they think vinyl is cheap.

Anyway, it's six of one, half a dozen of the other. Pick what looks nicest to you that has a good price and you'll be fine.

Nichiha - if available to you, is a Hardi type product, but the wood "grain" embossed on the surface is deeper which makes it more appealing in my view. It was a little cheaper than Hardi - so another benefit of why I chose it for my workshop.

Probably true for that time frame. When I was looking for a stucco contractor 14years ago stocco was becoming a lost art, all i could find was Dryvit (EIFS) installers. I went with Dryvit with no regrets, but I have a part concrete blockpart cinder block building.

I've had Hardi on my house for about 16 years and all it's needed is fresh coat of paint.

When installed, just make sure they don't put the nail heads flush or below the surface.

I think it looks as good as wood and much better than vinyl.

We bought this house in 1975. It is on the brow of a hill ( tri level) with a Southern exposure......bad stuff come out of the South around here.

The house came with Aluminum siding......WTF did I know?

That stout South wind ( over 60 mph several times) got too a couple of strips a few times. Noisy, but still all there.( knock wood).

I had it painted a few years back.......end of story.

hardie board 100%. adds value to the house.

seen a few bad things with stucco.

Whats wrong with Stucco? About 99% of the houses down here are covered in the stuff!


My folks did Smart Siding on their house, supposed to last like Hardi but it easier to work with. Looks nice!

I love stucco. A tough durable cement based product hat last a long time. Proper installation is the key, Nothing last forever.

OP, Hardy is good product.

I did Hardi with Cedar shingles on the gable ends and dormers. White cedar trim board in between to break up the colors. Saved $20,000 by installing myself. Took about 3 months in my spare time.

Have cedar clapboard on my home. It requires opaque staining (do not paint it). It adds some rigidity to the structure, looks terrific, is quiet and bug free.

Nothing wrong with real stucco but what most refer to stucco now is NOT the real deal. The outer layer is fine on the new stuff...the issue arises in wet environments with the foam backer. It will wick and absorb water causing rot and an open invitation for termites to have an all you can eat buffet.
The house I grew up in was built in 72 and my parents still own the home. It is a Spanish style two story with true stucco applied to 3/4" marine plywood and imbedded with sea shells..the style is common on barrier islands and along the east coast; often referred to as Tabby. Never had any rot issues with this home and it looks as good as it did in 1970.

Mix of Hardie siding and hardie shingle panel on my place, no complaints. Not beach but I'm pretty close to the water too. I picked a factory finish partially for that reason.