[Robert Adams]

For the $3400 I would have the contractor do it. Yeah, you could do it yourself but as others above have indicated, lots to think about while you carry on with a full time job & family; been there! The stuff is quite brittle in long lengths and hard to move around so it's a two person process. The eaves are a B-T-H. Having all the right tools and equipment will set you back a few $ in addition to the material. The 'correct nails' aren't cheap either nor is the caulk which you need to do at all your corners and seams. I also don't advise doing flat cut joints either when joining two lenghts, they should be beveled and sealed at installation.
Lastly if you want to save some money and time, order the material primed with a couple coats on it from the factory. This saves so much time and no matter how good you are, it will look better in the end. This way also gets the entire board painted before it's put up rather than just painting what you can see once it's up. I've also painted/stained myself prior to installation; definitely like the factory job better. As I mentioned this product is a bit unwieldy and moving it around is a royal pain so moving it around on many saw horses while painting it is very time consuming. Hardie used to offer extended warranties if they do the primer & two coats and the owner does a 3rd coat within 6 months or something, so that might be another incentive to go factory with the finish. Awesome product, but not in my opinion a do it yourself friendly project, unless you have all the time in world and lots of friends to help out. Good luck!