My husband and I have bought 1915 Craftsman Cottage in an old mill village. The house has red cedar Shake siding. It was covered with hideous aluminum siding 60 years ago. I have started to remove the siding. Overall the original siding is in decent shape but there is patching needed in areas where in wall ac unit were installed, an added wall on the back porch and in other smaller areas. I need some direction on buying replacement shingles to make the repairs. Everything I find seems much thicker that the originals shingles. Have they just become thinner with age or are contemporary shingles different? Also once the repairs are made should I treat the shingles with something to protect them now that they are exposed to the elements?
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My suggestion is to take a couple of your existing shingles to a reputable, been around, local real lumberyard. With a bit of luck you might get all your questions answered.
When the local yards are gone, we all lose.
Best of luck!