Hello all,
My husband and I are in the process of having our house built, and we are struggling with the decision of what to use as siding. I have researched as much as I can, but I’m still having a hard time deciding what to do. I would appreciate any and all advice you all can offer.
I am attaching the plans to this message if you care to see the design of the house (I included the front and back of the house and garage). As you will notice, it was originally designed to be a clapboard-sided farmhouse-type home. We are located in metro Atlanta. The house is sited on a 4.3 acre wooded lot in the suburbs (Cobb county). I really like the design, so I’m not prepared to make major design changes.
My questions are these:
What would you use to side this house?
Why?
What is, realistically, the lifespan of a good paint job on A) Cement-board siding and B) real wood siding?
How should I cost-compare the options?
Here is some background:
Our budget is important to us. We are a young family and we don’t want to go overboard with the house. That said, our builder is my dad, so we have some savings in that arrangement. He is working for us on a cost-plus basis, so costing is out in the open and we have 100% trust in him. Although sticking to our budget is important, we realize we may need to make some tradeoffs to afford the things that we can’t change later. So. I’m willing to spend more on siding, for example, and reduce the level of interior finishes (that could be upgraded later). It’s ok to me if the entire house is not finished “just so” right away.
Originally, I told Dad we wanted real wood siding. We knew it would be more expensive, but I didn’t think I wanted cement-board for two reasons: 1. I don’t love the profile (it always looks too thin to me to be believable) and 2. The porches will be such a major part of the house (front and back, upper and lower) that I wanted the siding to be as warm and cozy as possible. Although it can look very nice from a distance, sitting right next to cement board does not say “cozy” to me. What do you think? Am I the only one who notices this?
He, and many, many others, however, have told me that in our location real wood is not a good idea at all. In the Atlanta area, we are in a humid climate. They say that no matter what, we will be repainting every 5 years and replacing rotten wood before we know it. (We are a young family and plan to stay in this house to raise our child (now 14 mos.) and her future siblings). They say that the only wood we could reasonably use is Western red ceder, which they say is very expensive and still requires painting and maintenance (obviously). I don’t love the idea of buying wood from across the country, either. To me, the ideal of the wood siding is that it could be more locally-sourced. (I love the idea of sticking to materials that come from our part of the country, even though I know this is largely unrealistic.) If we did that, it means we would be using pine.
Which brings me back to the cement board (which I know is not local, either). I have heard all kinds of figures for the longevity of paint on cement board siding. The manufacturer websites say one thing (25 years!), some homeowners say another (7-10 years). What can we reasonably expect as a life of a good paint job on cement board siding?
And now, brick. Everyone talks about the superiority of brick. No maintenance, no painting, no problems. I like brick very much, and I have already specified the brick for the water table (Old Virginia wood mould). When I consider the entire house in brick, though, the aesthetic of the house changes. Instead of a “farmhouse” we now have a “plantation” house. I really want our house to seem friendly and inviting and humble. To me, a 4-sided brick house with a metal roof and big porches might not seem as friendly. What do you all think? Would this house design be imposing in brick? (Our designer thinks it would look great, but he more typically designs 8,000 sq ft.+ houses, so I’m not sure we share the same sense of home.)
You may be wondering what my Dad thinks. He is trying to stay out of this decision as much as he can, because he doesn’t want to give me advice that I later regret. He has tried to share as much information with me as he can, and he’s letting me take it from here. (I am pretty sure he favors cement board, because it’s practical and would give me the farmhouse look.)
And last, you might want to know where we are in the process. Framing starts in about 2 weeks, so I need to make this decision very quickly! (I have already asked our designer about the house plans in brick, and he sas there would not be a problem.)
I hope this post has not been too lengthy, but I wanted to include as much information as I could. As you can tell, I am all ears for your thoughts and suggestions.
Thank you for your time!
Katrina and family
Replies
First, welcome to Breaktime.
Next, can you resize your attachments to somewher under 200KB. The dial up people will really appreciate it.
I'm no siding expert, so I'll set back and watch the responces with you. We have some real good people here that will be glad to give some sage advice.
cement board siding will never really "look" like wood siding.. so your compromise is between the maintinance of real wood versis the trouble free nature of brick,.... or stone.
Note I said stone because that too can be used effectively to gain a differant more friendly look. Plus it's relatively common on cabins and farmhouses..
Let me make a clear case for lack of exterior maintinance.. While your children are growing up your choice is to either spend time with them or working on your house..
Children will absorb every moment of your life if raised properly. So do you want to plan to steal time from your children or use a material that can be safely negeleted?
With regard to stone.. round "field stone" feels friendlier than sharp jagged stone does although both are an acceptable look.. If I'm going to have a wall of stone on my porch I want a friendly stone of real interest.. for that reason you cannot use an alternative such as fake stone because it does not have the same "look" as real stone especially when looked at up close..
To maybe encourage others to open your files and respond, resized pics attached.
Me? I'd go with the CB, but NOT the wood-grained type. I find smooth CB to look like CB, not something trying to look like wood. So standing on it's own, it's fine.
That said, around here (Western PA), there are a LOT of old brick farmhouses. Some even having metal roofs. (Tho' slate is probably more comon.) So bottom line is, you gotta make your own choice. ;-)
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Mike, Thank you for your advice and for your extra help with my images. (I am grateful you did that because I don't know how!) And I am glad to hear that the smooth cement board is convincing. I live in a house now with the wood-rain type, and I think I'm probably over-reacting to it. And, I'm not familiar with the Pennsylvania farmhouse style, so you've give me something to research. Many thanks!
Hi,
Looks like a beautiful home.
I built my retirement home in 1993. It has select clear cedar siding, as do many of the other homes in that area. I used a well known and expensive staining "system". That means all the pieces were pre-stained on all sides before they were put on.
We followed instructions and applied other coats and the siding looked beautiful. We are proud of this home. But as others here point out, it requires regular maintenance. The sun is a major factor as the south side requires recoating at least every two years. We are constantly aware that we must keep maintenance up and ongoing. Every year we recoat at least one side. We have not had one year go by without some maintenance on the finish.
Others in our area who sided with wood and who have not kept up their maintenance find that when they fail to maintain properly, the finish deteriorates rapidly and requires a major refinish.
There are many homes in this area with different sidings. I have to admit that with time, brick, rock and other man made sidings do seem to stand up well with what appears to be minimal annual maintenance.
I'm going to tell you that you picked a great company to deal with on your specialty Bricks, I have layed a lot of their brick, plus one of their plants/ brick yard is just a few miles down the road from me. If you want the old look you have hit that number on the head.
I think your house calls out for the brick siding ,as I have done a lot of work on old plantation houses that were made of brick and stone ,its not what the house is sided with, but its what kind of landscaping you have around your place ,and the family that resides in the house ,that makes it warm and inviting, plus mortar /brick color has some input in that area also.
Dedubya, Thank you for confirming the Old Virginia brick for me. I am embarrassed to admit that I have not even seen an entire building of it yet; I had our mason build a 4' x 4' sample and fell in love with it. And you touch on important points regarding the real warmth of the house. Assuming that I can take care of the friendly family inside, what do you suggest for the brick and mortar colors? The sample I have is the "Old Garden Blend" with the antique buff mortar. I like the mix of colors (seems to soften the look) and I think I may go lighter with the mortar. Any thoughts?