The appropriateness depends on the climate. It has to rain quite a lot for a true rainscreen to be needed.

There are simple draingae plane systems that are sometimes confused with rainscreen systems (especially by manufacturers) and are appropriate for less wet areas.

It's a big subject so you need to be more specific about what you need.

A friend of ours had a house built last year and used Home Slicker from Benjamin Obdyke. The house is wood sided. We plan to use this or a similar product in our currently-under-construction house with fiber cement siding. It's probably overkill in our mixed humid climate (and I think our builder considers it unnecessary), but DH is concerned about moisture in a "tight" house and wants it.

mightyanvil: Thanks! Knowing that a rainscreen is also called a drainage plane system is exactly what I needed. You are right about manufacturers: they keep calling it a rainscreen, when actually it is a drainage plane system. Now when I ask around about "drainage plane" systems I won't get that funny look!

We used a rainscreen siding application for our house in Wisconsin after discovering mold and leaking walls after the first non-rainscreen siding application. Our engineers recommended a rainscreen so that the airspace would provide optimum drainage.

Our rainscreen involved #30 building paper, then vertical furring strips (to provide the airspace) followed by our cedar siding. Of course, proper flashing for the window and door installations, around all penetrations (such as hose bibbs, vents, etc) were crucial.

In our area we found no contractors that had any idea what we were talking about. We did, however, find one contractor who was willing to follow the specifications and drawings of our engineers. It was very frustrating dealing with contractors who thought we were from another planet, but it was well worth the extra aggravation.

After tearing the entire exterior off our our house and seeing mold and rot from only one year of a non-rainscreen siding application (as well as missing flashing), I am now confident that water will not destroy my house because of the extra attention paid to flashing and the rainscreen siding techniques. It is an extremely easy and elementary concept.

Our goal was to build a relatively permanent house, not disposable housing. I have since seen countless houses in my area that have had to have the exterior cladding removed due to water intrusion problems. Lots of mold and rot underneath otherwise beautiful siding. Unfortunately, the contractors who are making these repairs simply install new windows and siding using the same poor techniques as the original builders. Undoubtedly, some future owner will have to pay to have the work redone and even more building materials will clog our landfills. It's a waste of money and a waste of building materials when it is very easy and relatively inexpensive to just do the job right the first time.

I am posting a link to an article at Fine Homebuilding about rainscreens. This is exactly how we had ours done.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Homebuilding article about rainscreen siding applications

Not all of the benefits of a drainage plane is recognized from the exterior. Cavity insulation has complicated wall assemblies in many heating climates.

There is as much benefit from interior moisture migrating outward into the cladding when it is attached tightly. When cladding is disconnected from the sheathing plane with an air space, you get protection from both interior moisture and exterior bulk water.

Thanks rollie and suzie. Suzie: sorry about your troubles, but I'm glad you got them fixed. The rainscreen article is great. Attached is a direct link to a PDF of the article for anyone who's interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rain-Screen Walls: A Better Way to Install Siding

eating in,

If you want a few more pictures (rain screen) to look at, look at pics 135-161 in my Delores house album.

This album documents moisture management and energy efficient details from the day you dig the basement, till the day you install the front door lock and everything in between.

Here is a link that might be useful: Delores House