We used CraneBoard 6" siding on our house. It is very sturdy and has a nice look to it. The 6" gives a more natural look than a 4" and the sheets come in large sheets so there are less seams.

There are some energy savings benefits as well. See table below from the Vinyl Institute.

insulation cut into pieces and fastened to the house
in strips does not perform well.
better to put solid sheated foam board first
then nail vinyl to 2x's or furring strips.

insulation performs when air is not moving through
and around it. if you use foam sheathing and tape
all the seams & penetrations it will minimize
air leakage into the house. this alone will provide
a better than highest savings in table in post above.
by reducing air infiltration it will be easier
to heat and cool your home.

my professional opinion is that it is not worth
installing 'insulated' vinyl siding.
my personal opinion is that it is an oversold
near worthless product. kind of like putting
radiant barrier on top of insulation on attic
floor. good product..wrong install.
foam sheathing is a good thing..when used
correctly.
vinyl siding is a low care popular product.
vinyl siding is installed losely so that it
will expand & contract. for this lose install
reason..the foam insulation is nearly worthless.

is this new construction or existing?

best of luck

Cost should be identical to hardi if not higher.

Hardi lap is $0.87 sq ft material. 6" insulated vinyl will cost you more.

Energy savings from the Vinyl Institute? No way I will believe in any of them.

i agree you shouldnt do it for the energy savings. I prefer it for the solid feel it has over a hollow vinyl product. When we chose it, energy efficiency wasnt one of our concerns, but a kid throwing a ball and hitting the house was.

and with gas prices like they are...what does r-2 really save ya?

There's no way that insulated vinyl siding can provide anything close to the insulating value of taped rigid insulations panels applied over the house exterior sheathing. If insulation and energy are a major concern, this is the way to go, as said above.

If the concern is only siding, I'd use almost anything but vinyl. Siding of choice would be Hardee board or similar (cheaper, I think, if you choose to site prime and finish), but I'd consider shingles, plywood with vertical battens, or whatever might be in character for the style of the house. Even corrugated sheet metal if I lived in certain parts of the U.S.

Vinyl--never!

Thanks for the replies. Our reason for considering the insulated vinyl was based on appearance, not necessarily the increased efficiency. I was surprised to hear the post stating the cost would be similar. I have been told Hardee board was much more(I believe this its partially due to the increase labor cost of application and painting.) Once again, Hardee board would be first choice, but the budget is tight. Everyone has there own taste, but I have seen some beautiful houses that used the wide insulated vinyl mixed with shake and rock accents. Thanks again for the input.

not sure of virgilcarter's hatred of vinyl, but not everyone can afford Hardie or brick, etc. we did insulated vinyl and shakes with a mix of cultured stone. we love it...do what you like and fits in your budget. Good luck!

Premium vinyl? I understand there is such a thing but there shouldn't be. It's like saying 'high end naugahyde'.

I've had cursory experience installing both vinyl and Hardie. The weight difference alone makes Hardie a tougher install. Plus, our local building code requires cementboard be nailed to furring strips or 'rain sticks' of treated wood that provide a drain plane.

Have you had a quote for LP Smartside?

There are several thicknesses of basic vinyl siding available without going to the money wasting "insulated". It really won't add that much durability to it to be thicker though. One of the lesser known brands of the cement siding can actually be cheaper than vinyl. You should get a few quotes from local building materials companies that handle other brands than Hardie.

Energy savings from the Vinyl Institute? No way I will believe in any of them.

Nor the IECC nor the US Department of Energy Energy Star programme either, I take it, both of which recognize insulated vinyl siding as an effective energy savings material.

Here, for instance, is a study for Energy Star that compares insulated vinyl siding to Hardie Board.

Also, see link for other examples, including insulated vinyl sheathing used on LEED projects.

Depending on the economics, there may, of course, be more cost effective ways to achieve the same improved R Value on a particular project. Especially when there is diy "free" labour involved, e.g., sheathing your home in foam board, then having the siding applied professionally.

I have no special interest in vinyl or fibre cement board and have never used either material.

Here is a link that might be useful: Buildapedia on Insulated Siding

This post was edited by worthy on Wed, Dec 26, 12 at 11:05

I would have a tough time choosing vinyl just because of its propensity to melt (and/or catch fire from nearby flames).

We had a neighborhood fire recently, and the next door house was spared by efforts of the fire dept, but also because they had cedar siding and not vinyl. The fire dept specifically called out that had that house had vinyl siding, it would also have been significantly damaged (even before they got there).

That turned me from ever considering a vinyl product for house siding. Maybe check with your insurance company with hypotheticals--if we put vinyl siding on, our insurance would be... and if it was hardie, it would be... (then see how it fits in your budget).

newbie21, you mentioned appearance, and you might consider engineered wood, in addition to the siding options listed above. Best wishes in whatever decision you make. Patrick

This post was edited by LPSmartSide on Fri, Dec 28, 12 at 22:37

The real issue with cost difference is that vinyl doesn't get paint. It seems like some people are forgetting that cost. Exterior paint labor is very high at least around me.

And then you can't forget the local climate and the repeat paint cost. At the coast, I've seen Hardi need paint in 5 years. Cough up $4000 please.

I realize there are vinyl haters but really it is the cheapest option and as Brian stated - it is really the most recommended by building scientists.

We have premium vinyl all over the NC coast - and that really can be as expensive or more than Hardi.

worthy..what exterior finish do you use?
stone, brick, stucco?
your pics of the siding comparism are nice
are they from the link you provided?

david cary..lots of vinyl and hardi here also.
vinyl is no matinence, where as hardi isn't.
also the correct install of priming all six
sides during install, caulking joints and
misc details during install and prior to painting
drive up costs.
still..I like hardi!
not a fan of insulated vinyl siding, the foam sheathing
should be installed continously on walls
before vinyl install. that said, there are lots
of nice vinyl sided homes.

I'm not a hater, but I do urge my clients to
shop for higher grades of vinyl, just not insulated!

the whole structural aspect of foam..just cracks
me up. in hurricane zones we do structural with wood
ring shank nails and beefed up nailing patterns...not foam. this statement is what foam sales people tell prospective clients.

I'm curious about vinyl being most recommended
by building scientists. I've never read this
on any of the sites I frequent.
do you have a link to this determination?
I'd really like to give it a read.

thanks in advance both worthy & david.

nice discussion OP. good to see the experience
of folks posting.

Happy New Year everyone.