What was the exposure and size of the shingles LifePine quoted? If it was 5/8" x 18" with a 5" exposure it would be roughly equivalent to white cedar shingle. LifePine can be much larger in thickness, length and have greater exposure.

White cedar shingles would need a preservative finish.

Don't forget shipping. Cedar is from the North, yellow pine is from the South.

Oddly,the Lifepine did not give any of those specs, which I was expecting in order to line it up w my cedar price table.

It is on my list of things to discuss with the architect, thanks for mentioning the product here!

It makes me wonder what else you would put on the end of the phrase "if I were building a house"? : )

I have read that pine shingles have a much shorter life than cedar, and the pine shingles in our neighborhood (one of which is definitely LifePine because it is in their website gallery) seem to support that. They don't look nearly as good as the older cedar roofs.

Good to know, Athens. Thanks

Were you asking about roof shingles?

We were considering both options as well, although panels, not shingles. A few friends recommended Maibec and I went to see a recent installation at a friend's house, it looks fabulous (again, they had clapboard like siding, not shingles). It might be worth getting a quote from Maibec too, if you like their shingle product. The warranty looks impressive, but I haven't read the small print. I've pasted a link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Maibec

Renovator, more about siding.

Sochi, Maibec is what was in our local building supply catalogue - its white cedar

A number of years ago, I built my own house using Shakertown panelized shingles for the wall siding and was very satisfied with the product. They were left natural to weather naturally.

Here's the website: http://shakertown.com/cedar-products/craftsman-cedar-shingle-panel/

Good luck with your project.

In my experience the cost of fire-retardant wood shingles on a roof would be prohibitive not to mention the additional maintenance.

You also really need to determine what product your comparing to the Lifepine. Are you talking about using Red Cedar which are normally 18" or White Cedar which would be 16". The Red Cedar are normally considered the more durable and used Naturally or finished. White Cedar (Maibec, etc) are 16" and for any durability need to be finished. The coverage will vary widely depending on the product and then the grade of product used as well as where the product is used (sidewall or roof).