Im in texas and in the rural areas we have a lot of white houses with vinyl siding and they look good.

Sandra, could you post a sample photo of a house with the historical details you are looking for?

Our new house is nearly complete and we used a combination of materials on the exterior to create what I will call a "mid-west farmhouse inspired look." This included arctic white hardiplank siding, boral TruExterior trim material in various widths and thicknesses for window trim, water table, rake and barge board, an exterior grade masonite with boral battens on our gables. Trust me, it is not thin or cheap looking! We also used Fibron cementious colums for our porch posts, and Fiberon Symmetry porch railing material, sawn and stamped and antiqued concrete on the front porch and ipe decking on the back porch. Regarding siding, we did consider vinyl and there are some beautiful, high quality vinyls available. But we are also in storm country with frequent hail and felt hardi would hold up to hail better than vinyl (hope we're right)!

To get the exterior details correct we drove the countryside and studied remaining farmhouses, and of course worked with a talented architect and top-notch custom home builder to pull it all together. The process of finding land, developing a plan suitable to the property and building the home has taken about 3 years.

Good luck with your project!

Hi, Sandra,

I suggest you consider Everlast siding. It doesn't rot and never needs painting. Take a look: https://www.everlastsiding.com/

We are currently re-siding our house with vinyl (from cedar). There’s a lot of snobbery associated with vinyl, but the climate on the east coast is too harsh and extreme for wood. From moss to humidity to ice - it just doesn’t make sense from a practical POV. I’ve learned my lesson on previous projects that when you only lead with the aesthetic and ignore the practical, you pay the price. These days, the vinyl options are excellent in terms of color and aesthetics. IMO, siding is just the canvass for your overall vision, so don’t sweat it too much! The eye will likely be drawn to the design details, and the siding won’t be a focal point. Good luck!

Hi Sandra, we appreciate your diligence in investigating issues in LP SmartSide. LP SmartSide has been around for 23 years performing in climates of all types. Being that it is an engineered wood product it is more durable and stable than real wood dimensional siding products. Since 1995 the product has and continues to undergo continual durability testing in Hilo, Hawaii, receiving over 120” of rain fall annually without rot or decay issues. As other postings have pointed out, the LP product produced in back in the late 1980’s experienced some issues. The reformulation in the mid 1990’s solved these problems and continues to perform today. The “mixed reviews” you mentioned are likely a result of product buckling during acclimation to the environment caused by improper installation from lack of proper spacing or correct fastening. We are always happy to educate on proper installation with your installer. SmartSide continues to gain popularity in coastal areas over vinyl and cement products for its ease of use and higher durability characteristics. We would like to continue to assist you with your project and are happy to share more information about LP SmartSide prefinished with Diamond Kote, all backed by a 30-Year No Fade Warranty. Please let us know if you would be open to having a conversation with a specialist in your area. Thank you!

"but the climate on the east coast is too harsh and extreme for wood."

There are probably a couple hundred houses sided with wood within a few miles of where I sit that are 150-350 years old and going strong. I'd be willing to bet that none of the vinyl being installed today will still be on houses in 200 years.

“There are a couple hundred houses 200 years old with wood still going strong” on the east coast” - that’s great! Mine not included though sadly. The rot that has been uncovered behind the cedar is shocking. Sometimes you have to peel back the layers to see what’s lurking beneath.

The longevity of any cladding depends on the climate, how it was installed, and how it is maintained. I was raised in upstate NY. There are lots of homes and barns with wood siding that endure because the climate is cold and dry much of the year and because they were built with skip sheathing and no insulation which allows wood that gets wet to dry out. Painters tell me that paints which contained lead performed better, too, but we don't have that option any more.

Vinyl siding promotes good drainage by design. It's more forgiving. To be sure, lots of people consider it an inferior building material, but there are new, vinyl plank products which are good looking, good performing products which I would rather have on my home than either wood or fiber-cement siding (gasp!) I despise rot and I despise painting.

I'm currently building an architect-designed home that I convinced both the architect and owner to switch from fiber-cement siding to Everlast siding after seeing the product (full disclosure: I don't have stock in the company and I don't sell siding.)

Products evolve over time and need to be re-evaluated periodically. Vinyl siding is one.

The problem with vinyl products is the limited color palette.

I was watching "This Old House" last night (as if my day job isn't enough.) They were building a home that had a combination of finishes including solid stain and clear finishes over wood siding. The painter estimated that the solid stain was good for seven years, but the other finishes would require maintenance every three years.

It's true that the color palette for vinyl products is limited, but I'm willing to make that compromise in exchange for never needing to paint.

Hi Charles Ross Homes,

Diamond Kote pre-finished siding will not peel, chalk or fade, all backed by a 30-Year No Fade Warranty. We offer nearly 30 standard colors and a custom color option as well. Please let us know if you would be interested in learning more about LP SmartSide, prefinished with Diamond Kote. We would be happy to have a specialist in your area reach out. Thanks