We are doing a new build at 8,300' elevation in Colorado and are considering both the Nichiha and CeraClad products for siding since they have a built in rainscreen and, primarily, are very fire resistant (necessary in wooded areas now). Unfortunately, while the installation is advertised to go very quickly, the product itself could be very cost prohibitive.

Does anyone have any experience and/or opinions about the quality of the product and installation process for these two competing products?

Does anyone know of alternatives to this? We are looking at using a combination of the Tuffblock and VintageWood product lines from Nichiha (something like the image below)...still deciding on CeraClad and trying to find alternatives that achieve the same contemporary aesthetic. Appreciate any and all recommendations & comments.