We had our last home of 20 years vinyl sided and that stuff was indestructible! Our home was located in northern Illinois and saw several hail storms in addition to snow and scorching summer heat. It doesn't dent either if hit by a flying rock from the lawn mower. We were very happy with it.

Thanks. I am just wondering if we should do a dutch lap or triple 3 style? Thoughts?

Also - roof is a blue/grey color - the only pic I have is with the snow on it!

I have no idea what the benefits are of one style over the other. I suspect it's a personal preference based on appearance. When I googled them, I liked the Dutch better. It appears bigger than the triple 3 but still smaller than the 8" you have now. As for color, my only advice is that it is really hard to tell what the small sample will look like when it's completed. We thought we purchased a tan siding that would compliment our bricks, but it turned out gray. We even had the guy come back out with the sample just to be sure.

@ libradesigneye - this is my post about our siding - any suggestions?

@jlynb, my home is a "Beach Cottage" style and when we built 12 years ago I went with "fiber cement" shingle siding by Hardie. I live in Northern California and very mild climate compared to you! But the shingles have held up great!! We painted them when we installed and still look new. Because the material is fiber-cement, no movement or warping like real wood! I'm not a fan of vinyl siding! Gotta go for the authentic Cape Cod look!!

A couple pics of our Beach Cottage home! You have a cool home! spend the money on a material that works with the Cape Cod style! it will be "timeless"! Good luck with your project.

@iamjudy! Cool pics! Yes great suggestion! Look closely, painted shingle siding! Very authentic and timeless!!

Thanks so much to Kevin Patrick and lamjudy! I love these ideas and will likely go this way. THANKS!