Replies

1. 
   Piffin | Aug 12, 2003 06:23pm | #1

   Hi joe and welcome,

   There is nothing average about somebody with your ambition..

   Excellence is its own reward!

   oops, got distracted and forgot to ask - what kind of shingles did you put on the new roof??

   
   

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   Edited 8/12/2003 11:24:14 AM ET by piffin

2. 
   edwardh1 | Aug 12, 2003 10:44pm | #2

   Do you have a lot of free time or money to spend on keeping the wood up?

   remember: it rots, twists, expands, warps, cracks, swells, is eaten by termites etc etc.

   Wood is a 4 letter word

1. 
   Piffin | Aug 12, 2003 11:38pm | #3

   Yeah, but cedar is a righteous wood. It'll go the extra letter for yah.

   Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   shake_n_stir | Aug 13, 2003 01:21am | #4

   wain,  WOW! that is an opinion with little to negotiate!  LOL!

   My father would agree.  He hates to paint.   Tin roof and brick!

1. 
   edwardh1 | Aug 13, 2003 02:42am | #5

   its not just "hates to paint "- its that you waste your life's time and money because the wrong material choice was made up front - the list is endless:

   particle board floors in kitchens/baths

   rotting sills under patio doors

   rotting brick mold on the side of garage doors

   and the every present "why is my paint peeling off?

   Seems like "merica" would wise up and use other materials.

1. 
   jimblodgett | Aug 13, 2003 03:10am | #6

   Well, if time really isn't an issue, and you are doing the work yourself, Cedar shingles are a lot cheaper.  Out here in Washington #2 shingles were about 150.00/square last time I used them (February '03).  Next week we are starting to side a house we own and we will be using Hardi-Plank shingle panels - they are closer to 400.00/square.

   There are a couple things that might outweigh cost however, even in your case. 

   Like - will this siding be stained or painted?  They do make a stain for fiber cement now that looks pretty close to stained wood, but FC shingles won't give you that authentic drying and swelling unevenness real shingles will.  So if you are a stickler for appearance, I can see how you'd prefer wood.

   Secondly, how exposed to water and southern sun will this siding be?  If your roof overhangs provide adequate protection to keep rain off the siding, you might be fine with wood, but if it's gonna take heavy sun drying - water swelling cycles, you might be better off spending the extra for the FC.

   Maybe the most important thing to consider is how much you enjoy nailing up shingles as siding.  It's extremely satisfying work, but it's slow, so many people get frustrated or bored.

1. 
   averagejoe | Aug 13, 2003 03:42am | #7

   I know that using cedar will be a long term maintainence issue, but our house is just not very large, and replacing the current clap board siding on the first floor walls with stucco will help (I hope) eliminate some maintainence issues. Additionally, my wife is an architect and so is a stickler for the aesthetics of real wood. If we decide to go with the cedar, we plan on ordering the shingles pre-stained with a solid colored Cabot stain. Our eaves and rakes are not that large (about a foot), so there will be some rain and sun exposure. My main concern is... Is there potentially an issue with oils leaching from the cedar and staining the stucco beneath it?  To answer another question, we put a 50 year asphalt architectural 'shangle' on the roof. A side note to all you roofers out there...I have a whole new level of respect for what you guys do, it was damn hot up there...

2. 
   averagejoe | Aug 16, 2003 03:11am | #8

   Hello? Any Ideas on the staining question?

3. 
   shake_n_stir | Aug 26, 2003 08:48pm | #9

   I guess you are still asking about the staining of the stuco by the tanins in the cedar.  I don't know the answer to this, but I can't recall ever seeing a problem.  I hope someone has a definite answer for you.

   As for my interest in staining:

   I would alos like to put shingles on my gable ends and dormers (or just the small dormer gables).  I like the idea of a very low maintenance product on these high, hard to reach areas.  I can handle repeated staining of the first floor, but would love to avoid that in the high areas.   However, I am trying to think of an attractive design for the whole house.   If I were to go cedar board and batten on the main and stain it a cedar brown or orangish, what would look good as a paint on the FC shingles above.  Or is there some other combination of low maintenance stuff above which would look good?

   ??????