When I hear of someone using cedar for railing, I feel I must tell them of my experience.18 years ago the popular belief( at least at my lumberyard) was that cedar was low maintainence and lasts forever. So I sided, trimmed, railed and decked w/ cedar( white cedarsiding, red cedar everywhere else). It was beautiful afterward. We stained w/cabots, used sikins on the deck. After 5 years we noticed, especially the deck and rail, that everywhere cedar touched cedar( the butt joint at the post/ rail and post /deck) it was getting soft. We hadn't sealed the end grain before installation nor did we caulk each joint. By year 12 the railings fell off and the posts and decking boards rotted along each edge ( we didn't space the deck boards enough, thinking they would shrink- they might have even expanded). A word to the wise, wait until a stretch of dry weather and silicone caulk those joints. Fine Homebuilding Magazine recognized this problem and published an article a few years after we built and after the damage was done. They recommended geotextiles layered between built up trim and cutting chamfer grouves at the butt joints for the caulk to adhere better- esentially a miniture pitch pocket for the caulk. Good luck w/ the cedar.

Thanks, Marinagal! I think our decisions at this point is to consult an architect, not with this specific idea per se, but for his suggestions on adding light/air/views to the MBR. Thanks, Cam. That is pretty! CL Blakeley, I won't! Mabel, good idea. Snowfalls can be highly localized. LOL, Annie. We are about 10 miles inland, and it just seems to us the weatherguys always say. "it will turn to rain on the coast, with higher accumulations North and West of the area". We often get snow here, just 10 miles from friends in Westport who say "what snow". I guess since the ocean never freezes it can reduce snowfall? IDK Thank you, Krycek. Oldbat, I actually drink tea in the am, usually iced in the summer! And DH makes a ritual of going out for coffee and the paper, come to think of it. Sonic, excellent point! Aww, Eandhl, thank you. LOL, Rafor! To be fair, the other one was a tear down! But all in all we are happier with this choice. Eclectic cottage, your community sound so wonderful. And I agree about the vibe. We don't want a proper and formal house, in fact this house is more formal then what we planned to build or envisioned in our heads. At the end of the day, it is about relaxing and enjoying where you are, and in an odd way I think quirks and imperfections make a place homier ... Thank you, Rosie! JoaniePoanie, I am just terrible and wait and see, I confess. It is even worse here because I have been waiting almost a year trying to clear up that other property! KSWL, Thanks for the tip on water drainage! As for your idea of expanding the porch, goodness, what are you trying to do to my budget!? I better not tell DH your idea, he is a sucker for verandah space. As a side note, your point about the tradition of elevated areas from which to view the water was such lovely writing. : )

I think the only negative review I read regarding Cedar Valley (CV) or Shakertown was from someone who didn't like the idea of plywood behind the cedar. CV has a fiberglass laminate built in, and the product seems pretty solid to me with added moisture protection. I think the price is almost $100 more per square than Ecoshel, though. My concern is when different materials are married at the factory. I feel the same for plumbing and windows. Different materials expand and contract differently, respond to water differently, etc. Thankfully CV is only mixing plywood with cedar, and a fiberglass laminate. The fiberglass must be their moisture barrier, but my concern is getting moisture out from between the two products. I'll look into how they weep moisture. Question: being that CV is thicker than traditional cedar shingles, did that cause any problems around window/door trim? In regards to cedar impressions: Don't be fooled by the photos, I drove by a lot and even knocked on some doors. I could tell from the car which houses were vinyl shingles. Customers said it was the best thing they did, no maintenance, 10 years old, still looks new, etc. But like you found out, after pricing, it ended up costing just as much as the real thing. I think you need to love the idea of less maintenance more than your love for the real thing. Or go with fiber cement and ignore any negative reviews. We have family in Nantucket and when I asked them what the life span of cedar was for them, they said at least 20 years. And that's with brutal salt air and no stains or paints (not allowed on the island). So with stain I could see maybe 30 years or more? I'm OK with that kind of ROI. I'm also in the home renovation business, so working on my house is a pleasure. I don't care so much for "maintenance free" (maybe I'll feel differently in 30 years), but I love the detail and warmth of real cedar, I'm familiar with it, it's forgiving, and natural, so won't sit in a land fill for 100 years. They say vinyl is recyclable, but I've never seen anyone recycle it. Let me know how your installation goes, it's cold up here, so siding will have to wait until spring. Blessings.

Staining the cracks will do absolutely nothing for the wood to prevent cracking. Cracking is common, it's normal and there isn't a thing which can be done about it, The thicker the post the more it will crack and the lower the density of the wood the deeper the cracks will go. Red Cedar is the second lightest wood next to balsa so of any wood used cedar is the one that will crack the deepest. Staining will help repel water and block UV rays from the sun but won't stop cracks and the best stain ends up being just a paint. Your timbers will never stop moving and the checks will open and close as the outer layers of the timber pick up and shed moisture. Do NOT try to fill the checks with epoxy or something similar. it will make it worse. Why people buy and use these expensive timbers thinking they'll look the same as new is a mystery to me but I'm sure the builder didn't tell you what to expect. The UV rays destroy the woods lignin without extensive UV protection and in 10 years time they look like old nasty tree stumps. One things for certain, it won't be soon before you end up painting the posts to cover up the ugly and the reason you bought them in the first place will be lost, but will still have the cracks. Best thing for posts isn't a solid post but a box built around a 4"x4" or 6"x6" treated post using 3/4" treated lumber, or even cedar and stained the color you want. You'll rarely see big funky checks because the outer box is thin wood which will dry easier with less movement.