Have you checked to see if the wood is still underneath the siding? Repairing that should be cheaper and will give you a much better look.

Kompy, just this week I visited a building supply house with my siding installer and they had trim displays with exterior crown molding -- but I don't remember brands. The company was Lansing Building Products -- the company has branches all over the USA. I am also getting aluminum (that was damaged by a tree fall) replaced with vinyl and have been enlightened as to the possibilities of variations in siding and trim that I could use. It's overwhelming.

I wonder why your siding guy can't obtain it for you.

Azek is one brand of plastic construction material. You said crown molding, that needs two surfaces at 90° or so to apply.

Do you mean figured flat trim? Azek can be machined by regular woodworking tools(saw/router/sander/etc).

Azek comes in many sizes and shapes, I built a white dog eared picket fence with Azek.

Kompy, I know that the original wooden siding is still in place under the aluminum at my house, but like you, the insurance won't cover restoring it (I expect that it is full of nail holes from the aluminum installation and may have some rot where openings for utilities were cut) and I don't have the budget to pay the added cost. It might be clapboards or it might be shakes -- both appear on the same model house in the neighborhood.

That's too bad about your contractor -- you have my sympathy. I had a few come out to talk to me about my job, sent two of them away because they wouldn't even start a conversation ("waste their time", as one put it) unless I signed a contingency agreement with them first. I think I've got a really good choice and a very strong back up. Both of these came prepared to discuss scope of work, didn't demand that I sign anything, showed me samples of the brands they use, and had pages of references ready to give me.

I'm heartbroken campy that you have to use vinyl siding on such a beautiful old home. I'm wondering if you can just take the money and run and then do it right.

Might I suggest posting in the American Bungalow Forum on Facebook? Or The Arts and Crafts Revival forum? Lots of people with lots of great info who know their stuff.

Also check out this site: Old House Web

Especially this guy:Old House Guy He is really well versed on old houses.

If the stucco is in good shape, it shouldn't be difficult to repair and will hold up a heck of a lot longer than crappy vinyl. Also covering real wood windows with vinyl changes the whole look of the house and the windows.

If the wood underneath is not in good shape, what about replacing with Hardie siding instead? It's what I'm using on my new build house. First floor stucco. Second floor Hardie.

Also realize that any vinyl siding product cannot be painted a dark color. Ask me how I know?

And it looks from the photos that the only place there might be siding is in the gables.

It's so sad to hear what you plan to do to your house. Your house has survived all these years and do you want to be the one to ruin it? Don't listen or be influenced by common carpenters that gain their knowledge from Home Depot shopping. You have a nice house - treat it as if you like it.

Ugh heartbreaking that insurance companies are contributing to the crappening of our towns. No check huh? They pay providers directly? Weird. Hardie plank is a historical renovation-appropriate material (the ones in the right size and without the wood grain) and can be painted a historically appropriate color. Azek too, for fascia boards, etc. the photos are a treasure.