I'm a retired finish carpenter, US Northwest coast. I put primed 8" Smartside on my own two-story house three summers ago. I chose to vent the wall behind the siding. That took a bit of time. I then pre-painted each piece with one coat of SW Superpaint, rolled and back-brushed, and then did a second coat once the siding was on the wall, also rolled and back-brushing. I primed all nail heads before the final coat. I flashed behind every joint and caulked every seam with OSI. I faced nailed every board by hand to eliminate overdriving the nails; no air nailer was used on the siding. It took 400 hours by myself, working evenings and weekends, but that also included tearing off layers of old siding, fixing the sheathing, replacing the soffits, replacing all the windows, and building a new front porch, so it wasn't a normal siding job. This summer, for the first time, I checked all caulked seams for shrinkage and cut out and re-caulked and painted small sections around four windows and three joints on the west and south walls. The siding and joints everywhere else looked as pristine as the day it was installed. I have absolutely no complaints or concerns with my decision to go with this brand of siding. One final thing, I left a unpainted 1-inch triangle-shaped piece out on the patio exposed to the weather the summer I did the job. It's still sitting there. The edges have swelled only slightly and cracked slightly, but I still can't chip even a small piece from the edge with my fingernail. I'm beginning to think it's indestructible.

What it means is that the product relies heavily on a wood preservative and can be susceptible to water at any field cut edges. The triple seal on the exposed edges is there for a reason. To find that information I searched my old files. I first posted that description on the GardenWeb in 2005 less than 10 years after LP stopped making an OSB siding product called Inner Seal that failed and almost put LP out of business. LP paid off their customers and added a preservative to the OSB and called it Smartside. It was a scary time to be specifying simulated siding products so I felt is was wise to give this product time to prove itself and so far it seems to have done that. In New England, on residences, lap siding is far more common than any kind of panel siding but the embossed surface grain pattern of Smartside Lap siding is inconsistent with the traditional smooth surface of good quality cedar clapboards so I have yet to see it used on a house. Clapboard siding ready for paint: This post was edited by Renovator8 on Thu, Aug 22, 13 at 14:17

Lots here, but here are the points I am most interested in. "If the band under the windows is a sub-sill that is good but if it is flat casing trim it will require special flashing to prevent water penetration. I've seen that mistake result in a major lawsuit." I don't love the look of a sub-sill. I didn't know it served a purpose. Can you elaborate on this point? I was planning on doing flat casing like this: <div><a href='https://www.houzz.com/photos/the-artisan-craftsman-exterior-phvw-vp~14566829'><img src='http://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/3a31985a03bf268a_3-6177/craftsman-exterior.jpg' border=0 width='320' height='212' /></a></div><div style='color:#444;'><small><a style='text-decoration:none;color:#444;' href='https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-exterior-home-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_736~s_2116' >Craftsman Exterior</a> by <a style='text-decoration:none;color:#444;' href='http://www.houzz.com/professionals/home-builders/c/Evans-City--PA' >Evans City Home Builders</a> <a style='text-decoration:none;color:#444;' href='http://www.houzz.com/pro/brennanbuilders/brennan-builders-inc' >Brennan Builders Inc.</a></small></div> Windows are already ordered and openings are already cut. Posts are changing. Doors will be bigger than pictured (8 foot) and wider (3'6"). Fake dormer has been removed. We aren't doing keystone head trim. I like the trim of the photo above. We will be using the stone (my husband really likes it). We will be using plank siding on the front of the house - shakes only on front and rear gables (cost reasons). We will be using inner and outer corner trim, as well as starter board and frieze board. Thank you for all of your feedback!

CMU = concrete masonry unit, aka concrete block so it's all the same, split face is just the fact that it has a texture vs. being smooth faced. If they are having water issues it's because it was constructed poorly in which case the only proper solution is to rip it out. Bricks and CMU absorb water so if constructed properly they will have a way for the water to get out. They aren't meant to keep water from getting in the building, that's what vapor barriers aka Tyvek do. They do however protect the barrier. So if the house doesn't have a good barrier, poor flashing and the CMU & brick aren't breathing, you have water issues. ETA: Just noticed your comment to JDS about weep holes and flashing so I'm sure I was being redundant with information you already knew. But either way, if she's having water issues, take it off. Sealing isn't the best route either as you trap in moisture.