We used cedar impressions vinyl siding and love it for low maintenance and we like the color. Azek trim means no more painting. Only thing it's very expensive so we did it on 3 sides and went with a matching siding on the back side, but it's still good looking, IMO. You can see the difference from the back corner. But we went with different windows as well, so the back side looks more contemporary than the front. But it still goes.

Fiber composite siding does need some maintenance. It needs to be painted and end cuts sealed to prevent moisture absorbtion. That sealing(at ends of rows and butt joints) needs periodic inspection/maintenance. Vinyl does not need as much maintenance, but will fade over time and can get brittle, allowing impact cracks/holes. 15-20 years ago, I helped build about 60 Habitat for Humanity homes. Many had vinyl lap siding and many others had Hardi plank lap siding. I toured those areas last year and the painted Hardi siding looked better. Not a huge difference, since we used heavy guage vinyl, but enough to see a difference.

Hardie Board Siding Cost vs LP Smart Side One of the biggest reasons many builders and homeowners choose LP over Hardie Plank siding is the significant cost difference. Across the US, Smartside is about 25-35% cheaper than Hardie. This difference amounts to thousands of dollars! LP is cheaper because both the materials and labor cost less than James Hardie. On average, Hardie siding costs about $7-9.5/sq.ft. installed, where as LP costs about $5.5 – 7.5 per sq.ft. installed. Use our Siding Calculator to quickly estimate the cost of different materials for your house. https://www.remodelingcalculator.org/lp-siding-vs-hardie-plank/ https://lpcorp.com/products/exterior/siding-trim/products/overview?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnqH7BRDdARIsACTSAdvF6noP1cHHrZPU59diAoMWfe5JQ42z_RPuw7-X7gHcdhpIQlwW8qUaAkGfEALw_wcB

Thanks RES2. I want the elegance of sawn shingles and not the rustic look of split shakes. My neighbors all have sawn shingles. I have ordered five samples, Nantucket grade, which I think is the best grade but I don’t know how it compares to the red/blue grading system. Have you used Malbec shingles on a project? What do you think of the durability of the finish on the factory-stained singles? I posted a photo of the house when its brown shingles, I don’t find it appealing at all. Since we’re biting the bullet and putting in all Bea windows, I think it makes sense to put up all new shingles. I need to know how they’re going to wrap the house for moisture shedding. The devil is on the details, it seems to me.