How can the builder arbitarily change the siding on your home from cedar to Hardi? Chimney as well?

He's working for you ..you tell him what you want ! why has he changed it ?

I had a house with the nasty western cedar. Every two years you will be staining it. And in case of the tornado get prepared to be defrauded by an insurance company, when crooked Donan engineer will declare it is not a tornado that did the damage, rather preexistent paint failure. He will walk your house a year later and find some place where stain failed or scrape it himself. Than he will declare that see here is a pain failure - dirty adjuster will deny it.

I have cedar siding installed as a vented rain screen and stained. Looks like new after 5 years. I’m surprised how well it holds up. I guess it depends on the quality of the stain and the climate. Mine is a mix of dry and rain forest (Dallas 2019).

I have no great love of cedar. A couple miles from me is a small neighborhood of modern houses that're cedar-heavy -- not much different from the pix you showed -- and they're no longer attractive. Why? Because the cedar under porches /eaves is still lovely, whereas the parts that're exposed to the sun are badly faded. Not just one or two houses that haven't been "kept up" ... but all the houses.

Galore2112 says his/her cedar still looks new. Perhaps it's about the quality of the product that was used?

Regardless, if you asked for cedar /contracted for cedar ... I'd demand to know WHY a different product was used without YOU being involved in the decision. This is a huge difference in your exterior.

ummm...ok...

omo modetn houses can can look like a box wrapped in hardie. I'll try to show you one that drives me nuts around herE. a flip that needed work but was really ruined. Siding matters and yours screams for cedar. If you do hardie maybe board and batten or something. Also, what does your architect say? I found my architect really useful in dealing with these builder issues that would come up. The builder would tell me "no no everyone does 5 inch reveal hardie plank" and when I asked my architect why he specified 4 inch reveal I realized that I needed to stick to my guns.

also make sure the stone veneer isn't "wallpaper" -this refers to the way the rocks are laid, the broad flat sides facing out like wallpaper or a patio. It should look as though it were actually built out of stone, and that is not how you would stack stone for a structurally sound chimney.

Thanks for the help! I need to be more clear. This is a spec house that is in framing we are still in negotiations for. Somethings i am still able to change, others will require $$. It’s tough to know what exactly youre buying when there have been made changes to the design rendering. I’m sure the builder decided hardie Plank in effort to cut coasts and maintenance too. Cedar is more expensive material but cheaper to install. I’m just trying to figure out what it’ll look like!

So the builder owns the house (typical of a spec) and you are purchasing it turn key at the end. And here everyone is declaring "builder can't change a thing" (on a contract she doesn't yet have) and "he's working for you" so demand what you want. A little quick on the draw of pulling out these "oh so typical responses".

The reality is the builder can make any changes he/she wants to the house he/she owns while constructing it. OP is in the process of trying to decide what changes she wants the builder to make (as allowed by builder) and whether price makes sense for what she is getting. Simple really, no need to dramatize it into something it's not.

Back to your question......cedar has a lot of maintenance issues, hardie comes with pretty good warranty on their pre-painted colors. You have to determine the balance of costs vs. aesthetics for yourself. What's popular in your area may influence as well. Hardie, stone, or brick are the only products people want in my area. If you choose hardie, stick with "nature's colors" to be in harmony with the house style, IMO.

Desiree - If I understand you correctly, you do not have a signed contract on this home yet? If someone isn't familiar with the term, spec homes usually refer to a house (usually in a development) the builder is building without a buyer. Generally for purposes of showing off their style and craftsmanship in the beginning of a development, or to just finish up the building phase towards the end. Often the materials used are things he/she is hoping to get people to upgrade to or something they got a deal on and specs can be very "fluid".

We bought spec homes our first two times around but did not have any say in the design until we were under contract. Our builders were both pretty open to small design changes but you do kind of have to go with the flow. Find out before contract what things you will have control over (kitchen design within the framed space? light fixtures? etc). We were given allowances on some things, others were already purchased.

I love the look of your inspiration photo but have no idea how much of a pain it is to maintain cedar.

Hardie appears to have a few colors that might be close to your cedar tone. Be sure you see them on a whole house first as those mustard yellows can really be overwhelming on a large space.

This company also has "wood-look" siding. http://www.woodtone.com/products/RusticSeries

In the end, you need to decide if you are going to accept the builder's house as is or build your own. If you sense he is playing games with you, trying to get you excited about certain finishes and then pulling the rug out from under you in order to get you to commit or build an additional house, then be wary.

As the owner of a cedar sided home I would opt for pre-finished Hardie Plank. Stand firm on the mental chimney cladding, it's the most striking part of the home IMO.

The house is in framing now and we are negotiating a contract. This is a spec house although if we come to a deal then we will have some say In the design since it’s early in development. We have 30 days CODD and after that we lose our earnest money evn though the house won’t be finished for 3+ months.

If we didn’t buy it, he’d continue building to his specifications. Somethings the builder has already decided on and I have allowances for others. I am asking about the siding now because if it’s a sticking point I could ask for it now during negotiations and not later when I would have to pay (presumably) for the upgrade. I was just informed about this detail, the rendering show cedar. So I need to decide if it’s really the premium material here, or if I’d even want it and if I should make it a part of the contract. I love the way it looks but not crazy about maintenance.

Stick with the Hardi Siding. I think the metal around the chimney is worth the upgrade, so try getting that.

Our first house, luckily a bungalow, was clad in western red cedar planks, stained & sealed. We were surrounded by trees with only one end in a lot of direct sunlight, and the other end seeing pretty much no direct sun. The sunlit end tended to fade, the dark end basically grew a mold-like black coating. If we didn't scrub (or pressure-wash) and re-stain every few years, the house would eventually turn black on 3 sides, and light-tan on the 4th, and look like crap. The amount of labor to maintain was ... annoying. We decided we'd never have cedar again.

Next house came with Canexel, which is an engineered wood, prepainted. Zero maintenance in the 30'ish years the house stood. Sure, the color was a tad boring (beige), but it stood up to whatever nature threw at it with no significant fading. The downside to Canexel is it burns rather rapidly (as does cedar). Learned that the hard way. :-(

The rebuild is going to get Hardieplank. No question for us. Also zero maintenance, somewhat more fire-resistant, and comes pre-painted (though I believe you can choose to paint it yourself if you don't like the color options). But while you can get it with a bit of a wood-like look, it's still fairly obviously "engineered".

That Woodtone stuff mnmamax3 referenced looks mighty nice. Might be higher up-front cost, but long-term might be a good choice for you. Looking at the rendering you posted, re-staining cedar, on that front wall especially, will be a nightmare.

The metal is typically Corten steel which is rusted, or expected to rust and be left to rust. Its been very popular in mountain resorts and building. Cedar is $$. Is the proposed "stone" authentic or manufactured? Have they given you samples of all new exterior materials? Time to ask more questions. Windows? Doors? specs?

At first glance a stone chimney seems like an odd note on this house, I would push for the steel, I think long term you will be happy with the switch to Hardi siding...

We chose HardiePlank siding for our mountain vacation home. Some reasons for that choice: 1. Low maintenance. 2. cement fiber board fire resistance ( we are in a fire-prone tall pine forest ). 3. Woodpecker resistant ( they've pecked holes in some of the wood trim pieces.) Ours was not pre-painted so that we could opt for the color of our choice.

BTW, I much prefer the steel clad chimney over stone veneer.

Good luck with your project, and let us know what you decide.

Again, I think if you go with hardie you may want to go with something other than the clapboard, which when painted may look too traditional. definitely go for the slimmest reveal which I think is still 4" (looks like 4" is what is shown on the cedar in the rendering). Look in to Board and batten or maybe just vertical installation. Her is the godawful hardie job on the house near me. Can't find other pics but the place looks like a box.

Here are some siding ideas to consider . The painted ones really do have a boxy look that the cedar doesn't but I think the fake cedar hardie will be monochrome and so will have the same problem

Whatever you do, don't do white trim or windows:

I love the house! Regardless of the material used, I think the cedar as depicted has a unique look that may not be matched with the Hardie board. Have the builder show you EXACTLY what the other material will look like - ask him if he's used that on any other house. Depending on the color you go with on the Hardie board (or whatever), consider retaining the cedar (or perhaps Douglas fir) on the soffits.

We have a modern house in the mountains, with stucco and stained (bluish gray) wood siding, that has Doug fir soffits, and I think they're gorgeous. I love looking up at them from the inside of the house.

I agree with mnmamax3. I would opt for a cedar colored Hardie Board, like the Tuscan Gold. It will give you the same look with less maintenance, but I would push for the metal on the fireplace. I think that is stunning and will definitely set your house apart!

I have to say---hardie does not do wood look well. The fake grain is the worst. I would see a house done in this first hand before even considering it. A sample will not give you the real feel. Hardie in the flat (no fake grain-painted clapboard is always milled smooth so why is fake wood always imbued with grain??) is great for painted homes. Anyway, given your other post, you really have to wonder: why the bait and switch??

I really like what Grover did!!

Grover I like your rendering a lot as always BUT. The siding has lovely variation like gray stained siding would. painted hardie is VERY uniform

I know, greenfish. Mainly I know because I have Hardie on my own house. But I just used the cedar that was already there and recolored it rather than installing all new Hardie board. That's why it has variations, but I figured she could get the idea.

Thanks so much for the rendering, Grover! I am indeed interested in the steel chimney. The windows and steel roof are black so I think charcoal gray Hardie Plank will look great with black accents and rusted steel chimney.

One more comment about siding: I would not do vertical or board and batten. The house already has strong vertical elements with the windows and chimney, so I would opt for horizontal siding here.

Listen to Grover.

Ooh good point about the vertical!

@ Grover agreed

These 'changes' could be part of price negotiations by the builder. Like - if you accept my initial price the house will be built one way. If you push for a lower price I'll lessen some finishes. Ask back how much he's reducing his asking price based on the changes.

Well, I have to say we had fiber cement on our last house and it was junk. Had to be repainted after 10 years due to fading and cracked despite a perfect installation. Gnashed our teeth for months trying to decide on siding for this new house..looking at every single option. Finally decided on real cedar with solid stain. Couldn’t be happier..so far. Knock on wood.

One reason I'd select the Hardie -- woodpeckers. If the surroundings are at all like the image, there will be woodpeckers that will love to go after the cedar. Our last house had cedar. When we moved there were several holes in the siding from woodpeckers. The couple of small areas of Hardie we now have are untouched by the numerous woodpeckers in our area.

Although cedar looks nice, it can create a host of issues depending on the area. Lived in a cedar roof house where the cedar attracted flying squirrels, which can chew through anything and they did, landing themselves a home in our attic. Repaired their damage and replaced with asphalt shingle, and problem disappeared along with the cedar. I'd take woodpeckers over flying squirrels, but would rather have neither and accept a "cedar look".

Everyone is assuming the builder is changing things on specifications, which could be the case, but could also be the case of the OP reading into the renderings too much. Spec homes are generally not "one off" homes and the plans may be used again, tweaked, etc., by the builder and builder's architect. So, renderings are "artist design" only and not always representative of exact finishes. Rarely does a builder pay for renderings to represent every possible finish on a house and if he/she did, would have to increase house price to reflect "eye candy drawings".

The specs going in the house are determined more by what pencils out for that home site, location, build costs, demand, etc. Maybe 9/10 people looking at possibly buying this home want hardie and the builder knows that, hence cedar wasn't in the design specs to begin with or builder realized this and changed. Either way, when looking to purchase a spec home, go by the specifications, spec sheet, start pack, whatever the builder calls it, to determine what is going in the home (not a rendering). BTW, this also goes for the landscape in a rendering. Don't assume that 100 year old hardwoods will be brought in for your project just because they are shown in a rendering (it would be funny if wasn't so close to true).