Hi Guys, I'd recommend Sikkens hands-down! Particularly the newer "Log & Siding" product. If applied on nice, clean, & dry Cedar, it looks gorgeous. * It's a "sheen-building" coating...dries to a Satin finish...and the colors are beautiful. * TWO COATS, 24 hrs. apart required. * A neighbor down the street from us had their painter use the Sikkens Log & Siding, #078 Natural color. It looks stunning in my opinion! Cedar-shake siding...of varying darkness of course. * It's ~ a $400k house on a man-made lake. Rectangular stone on the bottom 1/3, and Cedar shakes on the upper. * They went through 3 5-gal. pails for the home...$360 per 5-gal. Usually ~ $74/gal. * I'm "pretty sure" they backprimed with a sealer, & the 2 coats of L & S on the outer. * We ordered about $3500 worth of various Sikkens products for one home last yr. in MN lakes country....uffda! * IF in full sun on the S & W sides, a light cleaning, possible spot-sanding, & a light "maintenance coat" are needed every 3 or 4 years. N & E sides can usually go 4 to 5 yrs. between maintenance procedures. * The whole point is to STAY AHEAD of harsh sun & weather degradation of a clearer finish. * Check out www.nam.sikkens.com * Bottom line, if prepped/maintained right, you won't go wrong with Sikkens. It's the "C2" of deck & siding treatments! Regards, Faron

Thank you all for the excellent feedback regarding the siding.. I am definitely going to replace all the landscaping.. Do you have any suggestions for what it should replace it.. Perhaps visuals.. I've tried finding free software that I can upload my picture and play with different ideas but so far no luck

Remember that once it’s painted or stained, there’s no going back. Your house is beautiful and unique. As for making it “more modern,” it’s plenty modern as is! Was it designed by an architect? If I were you, I’d find out the history of the house just in case it was designed by someone notable in your area. If so, you would devalue it by making such a significant alteration to the architect’s design and vision. I am always of the opinion that if something is real, quality wood (as opposed to something like replaceable veneered plywood), then it’s worth letting the wood be wood. Refinishing it, rather than painting it, would bring out the beauty of the cedar. There are good products available nowadays for refinishing exterior wood. If the white is cement (and not stucco) then you would be painting a surface that is rarely seen in houses (white cement – which adds to the modern character of the house). The white contrasting with the wood emphasizes the angular design. Painting the cement gray will just make it plain old gray cement. I could go on and on, but I think you get my point. You have a unique house, with an interesting and attractive design – if you refinish the wood in its natural state, it will be even more stunning.

Thank you so much for your advice! The shed siding is new, sort of. We used transparent natural cedar stain on pallet wood. Will be cleaning the cedar siding on house soon., but thinking it probably won’t brighten up as much as the shed wood. Would you put the horizontal metal in line with the windows, or shorter pieces?