Actually I have seriously considered building a home of light clay and may do so someday. Ideally we should not be building with materials that will not, when we are done with them, be able to return to components that existed in the environment before we intervened. Stone, wood, metal, even ceramic or concrete can eventually break down to ancestor substances. Many plastics will not. The ones I personally object to most vigorously are the vinyls and the styrofoam-related ones. On the other hand, plastics can do wonderful things that other materials simply cannot match. My personal code is that they should be used only when they are the best material, and not when they are merely the cheapest. But I do not make decisions for others, or even want to. You will note that I said what I would do, not what Larimie should do. (In fact, it is just now that I am noticing what an old thread this is. By now the decision has long since been made.) As always, each person must make his or her own decision. It is a wide world, and there is room for difference of opinion. Rosefolly

Read through the string of emails and found them very interesting...some facts and some experiences; I own a factory finish company (www.aciprefinish.com) I also field painted for 20 years prior to factory finishing. James Hardie sure did put fiber cement on the 'map' and they really helped my business by promoting factory finished siding (They call Color plus); and the fact is there is no way when I painted in the field I could equal or even come close to the quality, uniformity and 'total' board paint coverage a factory can provide. I certainly would not get caught up on the drying process; ACI has done both and a 'baked' on finish is simply for the manufacture to dry quicker, pack quicker and sell you quicker...the saying '... I don't get paid to watch paint dry' is very true. Air dry is the best, just takes longer; air dry allows the paint to penetrate the surface much better providing a deeper first coat base. Color plus is also sprayed on...ok but not the best; flood coat brushes the coating into the pores and specific to our process we have 6 brushes moving and pushing paint into the siding pores; in addition we 'wrap' around the back side edge of the board this further insures back side pressure from your home does not 'push' or 'pop' the coating, just more quality at no extra charge that most will never see or know about. Color should never be an issue though unfortunately a National company can not have every color in stock... locals like ACI can...over 1001 colors. If you are looking for fiber cement there are 4 brands to choose from; again Hardie is very well marketed though we found quality improvements in other brands, lower costs and better warranties. Really splitting hairs if 'we' beat on any one brand...they all have issues and benefits; I recommend looking closely at the texture grain, choose one and then do your research on warranty, price etc. Lastly, someone mentioned installers liking or not liking the installation process of factory finished - red flag if they don't like; our coatings are hard, our touch up comes from the exact batch we painted all your siding with...move on to the next contractor; at the end of day your getting the best coating process when factory finished. This should cost you less and your the one that will be living in your home and YOU should enjoy a long term coating with out having any maintenance concerns for 25 years (with ACI)less with the nationals. Good luck...believe in the process! Tim C President. Here is a link that might be useful: Architectural Coatings Inc.

I think the only negative review I read regarding Cedar Valley (CV) or Shakertown was from someone who didn't like the idea of plywood behind the cedar. CV has a fiberglass laminate built in, and the product seems pretty solid to me with added moisture protection. I think the price is almost $100 more per square than Ecoshel, though. My concern is when different materials are married at the factory. I feel the same for plumbing and windows. Different materials expand and contract differently, respond to water differently, etc. Thankfully CV is only mixing plywood with cedar, and a fiberglass laminate. The fiberglass must be their moisture barrier, but my concern is getting moisture out from between the two products. I'll look into how they weep moisture. Question: being that CV is thicker than traditional cedar shingles, did that cause any problems around window/door trim? In regards to cedar impressions: Don't be fooled by the photos, I drove by a lot and even knocked on some doors. I could tell from the car which houses were vinyl shingles. Customers said it was the best thing they did, no maintenance, 10 years old, still looks new, etc. But like you found out, after pricing, it ended up costing just as much as the real thing. I think you need to love the idea of less maintenance more than your love for the real thing. Or go with fiber cement and ignore any negative reviews. We have family in Nantucket and when I asked them what the life span of cedar was for them, they said at least 20 years. And that's with brutal salt air and no stains or paints (not allowed on the island). So with stain I could see maybe 30 years or more? I'm OK with that kind of ROI. I'm also in the home renovation business, so working on my house is a pleasure. I don't care so much for "maintenance free" (maybe I'll feel differently in 30 years), but I love the detail and warmth of real cedar, I'm familiar with it, it's forgiving, and natural, so won't sit in a land fill for 100 years. They say vinyl is recyclable, but I've never seen anyone recycle it. Let me know how your installation goes, it's cold up here, so siding will have to wait until spring. Blessings.

ascorsonelli: Love your house! Did you find that imperfections in paint were more easily visible with the smooth Hardie? I am building a house that is traditional in style, but I like the smooth finish. Trying to decide which to use, and my husband thinks the one advantage to wood-grain is that paint drips will be more easily disguised. Do you still love your smooth finish? Thanks!