Thanks for the responses! Mightyanvil, I know what you're saying about asking our architect, and I will definitely do that, but I have to say that I've realized over the past 8 months working with him that he and I don't always have the same taste, especially on the details...maybe it's my east coast aesthetic vs. his west coast aesthetic. My "eye" still tells me that clapboard should be smooth like the New England farmhouses I remember growing up around, but maybe it's different for Prairie/Craftsman style? Also, he has not specified every single detail (such as colors). He's pretty much just spec'd materials and left individual color choices to us. Yes, I do have elevations, but since our architect is "old school" they are hand drawn and are not on my computer. Maybe I can reduce and scan them. I'll see about that. Ronnatilie, your house looks great. Thanks so much for the photo, which helps a lot!! Our house is similar in style with hip roofs and a mix of exterior siding. Our windows are white (we went with Andersen wood and vinyl clad so the exterior of the window, unfortunately, can't be painted), and I think this window color choice limits us in exterior siding colors. I don't care for the look of brownish earth tone colors in siding, up against a white window, so I'm thinking that we're going to stick to a dark charcoal grey on the stucco, some sort of lighter grey on the Hardiplank, and a stone with greys and other colors in it. I'd love to find a good photo of that combination or similar, but I'm having a hard time finding one. Thanks again for the help. Please keep it coming! Susan

Pre-painted Hardiplank was not recommended for us to use on our house because the paint can chip and dent (think hail storms) and the nail holes are a PITA to caulk and cover. I've seen pre-painted Hardiplank on homes and you can see every nail hole and seam from a distance (maybe it was installed incorrectly, I don't know), but it wasn't worth taking a chance to us. We actually went with pre-primed CertainTeed and are having it painted. That's my 2 cents!

Hello - we've just begun the process of purchasing a new home in a development which ONLY offers Hardie Board siding for their homes. We like the look of the siding and what we've been told so far regarding its longevity, however, upon further review (aka, internet research) it sounds like a good amount of folks are having trouble with their Hardie Board Color Plus siding (this is the pre-painted version). Can anybody here comment on how their siding has held up? Will we need to re-paint this siding in a handful of years? Any comments on your experience would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Pictures are always good.