I don't know anything about this firm, although they look like they have a helpful and informative web site. I am curious about one thing: Are you talking about installing the cedar inside or outside? The reason I ask is that, although cedar is a good building material, it's not what it used to be in terms of weather resistance. That's because most of the stuff currently available is second-growth wood which is softer and somewhat less rot-resistant than what was commonly sold 40 years ago. The appearance is still fine, but you might want to ask them about where they get their cedar. I live in the Pacific NW (rain country) and have used a lot of cedar for my home projects (siding, shakes, fence); in my recent experience, the cedar brought in from Canada tends to be higher quality than from U.S. sources. I'm not trying to discourage you from using cedar, as even second growth cedar has good qualities. I'm just trying to provide a little info. Good luck.

"We would like to cover the cedar with drywall. Can we just secure the drywall by screwing directly through the cedar into the joists? Is 1/2" drywall ok?" I'm not sure why no one responded to your post, but I could not comment on the above without further knowledge of snowloads etc. on what sounds like minimal rafters. If loads were not an issue, DW could be installed on sleepers intermediate to the rafters as a way to minimise nail pops from wood movement. Response to your second question is biased. I'm against any lighting or plumbing that involves violating the building envelope/ conditioned space.

Hi Tim, Thanks for the reply and the great insight! Just to clarify, I've already got the product sourced, no issue there. My only concern is whether there will be issues installing a decking/siding product like this, as a hardwood floor. In South Florida, due to the humidity, I don't want to take chances and install something like this without thinking of potential pitfalls. Both Garapa and Cumaru are technically "hard" enough, so that wouldn't be an issue, I'm thinking more about warpage, the expansion coefficient, etc. Can you think of any issues that might arise as a result of using a installing solid T&G Garapa or Cumaru which is intended to be siding/decking, as an interior floor? .. Finish -- Thank you for your suggestion on "Bona Naturale", I've used it once in the past and I agree it would probably be a good fit for this application where the natural, matte finish is desired. .. Although I have the wood sourced already -- If you would still like to take a look at the commercial install I mentioned, you can see it just down the street from your shop. It's located in Cityplace. I'm including a street-view image of the store here (I've left the store name out because they've told me it's a proprietary floor they don't want to disclose): https://goo.gl/maps/FR7X5 Once you see it in-person, you'd probably agree this is a T&G siding profile (a Beveled Tongue-&-Groove with 1/8" reveal). And with the reveal, I definitely don't think it's a mass-produced flooring. If you're not familiar with this siding profile, I've drawn a profile for you: This is a fairly common siding profile with tropical hardwoods. AdvantageLumber that you mentioned (I've also purchased from them) offers a similar profile. I'm attaching a close-up of the floor that better illustrates the tongue-and-groove: Thank you for your insight! RKM

What you're calling a "waist" is called a pent roof. It might look a little better if it had more pitch and was more prominent. If you're going to replace the wood shakes, I'd suggest you ditch the shutters, install wide PVC trim and a PVC band with watertable at the 1st floor. I like cedar shakes to be able to "breathe" on the back side. In our mixed-humid climate, I find installing an air space behind wood shakes and shingles extends the life expectancy. I suggest you speak with your remodeler about installing Benjamin Obdyke's cedar breather or a similar product and using thicker trim as needed.