Thanks for the input. We don't have a problem with Crane, we just don't know if it is shiny or not. Consumer Reports rated Certainteed and Crane pretty comparably but their ratings don't address that shiny issue we've see. We've now seen homes that use both products (Crane/Certainteed) and we're pretty confident we won't have the shiny issue we are talking about. We really know what we are trying to avoid now. There is a home in our neighborhood that has vinyl shake and when the sun hits it in the morning you can actually see a pattern of flat and shiny shakes. That pattern repeats across the whole front of the house so it must have been manufactured that way. We just need to knock on that house and ask them what brand siding they used.

I don't know who manufactured your fibercement siding, but it is definitely NOT installed according to The James Hardy rules/guidelines, and as such it would not be warranted by the manufacturer. 1) the siding has to be 2" above the shingle /roof line, to avoid being damaged as your is, by the splashing of water. 2) at the bay corner, the flashing allows the water to drip down the corner. I could have flashed this a bit differently to divert the water from the corner, but the real solution has to be a gutter or collector at that point. The detailing makes the difference. Fibercement products will not stand being constantly splashed or having water flow over like you have. Casey

I see. My skylights are not FCM series, but FS, if I remember correctly. Hence the frame sits very low above the roof, not more than 4 or 5 inches. Solution according to you would be to rebuild them with a bigger frame. I know there's ice and water membrane that was put according to Velux instructions around the flashing, but I'm not the one who did it. I was there when they installed it and it looked pretty fine, however (from where the water leaked) I suspect the water got directly through the frame, not between the frame and the shingles. I'll see if it's possible to change frames once it's installed or if it's going to be a pita... thank you.

In MN houses with vinyl siding near our lakes seem to fade so quickly. Quite the chalky outer layer in time. Not certain why, but the same sidings in town did not. Our vinyl siding cracked/crumbled after only 11 years on the house. We went with a blue LP Smartside with white trim for our lake home remodel. It should outlast our lives. It will survive hailstorms (vinyl didn't). Neighbors say it really blends in with the blue sky and the blue waters of the lake.