We have built a small cabin on our land (16 X 32). We plan to expand it next year - it will eventually be a full house. We are moving in there in September and will be living there fulltime from then on. Question: What kind of siding should we put on the outside of it? This is all do-it-yourself. We have done all the work ourselves. I like the idea of slab-wood....I hate vinyl siding. Any suggestions??? Thanks in advance.

-- Bobbi (moonstruck@usadatanet.net), August 13, 2001

Answers

bobbi;

We are also "do it yourselvers' and the best siding is steel, including the roof. We have built numerous barns out of 2 1/2" corr. steel siding. We recently moved from W.V. to IN. and bought a used double wide which we moved to 8 acres. Our second choice would have been frame with steel siding including the roof. This stuff now comes with insulation already on it. It has no upkeep and will outlast all of us in comes in many colors that vinyl does not come in including barn red and dark brown. That's my two cents worth. Enjoy living beyond the sidewalks. Linda in Peaceful valley

-- Linda at peaceful valley (peacefulvalley3@yahoo.com), August 13, 2001.

I should have mentioned that the roof is steel. I love tin roofs. I want something wood or wood-like for the outside walls..... Thanks for the response though. Appreciate it. :-)

-- Bobbi (moonstruck@usadatanet.net), August 13, 2001.

Maybe you can learn to like it?? Vinyl is easy to install (so I'm told) and fairly inexpensive. The biggest reason is it's low maintenance. You'll have to continue to stain or paint exterior wood that will probably eventually rot anyway.

Aluminum siding on your "hate" list too? Don't know how easy/cheap it is but is an alternative.

If it's looks you want though, log or stained wood is the way to go in my book....awesome. Just need elbow grease every year.

-- Mike in W. PA (smfine@yahoo.com), August 13, 2001.

Perhaps I will have to consider vinyl, although I really don't like it. It's so.....suburban. LoL!!! Hubby and I are eccentric to say the least! So...maybe... Steel siding for walls? I hadn't even thought of that. Doesn't it look um...trailery? :-) After living in our travel trailer the first year on the land I don't think I ever want to see a trailer again as long as I live! heh

-- Bobbi (moonstruck@usadatanet.net), August 13, 2001.

In the old days you didn't discuss politics and religion because nearly everyone had such strong feelings about them. Getting acquainted with this site has made me realize, people pretty near have strong feelings about everything, including siding. So let take off my hat and jump into the foray. Hardiboard is a fiber cement building product that costs about the same as vinyl but appears to be much superior.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), August 13, 2001.

Living in the National Forest with all its fire hazard problems we can't do wood. We have found many poducts that mimic wood and I am not talking about the plastic siding either...that is NOT kind to the environment let alone my family should they try to get out of a burning building..the fumes would get them first.

Concrete mimics wood nicely and they sell concrete shingles in many wood type colors. Stone is nice and if you use a few timbers (railroad ties) around windows and corners looks awe some and blends well with the surroundings.

-- westbrook (westbrook_farms@yahoo.com), August 13, 2001.

Wood shingles? Or how about 1"-thick slabs of small logs, laid up like stone with mortar; it would look like a cordwood wall. From a distance, it looks like stone.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), August 13, 2001.

We have vinyl siding on our country home but it "looks" like wood. Has a wood grain finish. Ours is an oak look but the darker colors look better I think than ours, of course now that it is on the house, but it is different than the plain old colors of vinyl siding. I would have loved to have had a metal roof. Using a wood stove I think it would be safer but our roof was in great shape so we left that the way it was. Also, think about what I call "german siding". Wooden shingles really but made of cedar. Looks nice but you do have to maintain it. That is one of the reasons why we didn't go with the real wood log siding because of the maintance and the cost was a lot more also. Good luck on your decesion but think about how much maintance your need with any kind of siding. You sure don't want to move to the country and work all the time keeping the siding together. Good Luck !!

-- Helena Di Maio (windyacs@ptdprolog.net), August 13, 2001.

I agree with Paul. Hardi plank siding looks like wood but will not rot or get eaten by bugs. It goes up easy but a nail gun is a big help because it does not hand nail all that well. It cuts with carbide blade but is a little hard on them so get a few extra and you have to wear eye protection and a dust mask. You can put it up over the fraiming with out plywood sheating if you use a house wrap like tyvec. If you are dealing with inspectors I would check with them first. For a house I would probably use sheating but if on tight budget or out building I would go right over studs. I paint first coat before installing siding and second coat after installed but for one story building might be easier to paint after it is installed. It is a lot nicer then vinyl or aluminum.

-- ed (edfrhes@aol.com), August 13, 2001.

Link for Hardiplank: http://www.jameshardie.com/hardiplank.htm

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), August 13, 2001.

just checked inti it myself... check Georgia Pacific(check YAHOO search engine for site) web site and they'll tell you the nearest dealer. I was quoted $4.55 per plank (7.5" wide x 12' long) 16 pcs to a square. This is "Chemplank" not "Hardiplank"...same general thing. Hardiplank doesn't have dealers but will ship of course. Not worth it for me....only a 10'x12' shed.

-- Mike in W. PA (smfine@yahoo.com), August 13, 2001.

Bobbi, We built our house and had the same dilemma about siding. We had put board and batten vertical siding on the first cabin we built, but that seemed too daunting on a two-story house. We ended up with cedar shingles, but discovered you could buy undercourse shingles for a whole lot less that the top course shingles. Undercourse shingles have knots, and we discarded the worst ones or used them for the undercourse, but most of them were fine. We put the shingles on almost four years ago, and they've been fine. I guess most people think knots are ugly to look at, but I think they add character to the wood.

-- Katherine (KyKatherine@Yahoo.com), August 13, 2001.

Thanks everyone for your answers and suggestions!!!

-- Bobbi (moonstruck@usadatanet.net), August 13, 2001.

Haven't heard anyone suggest T-1-11 siding. It is very economical for wood and quick and easy to install. Also provides shear strength and can double as siding and sheathing.

-- Skip in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), August 13, 2001.

Bobbi, my husband saw a picture somewhere of some houses in Australia with metal siding--I think plain corrugated, as Linda suggests--and he says it looked so groovy (his word). In other words, not tacky at all. Another thought, and something we're planning to do when we build our cabin, is to have a wide wrap-around porch. Then we can side it with almost anything, because neither sun nor rain will touch the siding. We live where we want protection from the sun though, and of course if you live in the north you'd prolly not want so much roof coverage over your windows.

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), August 14, 2001.

Vinyl is notorious for deteriorating with exposure to UV - becoming brittle, breaking up. Some soon, some later, but none of the ones that claim UV-resistance are yet time-proven.

Aluminium siding dents. Kids, baseballs, baseball bats, stones, bored kids with hammers, hail, whatever.

Hardiplank or its equivalent doesn't have the above disadvantages, doesn't rot, isn't vulnerable to termites, and is much more soundproof - not bad.

Someone in another recent thread mentioned SIP - can't remenber exactly what it meant, and I'm running out of time. Something-or- other Insulated Panels, and the thread was (I think) titled something along the lines of "travel trailer". They were looking for a live-in- while-building answer. Sounded like something you could use now, and if desired put more decorative exterior panelling on later.

For a steel house in cold-climate Australia, see http://www.sturmsoft.com/House . Looks great. Still goes for timber floors - he is an organic farmer, played a part in establishing organic farming protocols in Australia; but still feels that the right long-term answer for his building needs, after analysis, is steel. A reasonable man.

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), August 14, 2001.

SIPs are Structural Insulated Panels, somewhat of an OSB sandwich with insulation in the middle. SIPs would be more appropriate for building the cabin than siding it.

Something not considered yet is a combination of materials. Perhaps wood (board and batten, T-1-11, whatever) for the top, stucco for the bottom. Wood over steel, stucco over brick... lots of combination.

cheers,

-- Max (Maxel@inwindsor.com), August 14, 2001.

I too hated vinyl sideing but found I hate painting and staining more .We went with double 4 which looks like the old clapboard .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), August 14, 2001.

We sided our house with slate, looks great lasts forever.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), August 15, 2001.

You could use ferro cement. Never tried but I will if I get the time. Nail 2 layers of chicken wire over the studs. Do this in a way that the holes do not line up. Trowl or spray a few layers of ferro cement over chicken wire. You could use expanded metal lath instead of chicken wire. I am no expert on this subject but this is how I understand it is done.

-- ed (edfrhes@aol.com), August 15, 2001.