Hardi, Cedar or Vinyl?

Hi susan,
I know of a contractor his name is Dan he is very reasonable also he is very reliable give him a call and I’m sure he can help you out he can be reached at 718 485-1044 & he offers free estimates Good Luck.

I was under the impression that you can repair sections of flammable cladding with flammable, but once you moved to a non-combustible material like aluminum, you were no longer grandfathered in and could not go with a flammable material like cedar. I think vinyl is ok now since they started adding salts and it no longer burns once the source of flame is removed. I’m not positive about the code issue, so it may be a moot point, but probably worth finding out, I’m sure some of the posters on here can tell you.
I think Jock is referring to cedar shingle, which I am not a fan of on a row house, but you mention three sides so I’m assuming you are semi-detached? What does the house next door have? That would affect my decision as well.
All things being equal, I’m a big fan of Hardi-plank if it’s properly installed.
Since vinyl isn’t used the often in New York, it’s hard to find someone who really knows how to install it. It expands and contracts a lot and that has to be factored in. It can’t be nailed all the way down, the nail tabs are slots specifically to allow for movement. While installing vinyl siding isn’t really that complicated, it’s easy to screw up if you don’t know what you’re doing. Ask if they hand nail or use nail guns. Most siding contractors who do a lot of vinyl won’t use nail guns as it is too difficult to control the depth and you end up pining the siding down (it’s not a concern with Hardi or cedar, in face, anybody who installs Hardi-plank by hand nailing should have their head examined). I would make sure that any contractor I used for vinyl was able to give me the name and address of a past job and I would drive by on the hottest day of the hottest week that I could and see what was happening with the siding.
Cedar is expensive and a lot of places out there are selling inferior product. Make sure you are buying heart wood, preferably quarter sawn. The best quality is going to be clear, but you pay for that quality. The grading of cedar isn’t as regulated as hard woods, so if you go with anything other than clear, insist on seeing a sample before it’s installed. Also ask what lengths and find out if those lengths are natural, or factory jointed. Too many joints look terrible. Go with one of the more reputable lumber yards, don’t let the contractor supply it unless they are willing to supply you with an invoice specifying what they are using.
There is no extra wrapping specific to Hardi-plank. Anything that goes up should have house wrap under it. I would pay the extra for insulation, but be aware that the extra depth may cause problems with your window and door trim, especially if you install wood battens over the insulation to nail the siding too which is the preferred method in case a little moisture gets in back there.
Ask the contractor how they plan on dealing with end joints on the siding. They should tell you that they are going to put a small piece of flashing, or builder’s felt under the joints of either cedar or Hardi-plank. It’s not necessary for vinyl.
One of the signs of a good siding job is that the siding should be level with the bottom and tops of the windows and doors (on cedar or Hardi, it’s almost impossible to do on vinyl) so try to work that into the conversation and see if that is something that they do. Failing that, drive by a previous job and see if they did it. Structurally it doesn’t matter, but it makes for a sharper, cleaner look, and is an indication that the sider knows what he or she is doing. Include all these things into the contract. If the contractor is planning on doing them, they should have no objections to them being specified on paper.
Ultimately, there’s no clear cut right or wrong, as Jock points out, go with what you like.

I would go with what you like. Both will require maintanence. I am putting cedar on my house right now, if you go that route pay to have it hand dipped unless you just want to let it weather. You can also pay for a thicker shingle, which will last longer. You can order direct from the manuf. here: hobart@whitecedarshingles.com Note they do not do R&R, so if you want that you will need to find someone else.