hardiplank -- is it worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like bricks and stone. But if I ever have to deviate from these two materials, I'll choose hardiplank. I can't stand vinyl, esp the noise it makes in big wind.

What noise? I haven't heard a thing

[Anonymous]

Brick front with vinyl side is sooo tacky. It looks so cheap. The only place I have ever seen this is in noVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brick front with vinyl side is sooo tacky. It looks so cheap. The only place I have ever seen this is in noVA.

You don't get out much, do you?

[Anonymous]

Vinyl looks cheap because it is. Love the look of brick or stone with hardiplank. When we build a second floor, we plan to use hardiplank.

[Anonymous]

maintenance wise hardi requires painting and caulking. Vinyl is maintenance free. Hardi does look better but I have a feeling in a decade or see hardiplank will be out since builders are over using it right now and people will get sick of the maintenance. I would prefer all stone or brick at least on the front although all sides is better.

[Anonymous]

I don't like vinyl because i see houses with greenish mold (?) that forms on it. Does that happen with hardiplank?

So having cedar siding is totally ridiculous?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brick front with vinyl side is sooo tacky. It looks so cheap. The only place I have ever seen this is in noVA.

Its in Maryland and dc too! And i agree very tacky. Like no one is going to look at your house from any angle other than straight in front of it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't like vinyl because i see houses with greenish mold (?) that forms on it. Does that happen with hardiplank?

So having cedar siding is totally ridiculous?

We are using cedar on our addition - to match the existing cedar. It wasn't as expensive as I was expecting. Of course it has more maintenance but we are already doing that with our house anyway.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the replies. I guess it will ultimately come down to cost. I prefer the look of hardiplank, but 3x the cost of vinyl is a big deal.

If we do go with vinyl, are there are brands/types that look better than others? The builder suggested beaded vinyl siding and said that it looks a lot like hardiplank, but I'm not really sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the replies. I guess it will ultimately come down to cost. I prefer the look of hardiplank, but 3x the cost of vinyl is a big deal.

If we do go with vinyl, are there are brands/types that look better than others? The builder suggested beaded vinyl siding and said that it looks a lot like hardiplank, but I'm not really sure.

You probably need to ask yourself why you are thinking about hardiplank. Because you think it is really better and will give you the most for the money (like, is it worth it?)? Or because it is the "thing" to do right now and what might people think if you get vinyl? If it is even a little bit of the second, go with vinyl. Nobody actually cares what you are putting up on your house and nobody is going to drive up, look at your great new addition and how great your house looks and think, "Oh, but they have vinyl siding." Hardi is going to go out of fashion in a couple of years due to maintenance and cost. There is a reason vinyl has been around and is so often used in new construction...and it is not just about pure cost. Bang for the buck, as they say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the replies. I guess it will ultimately come down to cost. I prefer the look of hardiplank, but 3x the cost of vinyl is a big deal.

If we do go with vinyl, are there are brands/types that look better than others? The builder suggested beaded vinyl siding and said that it looks a lot like hardiplank, but I'm not really sure.

You probably need to ask yourself why you are thinking about hardiplank. Because you think it is really better and will give you the most for the money (like, is it worth it?)? Or because it is the "thing" to do right now and what might people think if you get vinyl? If it is even a little bit of the second, go with vinyl. Nobody actually cares what you are putting up on your house and nobody is going to drive up, look at your great new addition and how great your house looks and think, "Oh, but they have vinyl siding." Hardi is going to go out of fashion in a couple of years due to maintenance and cost. There is a reason vinyl has been around and is so often used in new construction...and it is not just about pure cost. Bang for the buck, as they say.

OP here. I just like the way hardiplank looks. To me, it looks like wood clapboard, not siding. I'm from New England, so my mental images are wood clapboard or really bad 1970s vinyl siding since that's what I saw growing up. I need to get out and look at some more houses and see the products in person because for me it is purely asthetics. I had just assumed we would go with hardiplank until I found out how much more it costs. I also have a call into my realtor to see if it will matter down the road for resale. I suspect not, but I always like to temper my personal choices a bit with wider appeal in the event that we have to move down the road. Thanks again for your help.

[Anonymous]

We're about to renovate and are going with hardiplank.

[Anonymous]

My home is all-brick (masonry, not veneer). I won't even remotely consider vinyl for our addition. Vinyl screams cheap. If I saw a house with a vinyl addition, I'd wonder about where else the homeowner installed cheap materials. Fiber/OSB over plywoood? Old cast iron / steel pipes instead of pvc?

[Anonymous]

Hardiplank is a trick, it allows the builder to reduce costs from brick and gives you instant gratification of an organic look. Nevermind the maintenance in about 7 to 10 years.

[Anonymous]

I just bought a home in N ARL for a mid-range (for the neighborhood) price. All reno-ed and looks great. Vinyl where there is not brick front. It is a split level home and it is really gorgeous. I would not have walked away from it if it was hardi, but I like knowing I do not have to do anything to it while we live here (15-20 years?).