James Hardie Siding.....is it worth the expense?

Ive been dealing a lot with siding lately. It seems to me that an extraordinary amount of people have recently decided that the exteriors of their homes just don't look good anymore. Because of this I have been thrust into the ever confusing world of.......SIDING, and what product is best for my customers. There is no shortage of options. You have your vinyl siding, stucco siding, cedar shake siding, vinyl shake, clapboard, AND fiber cement (James Hardie). This begs me to ask the question: Which one is the best? In my opinion a nice cure all for the everymans siding woes would be some nice vinyl siding. However, if you want to take it to the next level, and ,make the best bet for your wallet, I have to rest my vote on James Hardie fiber cement siding.
Now I know what your thinking: "Gee Adam, that's a bold statement, why do you feel this way?"  Well, Ill tell you why.
First of all James Hardie was just voted for the 7th year in a row, the #1 return on investment for your home based on 2011 fiscal numbers. James Hardie # 1

Another factor that is extremely important to a homeowner is the durability of the product. Is it going to last? You dont want to spend your hard earned money installing something on your home only to have to replace it again only 10 years later.
 Hardie board is second to none in terms of durability and the scope of its warranty. Its 30 year warranty is an industry leader. It is impervious to both rot AND termites. And in terms of aesthetics it gives you that very elegant and classic natural wood look that is all the trend these days. But, as they say the proof is in the pudding......so please view the warranty and features for yourself: Hardie Features.

All of this info about return on investment, and product features is all well and good....BUT, how does it look?

Honestly, it looks great you have a great color pallet to choose from. Once you have chosen your color you can really turn your home into a beautiful work of art. The examples above show how easily you can get that classic look for the exterior of your home.

So you have chosen your product. How do you go about choosing the contractor to do this job for you? Well, first you find one that actually installs Hardie Board. Because this is a very difficult product to work with, not every company out there has the capabilities to install it.

First thing. Go ahead and check with the BBB, they can give you a good gauge as to whether a contractor is even worth calling.
Once you have narrowed it down to a list of contractors with nothing lower than an A+ rating you then begin calling to receive your "estimates"

Personally, I hate the word estimate, I think a customer should expect to get the correct price out of a contractor, not a "ballpark guess"

When meeting with contractors make sure the act in a professional manner, and ask you pertinent questions. Be clear about what you want, and dont let someone push you into something else before you have made an informed decision.

The professional contractor will do more listening then talking. He will bend over backwards to make sure that he delivers the product that you expect. Be sure to read customer testimonials to gauge how they treat customers during the post sale process.
Most importantly, make sure that the contractor is someone you feel comfortable working with. If you have a bad feeling about them, then it is probably the right feeling.


Well, I hope this helped. Untill next time.......


shameless plug: Schuster Construction LLC