The Shame...

I have an admission. I added a second story to my own home a little over 5 years ago. We ran out of Hardie trim and added Windsor One corner board to my chimney because it was easier to purchase on the fly. I noticed last week that is is already rotten. Yes, rot on my own 5 year old project...unacceptable!

I have steered my clients away from using wood of any kind on their exterior for years. On my own home, on the area mentioned above, I used Windsor One which comes primed and then we primed the end cuts. This is the best exterior wood trim on the market today, but it didn't matter. Wood these days comes from smaller and smaller trees thus softer and softer wood. hardie and other manufacturers produce cementitious products to replace wood siding, trim, soffit, and nearly every other necessary exterior product. What is not made in a cementitious product is made from PVC. Why are cementitious products better? They are made of cement and wood fiber, they don't rot, they don't burn, carpenter bees do not eat them. Because they do not expand and contract very much they hold paint for an average of 20 years. Expect to repaint wood at least every 5 years and probably 3. A well done exterior is the key to long term sustainability. Eliminate rot which eliminates mold which helps eliminates bad air inside your home.

Your architect will most likely whine about authenticity and the natural aging of your home. Ask them if they will mind chipping in on the maintenance.

I can show you many examples of sided homes that have no wood on their exterior that would surprise you. I only build incredible homes and this is a small example of how to keep them looking and behaving that way.