Fiber-cement siding seen as better house option

Bethe Rykaczewski of Franklin Park says she likes the heavy siding she and her husband, Dave, put on their house because it is going to need some work.

But not in the negative sense, she says.

"Vinyl siding people will tell you about how you never have to do anything with it," she says. "But that is what I like about this: You can change it."

She is talking about fiber-cement siding, a mix of sand, cement and cellulose that is used to create a heavy, wood-like siding made in panels and shingle pattens in soft colors. But those colors easily can be changed with primer and paint, different from many other sidings.

Fiber-cement siding is finding popularity with "educated" consumers -- not because of house-smarts, but because they do a great deal of research on the product.

Brian Murphy, owner of EZ Home Exteriors in North Versailles, does 95 percent of his work selling vinyl product, he says. But he finds customers looking into fiber-cement siding are "educated" because of the research they do.

That research can be a hassle, jokes Paul Valint, owner of Unique Building Solutions in Harrison City, Westmoreland County. He talks of dealing with would-be clients who spend months, sometimes years studying the product, even though they already have decided on it.

Jim Spade of Ross says he probably presented that image when he was researching fiber-cement siding for his house. One dealer was less than enthusiastic about dealing with him.

"I guess they get tired of people who think they know it all," he says. "I might think I do, but I know I don't."

Valint and Legacy Remodeling in Dormont are the only two certified Western Pennsylvania installers of fiber-cement paneling made by its largest manufacturer, James Hardie Building Products of California. That means any job they do is audited by Hardie inspectors, which then validates its 30-year warranty. Vinyl often comes with a 15-year warranty, but generally lasts longer.

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Fiber-cement siding seen as better house option