A few green siding options

You're not quite ready to start from scratch and build a straw bale home, but you have been giving some serious thought to the exterior of your house. The paint is chipping, or worse, the wood is rotting.

The neighbors have been tsk-tsking for awhile now. It's time to invest some money and do something that is sustainable, environmentally-responsible and beautiful. So what are your green siding options? There are a number, each with their own unique set of pros and cons:

Let's start with the most popular exterior siding in North America: wood. Solid wood is problematic because it can require frequent maintenance and because the most durable solid wood siding products are made from old-growth trees like cedar. However, there are some ways to go with solid wood siding and still make a good green choice. Making sure to use FSC-certified or repurposed wood products is one way to ensure that your siding choice is sustainable.

Fiber-cement, like HardiePlank, is an interesting new option—a material that resembles wood, but that is made out of cement and wood fibers. It is both affordable and durable.

Metal siding (i.e., aluminum and steel siding) has a lot going for it. Although these materials can be high in embodied energy, they are also made largely of recycled products.

Engineered wood (such as hardboard and OSB). Be on the lookout for companies producing FSC-certified engineered wood—that's definitely the way to go. Also, be wary of off-gasing potential. Urea-formaldehyde resin is used in the manufacturing of some engineered woods and it has been classified as a possible carcinogen. Look for formaldehyde-free engineered wood or those employing phenol formaldehyde resin, which off-gases much less than urea formaldehyde resin.

For more great siding information, check out the handy advantages/disadvantage chart at the bottom of this page!

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