Siding your house isn’t just about good looks. You can add R-value and include recycled content.
Siding choices abound for today’s homes. Aesthetics are important when choosing one option over another, and when you take the environment into account, some choices just look a whole lot better than others. According to research from the Freedonia Group
www.freedoniagroup.com, fiber cement, stucco, and brick siding will see rapid advances through 2014. Vinyl siding will remain the largest segment. The bad news there is that vinyl, made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), doesn’t degrade in landfills and when it is manufactured, PVC produces by-products including dioxin. Companies are starting to recycle vinyl and offer insulated versions, like Certainteed (below), but until its toxicity is addressed, opt for one of the following green choices:
BRICK A LEADER
Made of clay and shale, brick is very durable. It is a solid barrier against weather, and the installation of brick creates a 1” air space between the brick and the interior house wrap. This provides insulation against temperature transfer and the transfer of sound, and it also prevents moisture from seeping into the home. Because of its thickness, brick provides thermal mass, which means it is slow to heat in the summer and cool in the winter, which helps regulate a home’s temperature.
Strides made by manufacturers, such as Boral Bricks, is making manufacturing more green. The company recycles waste and uses air scrubbers to make sure emissions from plants are clean and particulate free. Another plus is that when a building is knocked down, the brick can be reused or repurposed into substrate or walkways.
VIRTUES
> Recyclable
> Durable
> Can be recycled or repurposed
> Resists termites, fire, mold, and rot
> Made from abundant natural materials
> Low maintenance
CAVEATS
> Resources must be mined
> Not all brick manufacturers have taken steps to reduce emissions from their manufacturing plants
> Expensive
> Heavy weight
> Can change color over time
WOOD GREEN TO THE CORE
Wood siding is an excellent green choice (not to mention beautiful). Although people think of wood as a valuable natural resource we shouldn’t use, it is a renewable product that can be recycled, and if it goes into the waste stream, biodegrades quickly. If you use wood siding, look for certification by either the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) or the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Wood products don’t require a lot of energy to produce, versus say brick or fiber cement siding. In fact, although wood makes up nearly half of all raw materials manufactured in the United States, its share of energy consumption is a small 4%. In addition to new wood siding, you can buy reclaimed wood, though more people opt for pre-primed wood or natural wood, like cedar.
NICHIHA SIERRA PREMIUM SHAKE PLUS
Featuring the beautiful timeless appeal of cedar shakes, these fiber cement boards feature a deep cedar grain that gives the appearance of rough sawn individual shake panels (minus the cost or maintenance). The shake boards are available primed, in eight factory-stained colors, or pre-painted.
www.nichiha.com
CERTAINTEED PVC CEDARBOARDS
If you must use vinyl, spec Certainteed’s Cedar Impressions Siding, Vinyl Siding, and Restoration Millwork. The low- maintenance (no painting or caulking), CedarBoards D6 PVC product contains 60% post-consumer and post-industrial recycled material.
www.certainteed.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78