Builders consider vinyl, but ultimately upgrade

Builders in Cherry Hill Village, Canton Township, Michigan, were prepared to use vinyl siding throughout most of their 350-acre traditional neighborhood development. Architectural codes were drafted by designer Looney Ricks Kiss governing the use of vinyl. Instead, the three productions builders jointly chose to use fiber-cement siding instead. Interestingly, the key to upgrading the siding was the choice of windows, says Lorne Zalesin, vice president of Biltmore Properties, the developer and one of the three builders. The builders were originally intending to use wooden windows. “We found a vinyl window with a larger profile of the interior and exterior muntin pattern,” he explains. These windows matched the vernacular style while cutting costs by 25 percent. “By bringing down the cost of the windows we could spend more on exterior,” Zalesin says. “Instead of using vinyl, we thought we would get more of the look that we were wanted with HardiPlank.” A primary factor in the decision is that with cement-fiber siding, “we can paint the houses any color [the homebuyers] want.” Another factor is that Biltmore and the other two builders — Curtis Building Co. and Ivanhoe-Huntley — are looking to sell homes in a wide price range ($130,000 to $450,000). “Vinyl will sell at $250,000, but not $450,000,” says Zalesin. Moreover, a primary product will be courtyard cottage homes. “The courtyard will be like an outdoor living room,” Zalesin says, adding that the enclosed space will have a better feel without vinyl siding. Zalesin estimates that HardiPlank will add 10 percent to the siding costs over the relatively high-grade vinyl they were considering using.