My dogs are PB Famous? I better get them agents and maybe they can make back some of the money they have cost me over the years...Ugh. There are 4 - Eskimo, Nala (red one), Shadow, and Mara. Thanks for asking. They are all anxiously awaiting a pond and tired of all of the planning.
We were told that the siding is maintenance-free for at least 12 years when stained by the factory. We used the same stain and put on two coats, so it should be the same. We were also told that it would not need to be pressure washed, just re-stained. We'll find out. The most attractive feature was that the flying squirrels and carpenter bees cannot chew through it. Hopefully the finish outlasts 12 years. The product itself could go fifty or more, although not necessarily guaranteed. Again, time will tell.
The facia and soffitt are the same material as the siding boards, just trimmed to fit. The vented soffitt is actually a Hardy product since the Certainteed vented soffitt was not available on the East Coast last year. We looked at both James Hardy and Certainteed and preferred the Certainteed finish.
The corners and window trim are a composite product that seems to be more fibrous than concrete. You are correct. They were trimmed out with these boards and then caulked. All nails are stainless steel. The caulking is a standard color purchased from a specialty building supply lumber yard. In fact it is a standard color. We looked at another home done with the same material and that person used a custom blended caulk. Ours actually matched OK. I am anxious to see how it lasts.
Here is a picture of the back where we used the same product but in cedar shakes. It is just another finish option.
The interior stone work is real. It was only patially finished when we bought the home, so we removed the existing stone and hired a stone mason to build it from the ground up. They were thrilled to have inside work and gave us a good break on the price. They used stone off the property which was great. We picked it and stacked it and they used it.
The exterior stone is faux. We couldn't be more disappointed in that project. That is an entire story, but suffice to say you should look at more than just one job that a prospective contractor has done. I learned a lot from this process.
The ceiling was stained, we put on the polyurethane. It is just t&g pine.
We (me, wife, family and friends) did everything except the interior stone and re-finishing of the wood floors. It was almost two years before we could move in, MUCH sweat, some blood, a couple of tears (not me of course).
As for the most recent outside work...we decided to use the pen and the bank for much of it. It was tough at first, but in retrospect it would have taken me too much time, been too stressful on us, etc. We were blessed to have two workers who were consistent, trustworthy, qualified, and concientious. They played with the dogs during days where we were gone. They were just great. I have learned that the cheapest is not always the best.
