Nick,

Eliminating option #4 is easy. I don?t like vinyl siding, it has all sorts of problems and doesn?t last. You can read more about my reasons for this on the SHRC?s Topic Page re. Exterior Siding. If you need more evidence, try to find some homes with 10+ year-old vinyl siding and look at the condition of the siding. With few exceptions you will find the 10+ year old siding to be in some stage of deterioration. Even more important is the fact that it is very difficult to repair such damage. With most other siding products it is possible to find matching material that can be used to repair defective pieces or modify the exterior and then repaint the siding. With vinyl siding, replacement pieces will often have a slightly different pattern and a different color. And, for all intents and purposes, you can?t paint vinyl siding.

Stucco is a fine product in certain locations. It works best in dry locations and where it is also protected by a roof-overhang. Stucco and EIFS siding systems have some major problems in wet locations, tight and well insulated wall structures and exposed locations.

If I can read between the lines, I would guess that the siding you are replacing was damaged by weather and that you have a relatively new home, i.e. an insulated side-wall structure. If that is the case I would skip stucco and EIFS.

Hardi and Weatherboard are different brands of cement fiber products. I like these products and have seen very few if any problems with such siding. These products also have the advantage of helping you match the new siding to the other walls. Even if the new siding has a narrower exposure, this type of lap siding has a similar pattern to most particleboard products and can then be painted the same color as the rest of the house.

So, I would go with options 2 or 3.

George