Kansas City homeowners often ask whether engineered wood siding costs are really worth the additional expense. Whether you’re considering James Hardie siding, Diamond Kote, or another engineered siding, the answer to this question is: it depends.

In some cases, you have no choice. Many areas of Kansas City are now requiring James Hardie siding. And in the market we see with homes today, particularly after Covid, people are looking for upgraded homes. So you’re going to get a much better return on investment by upgrading the siding product.

Engineered Wood Siding Costs vs. Neighborhood

More and more neighborhoods are requiring James Hardie siding. If you go to Fayetteville, or Wichita, Arkansas, most new construction uses James Hardie.

You’ll see that now in Kansas City too, particularly with apartment complexes. They’re all upgrading the materials with James Hardie or an engineered wood product with stone accents. We can do that for your home too.

There’s about a 10% cost difference to upgrade to real wood. James Hardie has a 15-20-year warranty on the paint finish, and Diamond Koat has an even longer warranty—up to 50 years.

Even if you’re not in a neighborhood that requires an upgraded product, it may still be beneficial. How beneficial is based on your home and where it is trending.

Choosing upgraded siding is similar to buying a new car. You may not need a sunroof, leather seats, and the upgraded surround sound system, but when you go to sell that car, people will come to look at your car sooner and pay more because of those upgrades.

A house is similar, and it’s even more important when the neighbors are upgrading. If everyone in your neighborhood is changing from vinyl to engineered wood siding, you’ll need to “keep up with the Joneses” in order to maintain a competitive value on your property.

You don’t want to be the only home in a James Hardie neighborhood, or engineered wood neighborhood, with vinyl siding.

Other Engineered Siding

Wood siding has come a long way.

While James Hardie is the most popular, Diamond Kote is another example of an excellent product. It has thicker boards which gives you a deep ridge grain, higher contours, deeper reliefs, and a more beautiful finish.

Diamond Kote is actually made of thousands and thousands of wood strands bound together with adhesive. It integrates both a moisture and an insect barrier, and includes a wax-type finish on the back to repel water.

This product has a beautiful finish with plenty of colors. We’ve done gorgeous homes in lake areas uptown where you want that wood, or cabin, look.

Engineered Wood Siding Costs vs. Maintenance

Siding maintenance is practically moot with engineered wood siding. That drastically makes the product more cost effective. All siding products are virtually maintenance free. All you need to do is wash as needed. Just use a simple garden hose or a power washer.

The north side of your house might need to be washed more often. The added shade and moisture might cause it to get a little mildew. Just wash it with bleach and water or a commercial mix. All you do is spray on and wash off, same as you might do with a driveway or roof.

Siding does have caulking around windows, the trim, and edges. Do not neglect the caulk. It’s your friend.

You can spend $400-500 to have a professional come and check it all, re-caulk as needed, and it’ll give you extra years of life on the product. It is well worth it.

Contact our experts at Energy Pro for a free estimate on engineered wood siding costs for your home.