HardiPlank!

We drove over to the house on Sunday afternoon (Easter) and this is what we saw! The siding is fianally being attached to the house giving it a much-more-finished look. And we were also excited to see that the drywall and mudding is practically done inside the house. Wow.
M/I Homes went with a siding option in our neighborhood called HardiPlank. I've had a lot of people ask me exactly what that is, so I just looked it up. Just for the sake of a little education (it was interesting to me), I'll go ahead and add some of the description below about what this strange sounding HardiPlank really is!

This is the view of the back part of the house. I'm standing in the kitchen area and looking into the Great Room.

And here I am standing in the Great Room and looking back at the kitchen area. You can see where the pantry will be straight ahead. And the doorway to the left of the pantry leads into the dinning room.
The Bonus Room

And here's Gary checking out the HardiPlank siding =)

HardiPlank’s Composition

First, what is HardiPlank made of? HardiPlank falls in the fiber-cement siding class, which means that it is a combination of cellulose fibers, along with cement-like materials. In other words, it’s partly wood, partly cement. Break a piece of HardiPlank and inside you will see a brittle core interlaced with wood fibers.

HardiPlank: A Green Building Material?

In this day and age when everything is about green and sustainable, HardiPlank can make a strong argument for being such. The cellulose fibers that are used in HardiPlank do not come from endangered species of wood. The cement and sand used is certainly in great abundance. And no toxic materials (i.e., vinyl) are used in the production of HardiPlank.
Another oft-ignored aspect that makes HardiPlank a green building material is simply that it lasts so long.

Is HardiPlank Fire Resistant?

Yes, fire resistant, but not fireproof. But no siding is ever truly fireproof. Even brick, when used as a veneer siding, does not completely protect a house from fire. And while a true masonry-built building would be fireproof, we do not include this as solid brick walls are not type of siding.
HardiPlank does not contribute combustibles towards a fire. Vinyl siding, being a petroleum product, significantly feeds the flames. Wood, obviously, is a highly combustible product. So, the best way to look HardiPlank is as a type of neutral building material, as far as fire resistance goes.

HardiPlank Looks Much Like Wood

The main reason why many homeowners do choose HardiPlank vs. vinyl siding is because it looks very much like wood. No, it’s not a dead-ringer for wood. Also, unlike vinyl siding, HardiPlank can easily be painted. You can either go with the neutral color that HardiPlank comes with, or you can paint it. And there is nothing strange or unusual about painting HardiPlank. It is just the ordinary type of DIY painting you might do during the summer or by hiring a paint contractor.

So friends...there you have it. Just in case you were curious!