The V Foundation Charity Home: Siding

Photography by Ray Strawbridge

Strength, durability and maintenance-free are plenty of reasons to purchase James Hardie siding, but the fiber cement planks that come in a variety of textures and colors are also quite beautiful. James Hardie siding was a natural choice when it came to cladding this year's V Foundation home in the Peninsula at Amberly subdivision in Cary.

The 4,620-square-foot, five-bedroom/five-bath house built by 1st American Builders is one of several homes in the upscale community to pair the product line with homes priced from the $400s to $800s. The home at 612 Albion Place, built at cost with material and in-kind donations is listed at $568,126, according to Jim Swingle, spokesman for 1st American Builders. He estimates the sale of the home will net more than $350,000 for the cancer research foundation.

The siding donated for the house appears to be wood plank, but is actually a long-lasting composite material made of sand, cement and cellulose fibers. It is infused with the company's patented ColorPlus Technology, a multi-coat, baked-on color application that comes with a 15-year guarantee against peeling, cracking and chipping.

The color palette features a variety of siding and trim combinations, and these elements can also be painted. The V Foundation home was clad in gray siding and topcoated with Connected Gray, a Sherwin-Williams paint, to complement the color scheme of the contemporary home with Craftsman details.

The siding, itself, carries up to a 50-year limited product warranty and resists fire damage, hail, termites and more. The variety of choices also allow a builder to tailor the product to a specific look by choosing from a variety of textures including stucco, smooth finish or the wood grain chosen for the V Foundation home.

Mike Kanaby, spokesman for James Hardie, said the company was contacted by 1st American Builders about participating in this year's charity event. “We thought it sounded like a worthwhile endeavor and were happy to help out.”

A publicly-owned company, James Hardie Industries Ltd., was founded in 1888 by Scotsman James Hardie who had immigrated to Melbourne, Australia. In the mid 1980s, the company pioneered the development of fiber-cement technology and quickly became a pace setter for the industry.

The company has grown to become a truly global operation with manufacturing operations in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. The business employs more than 2,500 people who generate revenue of more than $1.5 billion a year.

The product line now includes patented products such as HardiePlank, HardiePanel, HardieSoffit and HardieTrim, all of which can be installed to withstand hurricane force gusts up to 150 mph. Those products and HardieBacker are also rated Class V flood resistant materials by FEMA and NFIP.