Persnicketydesign,
We are also looking at macadamia. I was so worrid I'd never find anything other than wood that I like that when the sample arroived I was so relieved. But one of the builders who has bid on the house priced the Nichiha and it was way more than Hardi. Did you price it both ways?

The other thing I'm trying to find out is why the macadamia has the depth of color it does and how we could replicate that on lap siding. That's what I hate about fiber cement siding; it looks fake trying to be real. If anyone has any insight on that count...

Thanks!

Jodie...We still LOVE our Nichiha!!! We painted the "stucco" foundation and it has really made the siding take on a whole new appearance (in a really good way). The macadamia picks up the darker color that we chose to go with. Funny thing is that no matter what color paint sample we put next to it, it picked up on those specific colors. Wonderful stuff. :o) I have to run out to the house in a little bit and will take a new pick so that you can see what a difference it made.

I've heard others say that it was actually less expensive than the Hardie version, but to be honest we didn't like the look of the Hardie and didn't even bother pricing it. Our Nichiha pre-stained was $265 per square and the primed is selling for $190 here.

That is very helpful--thanks!
I gathered lichens and wood and leaves from the woods this winter to help choose colors for the house. I put them in a shallow dish which is sitting on the macadamia sample as a centerpiece on our kitchen table. The macadamia fits right in and yes, everything goes with it.
Yes, PLEASE send the pic!
BTW everyone, as of a few weeks ago there are finally pictures on the Nichiha site of houses in this color. Judging from the sample and the pics it is chameleon like and doesn't necessarily photograph true.

Here is a pic that shows the siding and parging together. In the second photo the area right underneath the door wasn't painted, so you can really tell a big difference in the way that the macadamia pics up the different colors.

This looks awesome. This is the first I have heard of fiber cement exterior. Can anyone enlighten me on how it compares to other exteriors out there cost wise?
Thanks,

Whoa! The prices you all are quoted/paying are much lower than the one I got.
The quote we got from the local building supply said we need 56 squares, Nichiha is $400 per square so $22,400.
Certainteed is $3850 primed. I just called our builder and he said about $6500 of the painting budget is allocated for the siding. So that brings the apples to apples figures to $22,500 Nichiha Sierra versus $10,450 Certainteed primed. I'm going to call Nichiha and find another source. That's so much for giving me some perspective.

Holy cow, Jodie! What part of the country are you in? We live in Georgia and are only a couple of hours from Nichiha's headquarters. I know that it's probably much less in this area due to the close proximity of the plant, but I can't imagine the price difference being that huge. OUCH!!! Please call Nichiha and have them put you in touch with their regional rep for your area. Everyone that we have spoken to at the company has been exceptionally helpful. :o)

Another thing to try...We bought ours through Lansing Building Supply. They really went out of their way to beat the competitor's prices. I think they are a national company, so it might be worthwhile to get in touch with them and see what they can do for you.

We're even closer than you are persnickitydesign--Jasper which is a little over an hour from Norcross where Nichiha is located.
I did contact another supplier Susan at Nichiha recommended and he quoted $17.35 per board which with an average of 18 pces per square comes to $310 a square. Much better than the $400 Midway quoted! The price you got is even better though. I'll contact Lansing.
BTW, thanks SO MUCH for the photos. The macadamia is lighter on the house and less green--tanner--than the sample looks.

That's much better! We asked them beat the lowest competitor's prices. They were happy to get the business and we were happy to get such a good deal. :o)

We just got quoted just under 2.00$ a square foot. Not sure what that means. We are in Oklahoma, and there are no jobs that I can go look at to see this stuff. I got samples from the factory, but I would like to see the color in person even if I had to drive a few hours to see it.

Gorgeous!!! I love the depth & texture. We are putting up Hardi. Based on your research, I'm guessing we won't be able to get the same look as you have. Yours looks beautiful. Exciting!

We are thinking of using the Macadamia Shake with a metal roof in a bronze color. Do you think the metal roof and the bronze color will look good together with the Macadamia color? I'm having trouble visualizing how it would look.

It's a beautiful house but I feel I should once again warn everyone about the use of "picture frame" trim below the window sills even though it is too late to do much about it.

A properly detailed window sill should extend over the siding and form a drip. Modern clad windows often omit this detail in order to make it easier to fabricate and ship their windows. That means it is necessary to add a "sub sill" below the window to form this drip feature.

When a flat trim board is installed below the window, water that runs over the sill will attempt to enter the cladding at the caulked joint. When this joint eventually fails (if it was caulked properly in the first place) water will be drawn into the wall system by capillary action.

The only way to avoid the problem without adding a sub sill is to bring the bottom of the sill flashing out between the first and second courses of shingles so only one course is exposed to potential water damage.

My first experience with this problem was 30 years ago at the large Spinnaker Island condominium development in Hull, MA. Andersen, the architect, and the builder kept blaming the water leaks below the window sills on each other. Removal of the trim and siding proved that the sealant joint between the sill and the picture frame trim had been installed tight without a foam backer rod and had begun to fail within weeks of installation.

I would not rely even on properly installed sealant to waterproof any horizontal joint. It should be considered nothing more than a cosmetic joint filler.

We finally got our sample of the Macadamia and we love it!
Persnickety, do you mind sharing what color roof you have? We have chosen 'Oakwood', a dark brown. Our house will be a mixture of lap and the Nichiha as accents, we need to choose a complementary paint color for the Macadamia and like you said it really seems to work with a range of colors.

Your home is beautiful, we were going to go with the pre-primed Nichiha but also really liked the Macadamia from the website pics. We had a hard time getting a sample but your home convinced us to press on, Thanks so much for sharing! Hoping to see more pictures soon!

SJ153...I originally wanted a metal roof, but it just wasn't in our budget. I think the Macadamia & bronze roof would look fabulous together.

MA...we'll definitely keep a really close on those areas. Thanks for the heads-up.

Hooray, luckymom! I can't wait to see your pictures. :o) We used GAF/Elk Timberline Prestique High Definition shingles in Weathered Wood.

Thanks persnickety! We had 'weathered wood' on our last house and almost went with it again but decided to go a little darker, I hope we like the oakwood as well. They just started roofing today so we can get an idea of how the roofing looks with the Macadamia, you know I'll have DH up there holding a sample tomorrow! ;)

Can someone tell me what a square is? We were quoted a price per square foot.
One place said 3.75$ and another said 1.90$.
Can someone clear up the confusion?
Gayle

A square is 100 square feet. HTH

Mighty.... Could you please post a pic of a properly done window? Thanks!

hi persnickety,

i like the scale of the shingles on your house. did you use the individual shingles or the sierra boards? it seems to me the sierra premium siding presents a much larger looking shingle... or reveal ...at least i think that's what it's called. i'm afraid i'm not explaining myself well enough. but if you could let me know the measurement of the area that is exposed i would really appreciate it. kwim?
i have seen many houses that have used the sierra boards or panels and the size or scale of the "shingles" appears much larger than i would prefer. thanks for any help.

Kate...We used the Sierra Premium boards. I can't remember for sure what the reveal is on them, but I think it's 7 1/2". I'll measure it for you when I go out today. :o)

We did have them run a 12" piece of flashing behind all the butt joints when they installed it.

Bobber4: according to Wikipedia:

A block 12 inches by 12 inches has a square foot area of 1 square foot. 12 inches is equal to 1 foot.

I hope this answers your question!

Wow!! Your house is very beautiful!!
What color did you paint your foundation??

Thank you so much! It's been awhile since we painted the parging and I can't remember the name of the color. I have the paint swatches and the rest of the bucket at the new house. I'll check the name for you when I go out this afternoon. I do know that it was Valspar paint made specifically for masonry & stucco. It went on beautifully and only required one coat. A single 5 gallon bucket did the whole foundation!

It is Riverbed's Edge by Valspar. :o)

hey all

just gettin ready to build our dream house and like others, have really been drawn to the macadamia shake design. question though.........has anyone used this with cultured stone......pics would be greatly appreciated

I haven't seen it with cultured stone, but would love to see how it works for others too. I'm fascinated by how this stuff picks up so many different colors. We are using natural flagstone on our porches and the Macadamia looks great with it.

pirsnicketydesign,

thanks for the post on the color! What a beautiful home you have!

I would LOVE to see more photo's of the finished products. I am the marketing coordinator for Nichiha and we LOVE to see our product and love feedback. Thanks, kbodily@nichiha.com

kbodily
I would LOVE to see more photo's also. Can you share with us any photo's of homes that used shake(other than those on Nichiha web site).

persnicketydesign! I live in Georgia too (just west of ATL) and am also getting insane quotes for pre-finished Nichiha shakes. So crazy, in fact, that we're thinking of going with brick or stone instead because, get this, it would cost as much or less.

Where on earth did you buy your Nichi and who did your install?

Thank you so much! We purchased our Nichiha from Lansing Building Supply in Evans (I think that they are a national chain). Howard Lumber in Evans also had excellent prices for Nichiha. Shop around and then ask Julie at Lansing to beat your lowest bid. That's how we got ours. :o)

I'll try to get some new photos of it posted this week, but if you would like to see it on the house you're more than welcome to stop by the next time you're around Augusta!

I'll send an email with the name of our installers. They were awesome!

Here are a couple of photos after the trim was painted. What a difference that made!

Persnickity...gorgeous! I really like the crisp look of the macadamia shakes and the light trim. Is that a pile of flagstone in front of the house? Walkway? Terrace?

Thank you, coffee! It is flagstone. We used it on the porches and stairs. We'll use what's left for a pathway that leads through the trees in the front of the property or for the walkway from the drive. Haven't decided yet. :o)

Persnickety,
The painted trim makes the Macadamia look even better! Love how your house is turning out, you must be so thrilled! We ended up using the pre-primed because we wanted a bit darker color. Now, we just have to find the 'right' darker paint color...I have a little collection of samples starting! Lol!

Thank you so much, lucky! I'm so glad you're using the Nichiha and can't wait to see your pictures! What colors are you leaning towards?

DH built the screened in porch yesterday and is already out there this morning caulking & painting it. He's off work all next week so we're planning to get the deck done and install the columns on the front porch. They've finished painting the inside of the house and it's bright & happy (just like we wanted it). The granite was supposed to go in yesterday, but got pushed to Monday. The electricians and plumbers will be back on Monday to start their installs. It's really starting to feel like home. I seem to stay excited all the time now! :o)

Can we see pictures of the flagstone floors and stairs? :-)

Nan

Sure! The only picture that I have in my file is from when we were doing the layout. I'll have to take a new one the next time I go out to the house. We've mortared the stones in place since this one was taken and it looks much better. I picked up the grout today and am going to try to do that the first part of next week...along with the parging for the risers. Still haven't decided if I want to use a sealer & enhancer on the stone or not. Been waiting for the grout before I make that decision.

No laughing...it's the first time I've worked with flagstone. :o)

persnicketydesign,

thank you for sharing your pictures! beautiful house!!!
we're in california and are also getting insane quotes for nichiha ($7/sf!). after reading your posting i think i should give lansing a call. would you mind giving me your name (via email if preferred) so i can mention your referral when i call lansing?
thank you very much!

lisa (chaubeyeah@hotmail.com)

Hello there! We are in the early phases of construction and are pretty much sold on the Nichiha shake siding product. Like persnicketydesign and others, we would be the guinea pigs in our area for "macadamia" if we go that way (deciding between that and "maple"). Houses we've visited in person look soooo different than in the photos (and even in the samples), it scares us a little. For example, from the photos and samples we were convinced that we would go with "caramel" to achieve a nice natural cedar look. When we saw a whole house in caramel, we were disappointed... it had a pronounced plasticky sheen and it just looked like a big orange house. Then we saw a house done in "maple" - which we didn't like in the samples - and it looked much more natural.

So maybe just a few questions to help us interpret the photos, if you would be so kind! Do you get much of a sheen with the macadamia color? Was it lighter or darker than you expected? The samples have a little bit of a pinkish hue... does that show on the house or does it dissipate over a large surface? Do you see some variation in texture or does it end up more of a flat beige or tan?

That's pretty much it, thanks so much in advance for any insight you can provide. Your house is beautiful... really tasteful detail, less is more. Nicely done :-)

Stephan (sr@vm1.com)

Thank you so much! We still love our Nichiha and are so glad that we chose to go with Macadamia.

We noticed the sheen on the other colors too. There is very little sheen on the Macadamia. It does look a little darker on the house than it appeared on the sample, but that's probably because it's on a large surface (our sample matched the actual boards perfectly).

There isn't a hint of pink to it. That would have been a deal breaker for me! It's a very neutral tan that seems to look good with whatever you put up against it.

There is definitely a variation in the texture. The darker colors are settled in the grooves and give it a more natural look. When we met one of the neighbors for the first time she said that she missed seeing the shake houses that she'd grown up with in the North. She couldn't believe that our house was fiber cement until she got right up next to it. Guess that's the best compliment we could have gotten. :o)

Here are a couple more pictures that show it without the sun shining directly on it.

Thanks so much, this forum page has been super helpful no matter which color we pick. Macadamia is a tough color to figure from photos, the underlying tone can go from gray to yellow to brown depending on the sun angle and time of day... that's probably one of things that makes it work, it seems to adapt to what the surroundings are throwing at it. We're in beach community in the coastal northeast, so both the natural cedar and the light weathered shake look are prevalent styles. The former pops more, the latter blends in more... ah, decisions. :-)

We are interested in using the Nichiha shakes for our home, can someone tell me what I should expect to pay for the installion per square foot?

I met with the Nichiha rep. in Oregon and he said the sheen will go away once weathered a bit. Also, I was wondering the siding has a 12 year warranty....once that 12 years is up how do you restain/paint the house and have it look like it does now with the seams and such?

i was wondering about the sheen also. in fact, when i first got samples of the product i decided against it because it really bothered me. i'm glad i've seen a couple of homes in person though, since the overall effect is really very nice. all i've seen in photos look great as well.

has anyone seen the weathered gray up anywhere? will we be the first to use it?

I ended up using the same siding on my house. It came out great however I am left with a substantial amount of extra material. Hopefully I can find someone who is interested in buying it. I currently have it listed on Craigslist locally.

Here is a link that might be useful: Craigslist

nice boards, but they sell for less at the local lumbar yard. $22/board.

cards89: Thanks for catching that! I made a typo in the post. I actually have 248 bundles not 148. This comes out to $18.15 per board or roughly 23% off.

to Lisatse,
we're on the West Coast too. I'm curious --what was the best price you found on Nichiha Shake out here?
Thanks!