06 Dec

Western Red Cedar Shake Siding: A Green Siding Material worth Choosing

Households can reduce their environmental footprint—i.e. their negative impact on the environment due to the consumption of natural resources—in various ways. Some switch to energy-efficient appliances, while others retrofit their homes with sustainable materials. While these methods are fine by themselves, a certain neighborhood in Bainbridge Island, Washington has taken steps to create a community with the lowest environmental footprint as possible, as Adele Peters reports for Fast Company:

Each home in the new development, from apartments to single-family homes, can run entirely on solar power. The ultra-efficient buildings are insulated to save energy, and include heat pumps and heat recovery ventilators. Wood siding comes from local, sustainably managed forests.

The idea of using wood siding, instead of PVC or other materials, is understandable because wood is a natural insulating material. In addition, many building contractors prefer to work with wood because it is simpler, more flexible, and easier to repair than other siding materials. Ordinary wooden planks may be adequate for any household’s siding needs, but people should consider using high-quality cedar shakes siding from trusted sources like

Simply put, shakes are much thicker than wood shingles that are used as siding; more thickness means greater resistance to rain, snow, sunlight, and other natural elements. Individually, cedar shakes are visually different from each other; together, they create a rustic, natural-looking aesthetic feel. Retailers that sell cedar shake siding also offer such products in a variety of wood finishes that provide added protection against fire, insects, and mildew, which are purportedly the greatest threats to any wood-based material.

One of the most appealing characteristics of wood shakes is that they are eco-friendly. Compared to manufactured products like PVC, wood shake production consumes less energy and releases fewer pollutants. The latter is particularly important because wood shakes produce fewer toxins than other materials when set on fire. Since wood has practically unlimited applications, old wood shakes can be repurposed as roofing materials, raw materials, or even fuel, thereby further reducing a household’s environmental footprint.

Having said all that, you don’t necessarily have to move to an exemplary community like Bainbridge Island if you want to have a sustainable home. For the best low-carbon cedar shake siding and roofing options, trust only the experts like

(Article Excerpt and Image from Is This The Most Sustainable Neighborhood In The U.S.?, Fast Company, November 13, 2013)

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