We’re ready to start getting bids. Any helpful hints/things we wouldn’t think of? TIA
All I can say that ours is almost 17 years old and looks like new. The paint has faded to perfection but unlike paint on wood, nothing is peeling!!! Go for it.
Hardiplank is a pain in the rear to cut and nail (it is cement, after all). Ask your perspective installers how many houses they have done.
Aack. The post did not take my edits. *prospective. 
Really research this! I think there were some lawsuits over some earlier installations. I like the idea of Hardieplank but I watched one house in our subdivision have it installed about nine years ago. It now looks terrible. It was prefinished and really needs paint now. It has faded terribly. There are gaps everywhere there is a seam. We had really high quality vinyl installed. You can’t bend it; it’s very thick. There is also a lot of insulation beneath it. There are no seams. The contractor was able to order 25’ lengths. I never liked vinyl but after paying to paint several times something needed to change. The front of my house is brick but the sides and rear were wood lap.
You should look at some forums that have a shelter focus. This one attracts a lot of contractors. If you join you can search the topic. The last post in this thread has some links. There was generally a positive view of the stuff:
http://www.diychatroom.com/f9/hardie-lap-siding-question-394866/
You should also nose around here: http://www.contractortalk.com/f33/
…" When demons die the devil grinds up there bones and makes Hardly Plank. (sic)"
http://www.contractortalk.com/f33/lp-smart-siding-vs-james-hardie-212697/
We have had hardiplank in 2 houses. Never had any problems . Looks like wood. You are also not locked into specific colors as it can be painted any color that you want, and if you change your mind , it can be painted a different color . We live in the South and it has weathered very well. It is also a masonry product and we found that many insurance companies offer a homeowners discount on insurance .
I can see why an improper install can result in a disaster. We live in the PNW where it can drizzle non-stop for days. Hardiplank survived these conditions well and is still going strong. We do have roof overhangs and a good gutter system, so the siding does not get splashed with water constantly. If it did, it would likely start deteriorating.
When we were buying the house, the builder told us that wood or hardiplank did not matter $-wise: wood cost significantly more than Hardiplank, but install costs were significantly lower for wood. So he was offering both options, and we picked Hardiplank. The builder warned us not to come by the site when it was being installed because heavy cursing was customary during Hardiplank install. 
Our neighbors with wood siding already re-painted their house twice (same color), but on ours, only wood trim will need new paint soon. So yes, I like the product.
Our siding and “shingles” have held up wonderfully, however our first generation trim boards have caused many issues. I believe Hardiplank has changed their process to address this. It has been 15 years and we have had some fading, but only on the south/west side where the sun beats on it all day.
There is a proper way to join two horizontal siding boards. Research this and make sure your installers comply. I believe they have to do a 45 on one board and a reverse 45 on the adjoining board to create a watertight seal. Many of the early installations were butt jointed with gobs of caulking between seams.
We were driving around a new development the other day and noticed that many homes are now using a combination of horizontal, shingle and VERTICAL siding.
^^ This! Make sure to find out about butt joints. Here is what is recommended, the old style of caulking is a pain and need to be redone every few years especially on the south/southwest.
http://www.jameshardie.com/d2w/technical-bulletins/9-joint-flashing.pdf
Just today, they finished installing Hardie board on our house. So, so far we’re happy with it, :D.
We thought about this decision for a year - last year, we decided it was time to replace our 30+ year-old aluminum siding. We originally wanted to replace with aluminum but apparently it’s being phased out and very pricey - two bids I got for it way more than Hardie or vinyl.
The company we finally hired specializes in Hardie board and have ben doing it for a while. They gave us a book, practically, of local references and we drove by all of the houses in our immediate area and they all looked so much better than the houses around them. That’s what really sold us… We called three of the references and they had nothing but good things to say.
Like I said, we originally planned aluminum - we thought about vinyl, but when looking at samples - and houses in our subdivision with vinyl - it seems so flimsy compared to the Hardie board. The first time they showed me the sample of the Hardie board, and the first time I saw one of the referenced houses, I was just blown away by how nice it looked - like real wood siding - and how sturdy it seems.
We’ll see how it holds up - the other houses we saw are done within the past few years I think - but right now, it looks fantastic. I couldn’t be happier with it. It looks like a brand new house.
And yes, I like that it can be repainted - that was another selling point for us.
Also, we were quoted only a couple thousand more for the Hardie board than the high-end vinyl. Lot better price than I expected. The other company gave us a similar quote. (The third company we got a bid from used only vinyl).
Another thing - it apparently takes longer to install because everything needs to be cut on site… it took them almost two weeks just to do the siding and trim - they came out today and installed the gutters and it took all day - and we have a small house. But we’re so happy with it.
We installed Hardiplank sixteen years ago. It has held up beautifully. This was seemingly before it was offered in colors so it has been painted and the paint still looks like new. I agree with all the notes about installation mentioned earlier.
Has anyone gotten the larger sheets as opposed to the individual boards? Our house is 3/4 brick so we really only need significant coverage on one wall, which is in back.
Got the first estimate back. AACK. Actually, it was about what I expected for the Hardieplank, but we asked him to give us a bid on replacing our windows, too. Soooo expensive. Anyone here use Simonton Windows? That’s what this guy uses exclusively.
This guy uses the flashing, as recommended in the link above. He’s a preferred dealer with Hardie. Many good recommendations. Second bid tomorrow.
My house exterior is 100% HardiBoard and I love it. My house is 4 years old.
I’ve had a lot of experience with hardie siding products and other off brand imitations. The stuff is great! You can go with lap siding, 4’x8’ sheets for a board and batten look, the shake shingle look, or a combination. It’s particularly well suited to humid conditions.
Getting an off brand might save you a lot of money.
Update: We did it along the back, but not in the front, which gets little wear because it’s morning sun and under a big porch. We love it. The guys did a great job installing and painting and replacing windows.
I can’t believe I have never heard of this stuff. I thought you all were talking about a TV show, like Poldark.
Congrats, OP! That is a major project.
(We decided not to make offers on 2 otherwise nice homes with the awful styrofoam siding - due to the homes’ style, that fake stucco could not be replaced with Hardiplank or Hardieboard.
For windows, Pella is the “gold standard” here in my neck of the woods.)
If only we could afford gold standard. It is amazing how warm the window was to the touch during a recent cold spell.
Next up: new tile in the bath.
Two words of wisdom: epoxy grout. Never needs sealing!