A: I had never heard of Werzalit until now, so I looked it up on the Internet and saw that it is a resin/wood composite product. I am familiar with many popular decking materials made of wood and resins as well as Hardi-Plank siding, which is a wood and cement composite (see www.jameshardie.com). Also, your local siding companies may offer other products.

Another attractive low maintenance siding to consider for your upscale home is TechWallPlus or Oracle by Vipco. This vinyl siding is bonded to one inch of foam insulation. This makes it quite a different product than traditional vinyl siding, (which is generally not recommended for upscale homes) in that it is rigid. It is the only siding on the market, which carries an Energy Star rating because it adds a 4.5 R-value to your walls, and it has a no-nonsense fully transferable lifetime warranty. You can research that at www.vinyl-siding.com.

As is true with most home improvement projects, it is best to have several different contractors show you their products so you can learn the pros and cons and compare the features, prices and maintenance required. Once you have decided on a product, you can collect detailed written estimates, including scope of work and materials to be used, to make sure you are comparing apples to apples. This process will help you decide the best product, the best price and which contractor you prefer to hire.

To locate some reputable siding contractors to discuss your options and collect bids, visit Home Advisor and click on Siding. Read the Project Planning and Design articles about each kind of siding, and then enter service requests for the types of siding you are interested in. Explain in the Additional details box that you want to compare different low maintenance products for an upscale home to be matched with the ideal service professional in your area.

by Kathy Maynard, reprinted courtesy of HomeAdvisor.com