My husband and I have a 1925 house that at some point was sided with aluminum. We've been cited by our city because the aluminum siding needs to be repainted. We can't decide whether to just go ahead and replace the aluminum with vinyl, or paint. We know that vinyl requires less maintenance and is more durable, but we like the lower-cost option of painting the aluminum. Any advice?

Hello, I'm interested in installing hardiboard 4x8 panels that have the stucco like texture. I've read I can do this instead of using lath and 2 brown coats of traditional stucco, and I would apply the finish stucco coat over the hardiboard. My concern would be the overall weight. Do I need to remove the existing plywood siding? Is this what's known as T1-11? If I can go over the existing siding, would Tyvek be a better moisture barrier than regular 15# felt paper? I live in FL and see Tyvek going on all the new houses around here. Is the benefit that it allows the house to breathe while not letting moisture in? Assuming that I use the existing siding, then Tyvek, then the hardiboard 4x8 stucco panels, then a finish coat of stucco on top of that, would that be too much weight on the studs? They are 2x4's and spaced two feet apart. Thanks in advance for your help.