If you are sizing up the work, start with our page on wood shingle siding. Live nearby? See siding in Beaverdale. Doing your homework first? Read our guide on wood vs engineered wood siding.
What good cedar shake actually is
This page is about cedar shake, not siding in general. Product grade matters more than brand name. We use the mid-to-upper tier of any line we install and skip the builder-grade version even when a customer asks for the cheapest.
Where cedar shake is the right pick
cedar shake is the right call when the house exposure, the budget, and the look line up with what the material does well. When it does not, we tell you at the estimate and point at the alternative that fits better.
Install notes specific to cedar shake
Fastener spacing, expansion allowance, and flashing details are material-specific and get skipped on cheap installs. On cedar shake we install to the manufacturer's published spec, not the fastest-way spec.