Shingle style homes, descendants of the Eastlake style and Queen Anne Victorians, have a strong allure for those who love the look of real wood shingles. Whether or not your home has the charm and architectural details of the shingle style - such as arched buttresses, eyebrow dormers, rolling shingled corners and sweeping buttresses - wood shingles can be used to clad the exterior of your home.

In fact, cedar shingles look good on contemporary, colonial, victorian, craftsman, and many other styles of homes!

Many homeowners are becoming increasingly aware of the need to build green. Using green building materials is a good place to start. What about cedar shingles?

Cedar shingles are considered green because they are a cut from a renewable material - wood. Further, when cedar shingles are purchased that have been produced regionally less fossil-fuel is used to transport the material across the country or around the world. Buying shingles, or other building materials, closer to home also helps to support local sustainable industries.

Smart, careful installation practices play a part in reducing waste. Untreated scraps of cedar shingles can be shredded and used to cover garden beds or used to start a fireplace. Other, non-wood products often just end up in landfill sites.

The longer a building material lasts means it won't need to be replaced as often. This is "green" because it means less consumption of new material and less demolition waste going to the dump. Real cedar shingles have longevity and a natural durability against rot and weather. Maintaining them extends their life span.

Topping all of that off, properly installed wood shingles will add insulation value to your home. This, in turn, will lower your energy costs because your home is more energy efficient.

The terms cedar shake and cedar shingle are often used interchangeably. But, are they really the same siding material, or are they different?

Both building materials are used as exterior wall cladding and as roof shingles. The widths for the individual pieces of these products can vary from 16 inches down to 3 inches. The factors that differentiate shakes from shingles comes down to 1) how they are processed by the manufacturer, 2) how they are graded for sale, and 3) how they are installed on homes.

Shingles are not split by hand, but rather they are precision sawn so that they taper down to a particular thickness. They are graded in descending order of quality, as follows: No. 1 - Blue Label, No. 2 - Red Label, and No. 3 Black Label. Cedar shingles do not need roofing felt in their installation.

Generally speaking, shakes are more rustic than shingles. They can be either hand-split or sawn. They come in greater thicknesses than shingles - from 1/2 inch to 1 inch or more. Unlike shingles, shakes are not uniform. Shakes are available in two grades: Premium and No. 1. When installing shakes on a roof roofing felt is needed for extra moisture protection between each course of shakes.

Cedar shingles should have at least two corrosion-resistant fasteners driven through them, depending on the width of the shingle, such as an aluminum nail or a stainless steel nail. Alternately, stainless steel or aluminum staples can be used, as long as they are approved of by local building codes. Nails should be flush and not under- or overdriven. Corrosion is one of the biggest problems connected with shingle failure.

Problems sometimes arise when shingles are fastened too high in order to avoid visible nails or staples, especially when a pneumatic tool is used. Accuracy sometimes suffers for the sake of expediency. As a result of nailing too high, shingles can become badly curled or cupped.

Some house designs have the entire exterior clad in wood shingles. You can, however, use cedar shingles as an accent to other siding, as with the picture shown to the right. Here the cedar shingled gable ends, which take their cue from the wood door, make a nice contrast to the gray siding and dark roof.

Cedar shingles can also be installed on exterior walls above stone or brick, as seen in the photo of the house at the top.

Some favor wood shingles so much that they pair cedar siding and cedar roofing shingles together.

While cedar is a naturally rot and insect resistant wood that has longevity, it does need to be properly treated after installation and subsequently maintained. Appropriate cedar shingle coating and protecting stains are vital to their long-term durability and to achieve the wished for results with your home's exterior look. To keep the wood shingles in good repair they will need to be re-treated every four to ten years depending on the kind and severity of the regional weather.

Bleaching oil is often used to protect the cedar from fungus and decay, but it will give a all together different appearance then cresote will. Make sure you get the product that will protect your wood and give it the look that you are after. You can even look for environmentally responsible products that have a low VOC content.

Ask a local contractor what wood, wood treatments, and building practices are necessary in your region. If, for example, you are in a region that gets a lot of rain, a house design that has large overhangs will the protect shingled side walls from too much moisture.

If you are not a purist, looking for historical accuracy and the authenticity of real wood, there are non-wood alternatives to cedar shingles such as polymer shingles. Polymer shingles keep their original look for years without cracking, rotting or splitting. Additionally, they don't require painting or staining and sealing. Alternatives to wood shingles are made by a number of manufacturers and are available in many colors and styles to suit the design of any home and the taste of many a homeowner.

Once you've invested time researching the material you want to side your home with, and you've sunk money into buying the material, you want the job done right! Cedar sidewall installation needs to be done correctly with the appropriate flashing and ventilation to ensure that your home will stay dry and your siding last for many years to come -as it should!