james hardie siding

A). I'd prefer to answer here as newsgroups work much better if they're open forums where the questions and answers can be searched by people following in your footsteps.

B). Labor costs vary trememdously from place to place.

C). The HardiPanel is just about the least expensive siding available and it goes up very quickly. The devil is in the details with the stuff so you have to pay attention to sealing the ends, determining where to break the panels, caulking, etc.

And, how high do you have to go?? Price of install escalates as the installers work above round level. Panels are HEAVY.