Wood Shake

Character that has to be earned twice.

Cedar shake looks better than anything else on a Montana house, and it is the least forgiving of a rushed install. It needs to breathe. It needs correct spacing, correct fastening and a ventilation layer that lets the underside dry out between storms.

Done properly it belongs on a Montana home like nothing else. Done badly it holds moisture and fails from underneath, where nobody sees it until the ceiling tells them.