Siding joints are a break in an otherwise continuous surface. When the siding types are different thicknesses, outside and inside corners are created that require extra attention. When one of the materials is brick, this detail gets even trickier.
It's tough to find sustainably harvested wood shingles these days. But if you do, it is the installation details that determine the “greenness” of this claddingMaterials used on the roof and walls to enclose a house, providing protection against weather. , based simply on how long they last.
In general, exterior above-grade walls should have continuous air, water, and thermal barriers. Installing rigid insulation as the exterior sheathingMaterial, usually plywood or oriented strand board (OSB), but sometimes wooden boards, installed on the exterior of wall studs, rafters, or roof trusses; siding or roofing installed on the sheathing—sometimes over strapping to create a rainscreen. can accomplish all of these tasks, but you need to account for shear resistance (provide wall bracing) in other ways, and you must provide special details if you expect the foam sheathing to perform as a WRB.
Check out the advanced framing section of Construction Detail Library for alternative techniques to achieve shear resistance, and check out Using Rigid Foam As a Water-Resistive Barrier for more information on walls without housewrap.
