Should I paint this cedar shake, stain it light, or keep as is?

Bill Russell
by Bill Russell

I am in the process of purchasing this 1905 Arts and Crafts style home in the Philadelphia area, and while I love the character of the home, I am not a huge fan of the very dark brown cedar shake siding. I am not sure it is original either - I would guess they used regular wood siding - a 2005 picture I found seems to be wood siding. I like the idea of lighter cedar shake, but I am not sure how difficult it would be to restain a lighter color. If I did this, I would be interested in making the trim a dark green or something like that, but unfortunately I don't know if that is possible because of the vinyl windows they installed. So the final option would be to paint the wood siding, though I am not sure about what color. Would the painting require more maintenance than staining? Any and all advice appreciated!!

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