Skinnier Shakes. Fiber-cement siding manufacturer Nichiha recently introduced a low-priced line of shakes. NichiFrontier Siding has the same footprint (9 1/4 inches by 8 feet) and cedarlike appearance as the company’s 1/2-inch-thick Sierra Premium boards but is only 7/16 inch deep. It can be ordered with a factory-prime coat or finished in one of four stain colors. Contractor pricing runs about $3 per square foot. Nichiha USA, 866/424-4421, nichiha.com
