Fire codes required me to use a non-combustible siding material so I went with James Hardie plank for most of the siding. As a fiber cement plank, it is non-combustible and also very durable in a harsh climate. Plus it matches the wood siding found in much of the neighborhood. In a few areas, as an accent, I used a cultured stone product.
Even though my climate is not a particularly wet one – most of the precipitation comes in the form of snow — I decided to use a textured house wrap under the siding, that afforded some drying potential and decent drainage. I believe a full rain screen, where the siding is kept off the housewrap using battens, would be overkill.
The product I used is called HydroGap from Benjamin Obdyke, that was very durable and had a texture layer that stood off of the housewrap approximately 1mm. The housewrap went right over the OSB sheathing, and the small blue bumps allowed for vertical drainage and air movement.
Rather than creating Hardie Board borders around the windows, I had my contractor run the siding right up to the edge of the windows. I thought this was a cleaner, more modern look with the brown window frames.