When designing your home, think really really hard about how long you imagine you’ll live there. And if you plan to live there for ages, design it such that the can’t-sleep-through-the-night 78-year-old you isn’t saddled with replacing the siding every two years. Likely, even the spry 34-year-old you won’t be terribly into that either. The longer a structure is truly useful (keep an eye on its use ), the more sustainable it becomes.