I agree with the other suggestions. Although steel is beautiful it is easy to dent and I would not be confident in it's longevity. There are some newer great sidings out there that are durable and would never have to be painted again. I know there is cedar ridge siding or there is this really cool siding called James Hardie (fiber cement siding) and vinyl. Both are good options and extremely durable especially the cement siding. It is very hard to install, but it will last a lifetime. I"ve read a lot of articles at conservationconstruction.com about it. I would recommend if you go with the cement siding that you would have some help with the installation since the individual pieces are so heavy.
