Having had both block & stucco and sticks & siding, we are planning to go with the block. It's just a personal preference, but I hate having siding on my house.
No offense intended to anyone that has it, but it just seems "insubstantial" to me, and I know from experience that it will not hold up as well in a storm. Not only is block much better in extreme weather situations, siding gets blown off the house even in the relatively moderate storms that we have in the North. And, no matter what anyone tells you, siding is not maintenance free. I have high quality siding on my house (now but, never again) and I can tell you that it separates from time to time due to the wind, starts to fade, needs power washed often to keep it looking fresh (and avoid mold and mildew on the north side), and... can become brittle and crack in the cold. All this occurs in Pennsylvania... I can't image what the sun will do it in Florida. I also don't like the idea of much of the structural support of my house (the studs) being thought of as lunch by termites. When we built in Florida about 20 years ago, siding was nowhere to be found so we had stucco over block and liked it very much. You will need to paint the stucco from time to time, but compare that to the above list of issues with siding. Finally the siding will eventually need to be replaced (again unless some miracle has occurred in the formulation of the product... and I'll believe that when I see it... buyer beware).
Next time I'll tell you what I really think of siding. Did I mention that I don't like it?
