I've built each of my family members' houses - 6 in all. I go as far as I possibly can to make everything match up. All of my buildings have styrene outsides.
I'll cite a few examples:
1. I will not use plastic sheets for brick or block that are out of scale for 1:48.
2. When I built my house, which has aluminum siding on the peaks, I shopped and shopped until I found sheets that had the correct width for the siding.
3. I hand fashioned every window and door in all 6 structures to get them to perfectly match to the real ones.
4. I even landscape each building to match the real landscaping...
- walt
Oh Walt, I sure wish you would add the photos you took of those homesteads to your reply. You know how I love seeing those masterpieces and never tire of seeing them.