Saving money on home maintenance is not always accomplished through the initial cost of these renovations; it is often realized over a number of years. It's one of the sacrifices or compromises home owners have had to make for decades, like having to decide between aesthetically pleasing items, such as stone or wood, and easily maintained, such as vinyl or other man-made imitation.

Today, however, manufacturers have developed truly amazing products that mimic the real thing to such a degree that one might even say they are better than those created by Mother Nature. Listed below are some of these incredible innovations in new home maintenance:

Fiber-Siding Cement

Shingles and clapboards cut from sheets of flexible cement and stirred together with fibers of wood that will not warp, cup or rot. Its up-front cost, including painting, averages between $13,000 and $18,000, which is approximately 10 percent less than real wood.

Cellular PVC Trim

Manufactured out of the same material typically used in plumbing fixtures, with air thrown into the mix during construction for a wood like density, cellular PVC trim displays the natural look of wood, and can also be formed, cut and installed like its natural cousin. It's designed to last forever, never requiring a coat of paint, and costing about 10 percent less than real wood alternatives like pine.

Quartz Countertops

Cutting-edge pigments and resins are blended with real quartz chips to produce countertops and other stone items that display the variety and veining that's far more realistic than even those considered innovative a couple of years ago. It costs about the same as natural stone, like limestone and marble, and also enjoys several advantages over them. It's resistant to dark liquid stains, etching from orange juice and other similar household acids, and chipping via impact from heavy kitchen items like jars and cookware.