Actually your photo looks to be narrower than 8". Look at the trim around the window. That is probably 3 1/2"-4" wide.

uofmcivil, I like the colonial white color I imagine that's the siding color too? Wondered why you have such large trim around your windows?

Yeah, siding color is colonial white. Trim is 5/4 x 4, but the vinyl j-channel alongside it makes it appear larger. I might consider going 5/4 x 3 if I did it over again.

Gorgeous! Makes me question my builder, as we are using CertainTeed (Pacific Blue) for the main siding color, and just want the white for the gables. I think you may have solved my problem!

Ah okay. I just butt my J right against the window to have a small border. Unfortunately I had colored siding and thought white J with White windows would be fine, but regret not going with colored J to make the window look more presentable.

Thanks again for weighing in! My builder says the CertainTeed product pictured above will cost extra. By chance does anyone have a photo of the CertainTeed 8" board and batten (above is the 12")? The CertainTeed website does not make clear which product is featured in the images.

"Board & Batten and Cedar Impressions Board & Batten and Cedar
Impressions Board & Batten Single 8" and Cedar Impressions D7"
Staggered Perfection in Cypress are a perfect compliment to the overall
look of this home." I Googled and saw this on Pinterest.

Vareeds4, are you satisfied with your Certainteed siding? I want the wide Hardy Board and Batten look. Will you please post a picture of your house, I am wanting a blue color too. Thanks

Gotta love the nerve of CertainTeed calling it "Rough Cedar".

It is a misprint, suppose to be "Roughly Cedar"

If you want vinyl cladding to look like real wood cladding, I recommend avoiding flat trim below the window sills. A traditional wood window has a projecting sill nose and drip with no trim below it and it extends to the outside edges of the vertical jamb trim

The best way to achieve that with a modern nail-fin window is to install an Azek (or similar) "Historic Sill" below the window and install the vinyl cladding below that.

Its unfortunate that vinyl window and cladding manufacturers don't understand what they are simulating. That would make good detailing easier.

You can also get rabbeted flat stock and corner boards to go with those sills, thereby eliminating the J channel look . It almost makes a vinyl castle appear real.

Its the detailing around the windows where board & batten cladding can be disappointing.

LP Smartside vertical siding has a thin (.315") board and an optional thick (.910") 2.5" wide batten so the total thickness is 1.225" which butts nicely up to a typical nail-fin window frame that projects about 1.3". If a sub-sill is used, the window would look as much like a traditional wood window as possible when using synthetic imitative materials.

Hate on vinyl, if you must. But it is low-maintenance and inexpensive. If you take your time to try to hide things like J channel and generally remember how the real wood product would look - and emulate that - it's a reasonable choice.

OP, I hope you found a product that will meet your needs. I DO find that if you hunt around online, you can find some profiles that are a little unusual. And, using something other than a D4 profile will, again, make it look less like vinyl. Using the longer lengths, to minimize seams can also help. There are more products available that you'll find sample boards for at a single supplier. And if you find something workable, you can often search for a dealer in your area, and behold!

That said, the Certainteed product is the only one I see that is wider than 8" on a cursory search.

The only complaints regarding vinyl siding have been due to manufacturers' using intentionally misleading terms to describe it.

The only way I know to make it look better is to rout out a rabbet in the casing and corner trim to receive the siding but that can get expensive and might requires a different window design. Perhaps somebody makes a pre-cut version of a composite trim.

I don't think the very wide batten spacing looks better and it can make the interrupted boards at the windows look odd.