I think know what you are talking about. We have a seam because the board and batten wasn't long enough. I have seen where some people make the seam an accent color. We made ours the same color as the siding.

Horizontal panel seams need metal "Z" continuous flashing, and it will be noticeable to a degree, even when painted to match the siding. Installing horizontal battens or barge boards over the "Z" flashing is another option.

I went over and took a pic. I see the metal "Z" flashing now. I think I will definitely notice that when painted.

winonasue - I don't notice your seam at all. Are you saying yours was right below your roofline where you trim piece is?

Yes, the seam is right under the roofline. My in laws just built a home with a huge seam at the top and painted it white to match their window trim. It looks good but I think it would have been better to make it blend with the siding.

winonasue - Ok, thanks. I wish our seam ended where it would make sense to have a trim piece. Ours end right in the middle of the wall.

jn3344 - Did you just paint right over them, or did you do any special treatment before painting?

Just painted them. When the sun hits them it's noticeable. But otherwise it's not really. You need the Z flashing otherwise what are you going to do spring for 24 foot cedar boards?

Good luck!

You didn't say what material you are using but it looks like its 8 ft tall.

If its Hardie Panel, why not use 10 ft tall panels and avoid the joint in your photo?

What does it look like where its not covered? Does the joint occur at the window heads or sills as in jn3344's photo? Were the joints shown in the architect's elevation drawings or did he/she leave it up to the builder?

We are planning board and batten and our architect is planning ahead for where he'd like to see the seems so the fit well with the elevation views. Agree with JDS, if you can use bigger panels, go for it. And make sure there was some thought placed as to where the seems will fall.

The pieces are 8' ft tall. Our supplier said there weren't any 10' panels available in the smooth texture. Not sure if that meant ever or just not right now. The joints will occur below the window and door heads. The architect drawings did not show seams and we didn't discuss it. I was aware it would be an issue but didn't think they were installing siding until next week so I thought I had some time to figure it out.

I'm looking at various images now trying to figure out if I can live with seams or if adding horizontal strips will look better.

There is a newer 2-story building near me that was built to look like a traditional farm house/barn. It uses board and batten siding painted white. It too required a horizontal seam.

For me, the seam is quite noticeable. I feel it really detracts from the otherwise beautiful exterior design. In fact, it stands out like a sore thumb every time I drive by it. I love the board and batten look, but the seam is a disappointment.

II would do whatever you can to avoid the horizontal seams, at least on the main façade.

Ok, current plan is to halt work and get 4x10' sheets. We found it at another lumber supply place. They will rip off the sheets they've installed so far, which is about 15 sheets. If they can salvage any for smaller areas, then they will do it. It's a fairly significant money loss, but I'm willing to pay to avoid the 'foreverness' of noticaeble seams. The 4x10' sheets solve the problem of a seam under our porches and there will only one seam needed on the taller sides before reaching the Hardie shake portion.

Now we just need to decide if we want a thicker horizontal board at the seam or the narrower one (same width as the battens). Any opinions?

Thick example:

Traditional Exterior · More Info

Narrower:

Baer Retreat · More Info

I like the first picture. That house is one of my favorites on houzz. I don't mind the second picture. The second picture looks more like a pattern instead of a break. If the seam is the same color as the siding I think it looks good. So many decisions. Some are so unforeseen.

The seam will be the same color as the siding, thick or thin. At least on the bottom/first seam. The one where it changes to Hardie shake, we may paint it the trim color. Another decision to make...

Well, decision made. Wider horizontal trim piece will cover the seam. Same size as the trim piece before the shakes start. Switched to 10 ft panels which eliminated the seam under the porch. I'm happier now.

Your architect should have made it clear on the elevation drawings where the horizontal joints would be and the size of vertical and horizontal battens assuming he/she is taking professional responsibility for the design (as an architect would) and isn't just a drafter or an employee of the builder.

That's what my architect did. You can see on the plans where the flashing is indicated.

Though at the builders request I did allow a change to the spacing of the battens.

JDS - our architect specified 16" spacing and the size of the vertical batten. In his elevations, the seam wasn't shown because he felt it was a non-issue. Meaning, his preference was for us to leave it as a continuous board and batten vertical piece, and just have the joint seam and paint over it. It wasn't until I physically saw the seam, where I really questioned it. I was on the phone with him and we definitely disagreed. He didn't want the horizontal piece, but I wasn't happy with a painted seam. This was a point where we agreed to disagree.

I am sympathetic to the architect's opinion but the joint treatment is an unrelated issue; regardless of how the joint was treated, he should have indicated where it would occur since in both cases it will be visible. Showing important details like this one is part of his responsibility to his client.

JDS - thank you. You're right, he should have pointed out the seam. It's helpful to hear from another architect how the process should work. We will be going over the remainder of the plans with him to make sure we are aware of all the details. I appreciate yours and everyone's feedback.

So thankful for this thread! My architect seemed annoyed that I wanted to know where seams would be and to dictate how wide the boards will be...told me it would be "random" and decided on the fly upon install, to minimize waste I guess. Not acceptable.