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Board and batten siding - material choice

7 years ago

We were thinking of doing board and batten siding on our new home (an updated ranch style). Our contractor priced out hardie board for the siding. I'm a little worried the cement board will look too fake. I saw it on a friend's house and didn't really like how it looked. Are there other options we should consider for material? Home is located in SF Bay Area. I thought about cedar but not sure if that is the best alternative and don't know of a source for that locally to check on pricing.

We could switch to a horizontal siding if the fiber cement looks better with that style of siding.

Thanks!

Featured Answer

worthy

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I've used Cape Cod brand pre-finished board and batten.

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Comments (7)

Oaktown
7 years ago
You want a stained wood look, then best to use stained wood, yes? Some of the older homes in our neighborhood have redwood siding, don't know how popular that is these days.

We wanted fiber cement for fire resistance but probably would have picked Hardie anyway for easy maintenance. Our house was always going to be painted, though.

Good luck!
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My opinions only. OP, it's a little difficult to know what you mean by making the siding more modern. But to answer your specific questions: 1) Should I alternate siding materials? No. IMO alternating siding material can be done well but for the most part is poorly executed. From what I have seen it becomes a jumble of materials that detracts from the house. 2) Should we incorporate stone? No. Board and batten siding is classic and timeless. Stone is a passing fad in its current application, especially now with it being added to places where it doesn't belong. Don't get me wrong, stone can be appropriate and also classic, but not the way it is thrown about now on the exterior as some sort of stick on applique. Scroll through houzz's images to see which contemporary board and batten home appeals to you. Here is one in white that is contemporary. Naturally you would look for colors that you prefer (dark) rather than the white shown below. This is just to give you an idea of contemporary board and batten siding appearance.
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bardzil
Original Author
7 years ago
No we are going to paint the siding.. so maybe hardie is the best option.
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PRO
Virgil Carter Fine Art
7 years ago
Lots and lots of options. First, real planks and battens using cedar. Second, panelized materials starting with plywood with applied wood battens, and moving into artificial materials. You will need to carefully design what is to be used, since there may be the need for one or more horizontal joints, give the height of your exterior wall. It all depends on the maximum height of the materials to be used. For example, plywood panels generally come in 8, 9 or 10-foot lengths. Horizontal joints are flashed with "Z" flashing to keep the water out. The "Z" flashing may be left exposed (I personally don't like it when B&B is used) or covered with a horizontal "batten" which matches the vertical battens or is another dimension. That's why the location and placement is a significant design issue.
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bardzil
Original Author
7 years ago
Attached are our exterior elevations. We do not plan on doing the horizontal siding at the bottom. Our architect drew it that way because that is what we have now (our project is a renovation/addition). Virgil, is plywood siding durable long term if painted? Would that look better than fiber cement?
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Oaktown
7 years ago
Re the panel and batten, if I had a redo I would make sure the builder and architect had all the details of the wall worked out well in advance.

I had wanted a continuous layer of exterior insulation and builder was using advanced framing; at the end of the day the exterior insulation is only "mostly continuous." Would have been easier to address had we wanted lap siding or not used advanced framing. (Sorry I probably am not explaining this well.)
PRO
Virgil Carter Fine Art
7 years ago
"...Virgil, is plywood siding durable long term if painted? Would that look better than fiber cement?..."

Yes, any materials is "durable" if properly maintained, and kept free of ground contact. That said, the lifespan of materials does vary, as does initial cost.

You should confer with your architect about standard panel sizes and where best to locate horizontal joints along the exterior walls. It appears he has shown that condition occurring at the plate line of the exterior walls. Another option is to locate it along the line of the window sills. It's a very different architectural effect. It all depends on the height of your major walls, and the panel (or lumber) sizes being specified.

Good luck!
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