Standard is 7" reveal. (8-1/4" x 12' per piece) You can step down per inch reveal but understand that each inch requires more material and more labor. My clients seem to concur that the less reveal, the more classy or classic the look.

Just guessing from the pic but ... the boards in between the louvered parts of the shutters -- two horizontal boards -- are usually about three inches so what is shown after any overlap may be about four inches. When siding overlaps, the boards will be wider than that which can be seen. If/since you are uncertain about the product you want delivered, you need to actually see the product that is going to be delivered and understand how (overlap, if applicable) it will be installed.

Oh, boy. What can go wrong here............. I 100% agree with PPF, you need to be at the lumberyard when they open.

In NE a 4" reveal would be "standard". A 7" reveal would go on low income housing. I'm doing a 2.5" reveal on the front of my house which might be considered "historically correct". Take your time and get it right....

I have no idea! We are building ourselves and the lumber yard is delivering Hardie in the afternoon tomorrow. We have to make changes before they deliver. The look in the picture is what we want. They had one with a rough surface which is not what we want. What is lap Hardie?

How can you be building yourselves if you have no idea? And to not even know what lap Hardie is?

80" tall door / 16 boards in that space is 5" reveal, which is fine. The old traditional "3 drop lap" was often cut from a 12" redwood board, revealing 4" lines, usually rounded... at least in CA. Hardie has sizes for 4/5/6/7" exposures, it paints easily or can be ordered painted. Smooth.

Allison, you are correct. Early lap siding was usually cheap and easy to install, as the labor force was cheap 100 years ago (cash, no benes, retirement, taxes, medical, etc.) Boards were small as they were likely cut or milled from scraps and log edges (I'm guessing). Lap created good water shedding, as most was installed without a paper or felt layer. way back. The expensive homes of the time survived better than the shacks, so those are our examples. I'm not an historian, but I can see our old housing stock here. In the 50s when wider lap was available, large 12" beveled vertical grained redwood was common in our area on nicer homes (Dad used on some). There are less expensive versions of most. Thickness=quality usually. If you look at higher end homes, you will see 2" thick versions of lap siding sometimes... almost a caricature.... but no doubt $$$.