Installing vinyl board and batten on my ranch house. Have reached the gable side of the house which is taller than the 10 foot B & B panel. I want to continue the B & B all the way up to the gable with a horizontal piece going across the house to make the bottom of the triangle. What is used to do that horizontal piece and should the siding at the upper level stick out beyond the siding on the lower level or does that horizontal piece act like a drip line out over the lower level of B & B. I am working with a carpenter friend/handyman and he wants to be sure he does it the right way since this is a first for him. Too dark to take a pic now, but I can add one later if needed. Thanks. Kathy

Cut the bottom edge of the sheets to a 30 degree angle, and keep it 1/4" above the flashing. Most important!: prime the bottom edge, and up a foot on the back side. Use oil primer. Maybe even go so far as to pre-paint the bottom edge before installing. This detail will keep the water dripping off the plywood, and prevent it becoming waterlogged. Casey

I agree, afsa, we have been diligent about painting and caulking these all wood windows which I believe were either Huddig or Huttig (a local company which sold out to another local millwork company) for about 10 years now. I'm just tired of fighting against the elements. Every year I have rotten sills and rotten brick mold in the lower corners of the windows. I even had my painter remove the tracks that hold the sashes to caulk and paint behind them where water was obviously penetrating. The sashes are warping and the gas seals are failing, and worst of all there's wood rot in the sheathing below the windows behind the stucco . . . again!! I don't know if this is primarily a window problem, an installation problem, a stucco problem, or some of all, but my experience with all wood windows has not been good to say the least. Hopefully, new windows, installed and sealed properly will keep my home from becoming a bigger money pit! With all that we have spent on maintenance and repairs, we could have paid for at least half of our new windows by now. I a hopeful to find a solution :-)

This is a small house. The right elevation depicts a living room window, master shower and 2nd floor bedroom. Small lot with homes on either side so I wasn't too concerned with the look of the sides. Agree, elevations aren't detailed enough. The builder and I acknowledge that. House is southern facing on small lot and we actually do have many homes with dark roofs here in FL. I'm definitely not using stucco panels. It will be the "usual" stucco typically used in FL. How about a medium toned brick on the front, say near or at the botttom of the window line, stucco above that and then Hardie above the front porch? Then with the stucco sides it wouldn't be such a drastic switch from all Hardie front to then stucco sides?