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Heartland Your Home
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Modern farmhouse design spurs revival of board-and-batten siding
By Jim Weiker More Content Now
H
omebuilders are turning the siding industry on its head. Contractors and architects are breathing new life into vertical boardand-batten siding. Long a staple on old farmhouses and some niche styles such as Gothic revival — check out the siding in the Grant Wood painting “American Gothic” — board-andbatten had long been overshadowed by horizontal lap and shingle siding. But board-and-batten is now dressing up all types of homes, from modest to magnificent, from hip urban condos to suburban additions and rural estates. In Columbus, Ohio, half of the 16 homes featured in this year’s Parade of Homes included boardand-batten, typically as an accent but in a few cases as the main cladding. “It can be used in a broad spectrum of styles,” said Bob Skinner, president of Sierra Custom Homes, whose parade home includes a boardand-batten accent. Traditionally, boardand-batten siding consisted of 10- or 12-inch vertical planks (”board”) stood side to side, with seams covered by narrow strips (“batten”). The siding for years was an inexpensive alternative to lap siding, which required beveled narrow planks. The style started to enjoy a resurgence a decade or so ago with the emergence of modern farmhouse design, said Tim Cook, the director of design for M/I Homes, which has used boardand-batten for years in its
New Albany communities. “It’s a great look,” Cook said. “Everybody likes it.” The style took a big step forward when manufacturers introduced alternatives to wood planks, which can be expensive, timeconsuming to install and vulnerable to the elements. The James Hardie company makes cement-board sheets up to 4-by-10-feet that can be used in place of the boards and then covered with decorative batten strips. Siding manufacturer CertainTeed started making PVC This recently remodeled Worthington, Ohio home used vertical siding to complement its rural design. PHOTO BY JIM WEIKER/THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH board-and-batten siding about 10 years ago and Lloyd Wright started to ledgestone, and when Wil- panel shutters,” Taylor now offers three styles. said. “The demand for board- become more well-known, liamsburg was discovered everybody discovered by the Rockefellers, it was “Now it’s farmhouse.” and-batten has steadily increased since its introduction,” said Brian Kirn, senior marketing manager for the Pennsylvania-based company. “The drive in the demand is due to shifts in style. Homeowners like the contemporary look and contrast that the vertical accent and contrasting colors provide.” Developer Connie Klema used board-andbatten for six tall, narrow homes she built on Summit Street in Italian Village. “This style goes well with that vertical look,” Klema said. “The boardand-batten played into the tallness and sleekness of the architecture. … It’s like soldiers, standing straight in a row.” Residential architect Richard Taylor, owner of RTA Studio, loves boardand-batten for cottages and farmhouses, and he is using the siding on a farmhouse he is designing. But he worries that it could be overused. “It just goes with the INSTITUTION NMLS: 539097 times. When Frank
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