Hey!

So I am about 90% finished insulating the foundation (mono pour) or my 55 x 65 workshop.

This means in a week or two I am starting to put up walls (2 x 6).

Problem, I still have no idea what I am using for siding!

My first problem is I have a verrrrrrrry tight budget.

My second problem is I hate vinyl siding.

I started looking into Hardie plank .. about $4 sq ft finished.

LP smart siding board and batten … $2.30 sq ft primed … then paint ???

Everlast board and batten … $4.50 per ft .. 1/4″ thick plastic.

A quick estimate … 5,000 sq ft of exterior !

Plus trim!

I am looking at $25k for the exterior … or more!!!!

Plus, when I read the instructions, they all seem very fussy about installation … how much clearance, nail depth, treating cut ends, ……

So, I called a local lumber  mill …. most of their lumber is $1.50 a board ft.

The farmer next door just happened to be over when I was calling … said he used just some simple lap siding .. ran it vertical .. gave the look of  T1-11  .. been there 20 plus years  …  just pine, not even stained or painted!

My only guess here is that it is a barn and so much air goes through it just drys quick … I am putting it over a wall as siding.

So I looked up vertical lap siding …

Now I am totally confused.

Since it just laps over each other, why does not water just pour in ?

If I ran strapping over the house wrap to give a drain plane, the strapping would need to be horizontal … you get pockets but no air movement!

I found a site clearly showing the siding used this way but how ?????

Here is the link:  https://www.buffalo-lumber.com/channel-siding/

Just a short way down the page it shows a red building with white trim.

Will this work?

Won’t water come in?

How do I do the strapping?

The local yard says their pieces are random lengths from 10 to 16 ft … my walls are 16 ft so most boards will have a joint.  From the picture, it looks like they just butt the piece?  Maybe cut them at a 45?  I thought I might need them to be the same length and use Z trim?

I am guessing I would just stain this stuff first (all sides) then nail it up?

And maybe one last question … is there an affordable siding … vertical if possible … that would be in the range or just a bit more than vinyl?

Thanks!!!!!!!

Mike