Although, we won’t be visiting the site for a few months, our contractor, J Martin Builders will keep the build moving forward. Jason told us he expects the house to be finished mid-late July, so now that our little beach house has sold, we can start preparing for our move. Y’all we’ve been dreaming about this day for 20 years, so you can imagine our excitement level. In today’s post, I’ll share details about our exterior choices, including our board and batten siding, trim, soffits, stone veneer, and shingle roof. Finally, I’ll share a bit about moving logistics, as well as a build and interior design update.
LP Board and Batten
Board and batten style siding is enjoying a resurgence and is a good way to create visual interest in an otherwise blank wall. The term “board and batten” refers to a type of siding where thin strips of wood molding—or “battens”—are placed over the seams of panel boards. The result is an aesthetic that is both rustic and chic, with the strong vertical lines providing shadows and textures to the home exterior.
Since the U.S. was first settled by Europeans, board and batten were used for outbuildings, such as barns and sheds. That’s why some areas of the country still call it “barn siding.” Batten strips were used over the seams of the panel boards, creating a siding that helped to stop the outside elements from entering through the joints, keeping farm animals warm through the harsh winters.
Today’s modern board and batten siding has many different design looks, including:
- Installing panels vertically
- Using thin battens
- Using wider battens
- Using thinner batten strips on top of wider battens
- Varying thin and wide battens
- Installing board and batten siding on full exterior or to accent a wall/feature
- Using board and batten on second story
- Mixing board and batten with stone or brick veneer
The LP board and batten we’re using provides texture, character and a cozy warmth to the exterior. While board and batten siding options are typically wood, it can be made from vinyl, fiber cement or steel. But when it comes to durability, engineered wood siding is a smarter buy compared to solid wood siding because it mimics its look, but features greater durability and easier maintenance.
The LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding is an engineered wood siding that features proprietary technology for protection against hail, wind, moisture, fungal decay and termites. Combining LP SmartSide panels with trim to create a board and batten look is a smart way to get the durability you’re looking for with a warranty you’ll appreciate. The LP can also be less expensive to install because it is lighter than Hardi board and is not as brittle. When installed as instructed, LP’s SmartSide is Class III fire rated, which means it should last about an hour before breaching the inside of the house.
Soffits
Our builder found wood look metal soffits that are attractive and have vents holes less than 1/8.” The small vents ensure that wildfire embers cannot get into our attic space. Using this option or a non-combustible mesh 1/8 inch or less, as well as enclosing eaves and fascia with noncombustible materials helps protect homes from wildfires. You can find more about preparing your home against wildfires in prior posts I did about our garden.
Natural Stone Veneer
The natural stone veneer on our exterior is called Moose Mountain. It is quarried from a mountain top rock formation located in NW Montana. The smokey grey with tan and chocolate tones and lineal profile give the exterior a rustic touch. There is an art to mixing colors, so we’re grateful to John for finding the perfect mix for our subcontractors to install. This stone, Argillite is everywhere in the valley–lining the bottom of creek beds, along hiking trails, layered throughout road cuts, in the cliffs around Flathead Lake, piled at the corners of plowed fields, as well as covering fireplace hearths and floors. It’s the predominant rock in Glacier National Park, which is located just a few miles to our northeast.
The natural stone serves as an anchor, grounding the home in its surroundings. Stone is an essential material in mid-century modern architecture because it adds texture, durability, and a sense of permanence to the design. The stone and wood on the porch posts and beams, as well as front door will add more natural elements, which are crucial to our MCM design. The wood and B & B siding balances the modern feel of our dark Jasper paint by Sherwin Williams.
Asphalt Shingle Roof
Thanks to J Martin Builders, we saved about $30,000 on our roof. They suggested we switch from metal to Owens Corning TruDefinition Duration asphalt shingles. We liked the dramatic color contrast and dimension it offers for the price. The roof isn’t really visible from most of the outside, so we weren’t worried about the look changing the style. The only spot you really see the roof is from the north side, where the ground has a steep slope down. No one is going to be standing on the hillside looking up at the house. Once you get to the bottom of the hill, it opens up into our meadow. If you turn around, you’ll see the house from about 50 feet away. We liked the metal roof for fire prevention, but Owens Corning asphalt shingles also offer protection. They are a Class A fire classification roof covering when installed to codes IBC Sections 1505.1 and R902.1.
Build Update
In addition to the exterior work, the painters have primed and applied the first coat of our interior paint color, Greek Villa by Sherwin Williams. They’ll be back to add a second coat of paint once the house is near completion. Greek Villa is a warm white paint color that will help balance the cool light of our north-facing rooms. We’ll still get plenty of light, thanks to the 11′ by 7′ windows in the dining room and entry windows on the south-facing walls. This paint color has the perfect amount of warmth with a soft, muted yellow undertone. The LRV rating of 84 makes it on the bright side of paint colors which will bring brightness to our rooms. Y’all, do you know how many white paint colors there is in the world? A lot! This website has some of the best descriptions and coordinating colors for all kinds of Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore paints:
As you can see in the photos below, our build team is doing an excellent job turning our SketchUp design into our dream home.
Moving
We’ve just booked our movers and yikes; it is expensive to move across country!! We could have saved several thousand dollars by using a POD moving service, but we’re not convinced these movers would handle our possessions with the care we expect. We saved a lot by packing everything ourselves, but if you’re willing to pack, lug boxes and heavy furniture out of your home and into your new home, you could save even more money. You’d also need to drive the stuff across the country to save the most money. Y’all, we are too smart to be moving heavy stuff, so it is worth the money for us to hire a reputable moving company.
We’re received quotes with Good Greek Moving & Storage and International Van Lines about helping with our move. These companies will carry all the boxes and furniture down our stairs and into the moving truck. Once the truck is packed up, they will drive it to NW Montana and put all our things into our new home. We expect it will take them about 2 – 2 1/2 weeks to get to Montana. We plan to pack up the beach house and get it on the truck about a week before our road trip to Montana from South Florida. If all goes to plan, our stuff should arrive within a day or two of our arrival.
We chose International Van Lines for several reasons:
- Cost – Intl Van Lines estimate was $13,000 less than Good Greek
- How they calculate your move – Intl Van Lines is charging us $7.50 per cubic foot, so it is relatively easy to calculate the cost within a few dollars
- Service – Jordan/Intl Van Lines (954-519-5790) provided lots of really helpful information about all the ins and outs of moving, including how insurance works, additional fees and an estimate in writing verses Good Greek’s verbal quote
- Transparency – Intl Van Lines provided the required Rights & Responsibilities, as well as a helpful moving checklist. Good Greek did not provide any of these things
https://theinternationalvanlines.com
Interior Design Update
If you’ve read prior posts, you know we are leaving a lot of furniture and decor items at our sold beach house. The buyers loved our style and asked for these things in our real estate negotiations. We traded our “beachy” furniture and decor for a two month “free” lease back after closing. It’s a win-win for everyone. We don’t want to go into debt, so we’ll be purchasing just the critical furnishings for our new house. I’m not taking our houseplants, so we’ll be looking at indoor plants from local and online vendors. I really like Easyplant for their selection and self-watering pots. Find out more at the website: https://easyplant.com/
In the photos below you’ll see some of the pieces that we’ll need to replace, including a sectional, lounge chairs, bedroom furniture, rugs and more. We’re loving the combination of walnut with some beige neutrals, as well as deep orange and green for our color palette.
Living
Primary Suite
Office
Mudroom/Laundry
Plants
We’ve gotten all the permanent finishes selected and ordered – stone, tiles, wood flooring, cabinets, etc., so now I can start focusing on furnishings. We’ll be bringing many personal decor pieces, ones that recall fun memories and adventures. Since we’re leaving behind many large furniture pieces, we’ll need to start with the basics like a sectional and coffee table for the living room and a king bed and side tables for our primary suite. I prefer a collected home verses a showroom home, so we’ll pick up other pieces at local auctions, garage sales and vintage shops. Taking our time will not only make our home cozy, but it will save up to 30% by avoiding tariffs. Not to mention the ecological benefit of reusing perfectly good furniture and decor.
Our project manager, John said our wood floors should be delivered next week. We should also see our front door installed, so that is exciting. In my next post, I’ll share another build update, as well as our cross-country road trip plans. You’ll want to subscribe below to follow us on this journey:
Design, Garden, & Travel by Majestic Meadows 
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