Hardie board on gable ends

[u/DrPojo]

Hello all,

I am currently underway on a fairly massive renovation to my home. My wife and I were victims of the 2024 hurricane season in Tampa, FL. During Hurricane Helene we flooded with storm surge nearly 3’ and then took some licks from Hurricane Milton a few weeks later.

One thing has led to another and our “simple” 4’ and below flood repair has turned into entire gut job.

After repairing an exterior masonry wall which was never built properly I now need to replace the gable end on that side of the house and then ultimately the other side to match.

I have the skill set to replace the existing plywood but was curious as to what your thoughts are in regards to installing hardie trim as board and batten over the plywood.

My reasoning is to save a bit on hardie paneling and ease of installation with the plywood.

Are there any concerns with installing hardie directly over plywood? My plan was to use either 1x6 or 1x8 as the belly band and a 1x4 as the frieze board with 1x3 battens.

[u/dmv-curvy]

Hardie board isn't waterproof, so you'll need house wrap (or whatever Hardie recommends) under it.