The Block 2024 showcases popular board and batten trend

If you could choose one word to describe the house transformations on The Block 2024, you might choose beautiful, breathtaking or simply inspiring. The homes also showcase the latest trend in exterior style and home design: board and batten.

Architect on The Block 2024, Julian Brenchley, concurs and has utilised this trend in the homes seen on the show, most recently in House 1, which exhibits a visually striking exterior embodying the versatility of the board and batten look.

“Board and Batten is so versatile; it lends itself to so many applications and so many projects that it's no wonder that it's popular!” says Julian Brenchley.

It’s a design approach that adds architectural interest and depth to a building, suitable for various styles of modern design. It provides an opportunity for creative customisation, allowing adjustments in size and spacing for specific design goals.

How do we know it’s a style worth exploring? Because we’ve seen it develop and grow for a few years, including on The Block. Let’s explore its current and previous iterations and how to bring this stunning look to life, with help from architect Julian Brenchley fresh from the set of The Block 2024.

What is board and batten home design?

Traditionally, board and batten wall cladding starts with wide vertical boards, which are then joined together by thin vertical battens to cover the seams. In Australia, board and batten siding has roots in coastal housing where historically this look has been used for beach shacks and holiday homes.

Today, wide panels are used as the primary cladding and the batten strips are typically decorative, which gives home designers lots of creative licence. By playing with the batten spacing and profile, you can create more contemporary looks.

A closer look at how board and batten exterior cladding by James Hardie transformed House 1 on The Block 2024

As the teams from The Block 2024 Phillip Island descended upon the small town of Cowes, at James Hardie we suspected seeing yet another execution of board and batten cladding, and we were not let down!

House 1 embraced the versatile board and batten style, adopting a mixture of texture and profiles. The embedded sand-like texture of Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding provides a fine matte finish against the smooth Hardie™ Axent™ Trim battens.

Closer batten spacing created a highly detailed aesthetic for a beautiful, craftsmanship-look finish. The dark, monochromatic colour palette also puts an ultra-modern twist on the board and batten look for striking curb-appeal.

“It really is as simple as a board and batten,” says architect Julian Brenchley. “We chose Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding with the Hardie™ Axent™ Trim batten over the top. It gives a profoundly cool look to the facade.”

An emerging trend: board and batten on our screens

Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a board and batten house transformation on The Block.

“That's totally our fault!” says architect Julian Brenchley. “We've  championed board and batten and made it a thing. Board and batten is a really easy pattern that creates a unique Australian look that can lend itself to rural, coastal or urban, depending on how you do it.” 

Flashback to The Block 2023, when Steph and Gian delivered the breathtaking House 4. They also used Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding and Hardie™ Axent™ Trim to bring the look to life.

“I think it’s really important for beginner renovators to know when you choose the timeless board and batten look you can paint the James Hardie brand products any colour you choose, which can dramatically change the look of the house and add that curbside appeal,” says architect Steph.

But that wasn’t the first time we saw board and batten on The Block – its first foray was actually back in 2022. The Block 2022’s House 4 starred a modern extension with a light-filled, open-plan living space with grand windows.

The real show-stopper in the design of the pavilion extension was the board and batten architectural style. The distinctive look was also achieved with Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding and Hardie™ Axent™ Trim.

What this demonstrates is not just striking, beautiful design, but the evolution of a trend that’s here to stay. Read on to find out more about how to bring the look to life.

Renovating with board and batten

“Cladding both the extension and the existing house in Hardie™ exterior cladding creates a homogenous design that doesn't look ‘bitsy’. It’s very achievable, and you can get an absolutely amazing outcome,” says architect Julian Brenchley.

Hardie™ exterior cladding can be applied over brick to update an existing home, or used to contrast on an upper level or an extension. The design opportunities are endless, and by using Hardie™ Axent™ Trim to add the batten spacing there is an extra opportunity to add detail: the battens can be close together for a more modern spin, or further apart for a more traditional vibe, or even a mixture of both.

Hardie™ products that create the board and batten style

Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding: Perfect for creating the board and batten look. The embedded sand-like texture provides a fine matte finish against smooth Hardie™ Axent™ Trim battens. The 1200mm panel length makes it easy to adopt consistent yet unique spacings to apply the battens at 200mm, 300mm or 400mm.

Without the weight of masonry, Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding provides the ability to create weightless and bold designs. The render look feels calming and uncluttered compared with the busyness of a brick wall. The panels also come pre-sealed and ready to paint, giving you the freedom to choose any colour.

Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding is durable and lower maintenance than traditional cement render to stay looking good for many years to come.

Hardie™ Brushed Concrete Cladding: Another strong choice for bringing board and batten siding to life. Hardie™ Brushed Concrete Cladding and Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding are both embedded texture panels, so can be installed in the same way for a board and batten look. The main difference is the texture. With a texture reminiscent of softly-brushed concrete, Hardie™ Brushed Concrete Cladding delivers an exterior finish that’s visually sophisticated and dynamic.

Hardie™ Axent™ Trim: Add the perfect finishing touches to a new home or renovation with Hardie™ Axent™ Trim. Hardie™ Axent™ Trim is a durable batten for creating a modern board and batten look. Available in 89mm, 70mm or 45mm widths and 19mm or 38mm thickness options, the depth helps to create the impression of solidness and crisp clean edges. Hardie™ Axent™ Trim is also resistant to shrinking, swelling and warping.

Technical details of board and batten

We asked Julian Brenchley for the need to know on a creating board and batten look.

How do the boards work with the trim?

“Using Hardie™ Axent™ Trim saves the builders a bunch of heartache because you can use it on the corners, to cover over joints in panels and to create board and batten: a modulated facade.”

How do you create visual balance with horizontal lines?

“It comes down to the way you use it to cover joins and modulate the facade, get rhythm, get a really strong vision, using the Hardie™ Axent™ Trim.” 

How does using Hardie™ products compare to traditional board and batten?

“It's 100 per cent straight and true. You're dealing with a product that is not going to vary over the entirety of a project. With timber, the mill can vary the size of the board, which is a real pain for that carpenter on site.”