Even coursing for lap siding — avoiding the sliver top row under the soffit
Running every board at max exposure leaves an ugly sliver under the soffit. Even coursing shrinks the reveal just enough (108″ ÷ 16 = 6¾″) so all courses are equal and the top one lands clean at the eave.
What this diagram shows
Two wall elevations of the same 108-inch-tall wall compared. On the left (wrong), every board runs at its maximum 7-inch exposure, so after 15 full courses only a 3-inch sliver is left jammed under the soffit — an ugly cut that is hard to nail. On the right (correct), the exposure is reduced slightly to 6¾ inches so that 16 equal courses fill the wall and the top course lands cleanly at the eave. The adjusted exposure is the wall height divided by the course count: 108 inches ÷ 16 = 6¾ inches.
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