Applying different (exterior) finish to a part of a wall; wall breaks

[Houska]

I want to apply a different exterior cladding to a rectangular area of an otherwise uniform exterior wall, the area hand-outlined in blue in the pic below. (The idea is to bring the windows visually together).

 

If it were the whole horizonal span of the wall, I'd just create an (exterior) wall covering on that wall, e.g. from height 12" to 102".

Since it's not the whole span, just around those 3 windows, I'm mucking around breaking the wall at the precise distance from the windows I want. But HD(Pro 2024) is insisting on putting the wall breaks at the nearby intersection points with the perpendicular railings instead - which would make sense if I were genuinely structurally breaking the wall, but I just want to change the cladding.

 

It doesn't seem to be an edit behaviors/snapping issue, but something about walls specifically. I figured there must be a setting somewhere on "how short a wall can I create in HD", but I haven't found it, in Preferences or Default settings for the plan.

 

What am I doing wrong?

 

The default I-can't-figure-out-how-to-do-this-better kludge of just pasting on a soffit would be annoying to implement, since I don't want to cover up the windows and I will be experimenting with their shape and size.

[solver]

Use a custom backsplash. Draw a rectangle over the windows -- the program will automatically make holes for the windows.

[Houska]

1 hour ago, solver said:

Use a custom backsplash.

Works like a charm, much appreciated.

[RoneyC]

On 10/8/2023 at 12:46 PM, solver said:

Use a custom backsplash.

Custom backsplash is such an  innocuous name for such a powerful tool!

Don't even get me started on the SLAB tool, just WOW!

 

[Robborito]

Well what do you know - I have learnt something here tonight.(my time)  

The 'backsplash'  is indeed a handy tool - on external faces so it seems.

Jeff.

[Arnoldtailor]

Try making a new type of wall that has the cladding you want and just use it where you need it, like around the windows. If that doesn't work, use small soffits or slabs instead, and be careful to fit them around the windows without blocking them. If the snapping is the problem, see if you can turn it off for a bit so you can place things more freely.