Ferndale Board & Batten Siding in Custer: Built for What This Corner of Whatcom County Throws at a House
Custer sits out in the open part of Whatcom County, close enough to the water and the county line that homes here take a different kind of weather beating than a house tucked into town. Wind comes across open farmland with nothing to slow it down, salt air drifts in off the Strait, and the low gray months bring driving rain that hits siding sideways instead of straight down. Board and batten is a popular look out here for a reason — it reads as a farmhouse or modern-barn style that fits the rural character of Custer, and the vertical board pattern actually sheds water differently than horizontal lap siding. But "different" doesn't automatically mean "better protected." A board and batten installation is only as good as the material underneath it and the flashing details around every seam, and in this climate those details are what separate a wall system that lasts decades from one that starts failing at the battens in five or six years.
Why Board & Batten Needs to Be Right in This Climate
Board and batten siding is a vertical system: wide boards run up the wall with narrower battens covering the seams between them. It's a simple idea, but it creates more vertical joints and more fastener penetrations per square foot than a horizontal lap pattern does. Every one of those joints is a place water can get behind the cladding if it isn't detailed correctly, and in Custer's combination of driving rain and near-constant humidity, "correctly" isn't optional.
The three things this area does to siding
- Salt air: proximity to the water means airborne salt settles on exterior surfaces and accelerates corrosion on fasteners, trim, and any metal flashing that isn't rated for it.
- Driving rain: wind-driven rain doesn't just run down a wall, it gets pushed sideways and upward into laps, seams, and butt joints — exactly the joints a board and batten pattern has more of.
- A long moss season: Whatcom County's wet stretch runs long, and anything that holds moisture against the wall — swollen wood fibers, failed caulk, a batten that's cupped away from the board — gives moss and algae a foothold that keeps working on the material underneath.
Why We Only Install James Hardie for This Application
Board and batten is sold in a lot of materials — primed spruce, cedar, engineered wood like LP SmartSide, vinyl profiles made to look like board and batten, and fiber cement. We install James Hardie fiber cement exclusively, and on a vertical pattern with this many seams, the reasons matter more than usual.
What the alternatives get right, and where they fall short here
Cedar board and batten looks excellent and is a legitimate traditional choice — the trade-off is that it's an organic material that needs consistent refinishing to keep water out, and a vertical pattern with dozens of exposed seams is an unforgiving place to fall behind on maintenance. Primed spruce is the budget wood option, but the factory primer is a base coat, not a finish system, and it's the first thing to fail when moisture cycles through the wood. Engineered wood siding like LP SmartSide uses treated strand board and performs reasonably in drier climates, but any breach in its factory coating exposes a wood-based substrate that swells when it takes on water — and a driving-rain climate with a long wet season is a tough proving ground for that. Vinyl board and batten profiles are affordable and low-maintenance, but they're a thin plastic product that can warp in temperature swings, crack in cold snaps, and rely entirely on friction-fit installation rather than a solid fastened substrate — not the tightest system for a wind-exposed area.
James Hardie fiber cement is cement, sand, and cellulose fiber — it doesn't rot, it isn't a food source for moss or algae, and it holds up to direct water contact far better than any wood-based product. It's also non-combustible, which matters for a rural property in a fire-prone region. Hardie's ColorPlus factory finish is baked on and warranted against fading and peeling, so a Custer property doesn't need refinishing on the schedule that cedar or primed wood does. We stand behind it because it's engineered for exactly this kind of exposure, and we don't have to explain to a homeowner five years from now why a "board and batten look" product is showing swelling at every seam.
What a Correct Board & Batten Job Actually Involves
The look of board and batten is simple, but the install has more moving parts than lap siding, and skipping any of them is where callbacks come from.
The details that matter
- Weather-resistive barrier and rainscreen gap: a drainage plane behind the boards lets any water that does get past the surface drain and dry out instead of sitting against the sheathing.
- Fastener pattern and blind-nailing where possible: board and batten needs a fastening schedule that holds the boards flat without over-driving nails, which crushes the fiber cement and opens a water path.
- Batten spacing and coverage: battens need to actually cover the board seam with enough overlap margin that seasonal movement doesn't expose a gap.
- Flashing at every horizontal transition: window heads, belly bands, and the base of the wall need step or drip-cap flashing — this is where driving rain finds its way in if it's skipped.
- Caulk as backup, not primary defense: caulk fills small gaps but shouldn't be the only thing keeping water out of a seam; the flashing and lap details do the real work.
- Corrosion-resistant fasteners: given the salt air out here, fastener and flashing metal needs to be rated for coastal exposure, not just standard galvanized.
Our Process for a Custer Board & Batten Project
What to expect from start to finish
- On-site walkthrough: we look at the existing wall assembly, note any water damage or rot already present, and check exposure — which walls take the most wind-driven rain and sun.
- Tear-off and sheathing check: old siding comes off and we inspect the sheathing underneath before anything new goes up. This is the step that catches hidden moisture problems before they get covered again.
- Weather barrier and rainscreen install: the drainage plane goes on correctly, with attention to seams, laps, and every penetration.
- Board and batten install: Hardie boards go up plumb and level with the correct fastening schedule, followed by battens set to proper spacing and reveal.
- Flashing and trim: window, door, and roofline transitions get flashed before trim goes on, not caulked over afterward.
- Final walkthrough: we go over the finished wall with the homeowner and confirm everything lines up with what was quoted.
Why It Matters That We Already Work in Custer
A lot of siding problems in this part of Whatcom County trace back to a crew that installed a great-looking wall using a detail set built for a drier, calmer climate somewhere else. A crew that already works Custer and the Ferndale area knows which walls on a given lot orientation take the worst of the wind-driven rain, how much salt exposure to plan fastener and flashing selection around, and how long the wet season really runs when it comes to sequencing a project around weather windows. That local knowledge doesn't show up as a line item on an estimate, but it shows up ten years later in whether the battens are still flat and the seams are still tight.
Cost Factors for Board & Batten Siding
Board and batten typically costs somewhat more than standard lap siding per square foot, mainly because of the added batten material and labor for the extra fastening and flashing detail. Actual pricing depends on the specifics of the house, but the factors below are what move the number up or down.
| Factor | Why It Affects Cost |
|---|---|
| Wall complexity | More corners, windows, and transitions mean more flashing and cut boards |
| Tear-off scope | Removing old siding and repairing damaged sheathing adds labor before install even starts |
| Board width and reveal | Wider boards with fewer battens install faster than a tight, narrow-board pattern |
| Color and finish | Factory ColorPlus finish costs more upfront than field-painted but removes a recurring repaint expense |
| Site access | Rural lots with long driveways or limited staging area can affect labor time |
Signs Your Current Siding Is Already Losing the Battle
- Soft or spongy spots when you press on boards, especially near the base of walls
- Battens that have cupped, warped, or pulled away from the boards beneath them
- Persistent moss or algae staining that comes right back after cleaning
- Visible gaps at seams or around window and door trim
- Peeling or bubbling paint, particularly on wood or engineered wood products
- Rust streaking from fasteners or metal flashing
If you're weighing board and batten for a home in Custer or elsewhere around Ferndale, we're glad to take a look and give you a straight, no-pressure estimate on what the job actually involves for your property — there's a form below to get that started.