Birch Bay Siding Board & Batten Siding for Custer Homes
Board and batten has picked up steam around Custer over the past several years, and it's easy to see why — the vertical lines suit both the working farmhouses scattered across this flat agricultural stretch of Whatcom County and the newer construction filling in around them. It's a clean, distinctive look. But board and batten is also a joint pattern before it's anything else, and every vertical seam between a board and its batten is a place water can try to work its way behind the siding. Custer sits a few miles inland from the Salish Sea, without much in the way of hills, tree lines, or other structures to break the wind, so this is a climate that pushes rain sideways into a wall more than it drops it straight down. On a profile built entirely out of vertical joints, how those joints are built matters more than which siding brand ends up on the invoice.
We install James Hardie fiber cement board and batten exclusively, and we build every seam, fastening pattern, and flashing detail around what Custer's climate actually does to a wall over ten, twenty, and thirty years — not around what looks good on installation day.
What Custer's Climate Asks of a Board & Batten Wall
Open, Flat Terrain and Wind-Driven Rain
Custer's agricultural flatland doesn't offer much of a windbreak, so storms moving in off the Strait of Georgia hit walls here with more direct force than they would in a more sheltered inland setting. Wind-driven rain finds every seam it can, and board and batten has a lot more seam length per square foot than a standard lap profile. A batten that's caulked tight instead of properly lapped and back-vented becomes a spot where wind-driven rain gets pushed in rather than shed off.
Marine Air, Even This Far Inland
Custer doesn't take the direct salt spray a waterfront property on Birch Bay does, but it's still close enough to the Salish Sea that salt-laden marine air reaches it regularly, especially during winter storms. Board and batten uses more fasteners per square foot than most profiles, since both the boards and the battens over them need to be secured, so getting the fastener spec right — corrosion-resistant, correctly sized, correctly spaced — matters more here than it would on a simpler wall.
A Long Moss and Mildew Season
Mild, damp conditions across most of the year give moss and mildew a long window to establish themselves on Whatcom County homes, and shaded or north-facing walls in Custer are no exception. A batten set tight against a board with no room for airflow traps moisture right where it can't dry out, which over time shows up as staining, softened substrate, and paint failure right along the seam — exactly the kind of slow-developing problem that's easy to miss until it's already established.
Why Product Choice Matters More on This Profile
Board and batten amplifies whatever weaknesses a siding material already has, simply because there's more joint length and more exposed edge for weather to work against. That's part of why we don't offer LP SmartSide, vinyl, Cemplank, Allura, primed spruce, or cedar board and batten. Those are legitimate products, and other contractors install them competently — but on a profile with this many seams, in a climate that stays wet and wind-exposed most of the year, we standardized on one system we trust completely.
| Material | Behavior at Batten Seams | Maintenance in This Climate | Realistic Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Hardie fiber cement | Dimensionally stable; doesn't swell or cup at the joint | Low; factory finish resists moss and fading | 30+ years with proper install |
| LP SmartSide (engineered wood) | More sensitive to moisture at cut edges and fastener holes | Moderate; edge sealing needs upkeep | 15-25 years, climate-dependent |
| Vinyl | Can gap or warp at battens under wind load and temperature swings | Low, but hidden moisture problems are hard to spot | 20-30 years, variable |
| Cedar | Absorbs moisture readily at every seam without regular sealing | High; repainting or resealing on a recurring cycle | 15-25 years with consistent upkeep |
James Hardie's fiber cement core doesn't expand and contract with moisture the way wood-based products do, which is exactly the property that matters most on a profile made entirely of vertical seams exposed to wind-driven rain. The factory-applied ColorPlus finish also means field-cut edges are the exception we prime on site, not the rule — unlike a field-painted material where every board face depends on paint holding up outdoors, year after year, in this weather.
What a Correct Board & Batten Install Actually Involves
The finished look of board and batten is simple — vertical boards, battens over the seams — but a correct install has more happening behind that surface than most siding profiles:
- House wrap or weather-resistive barrier installed and lapped correctly before any siding goes up
- A drainage gap or rainscreen behind the siding so moisture that does get past the surface can dry out instead of sitting against the wall
- Boards fastened with corrosion-resistant fasteners at the manufacturer's specified spacing, not just enough to hold the material in place
- Battens set with the clearance James Hardie's install spec calls for, rather than caulked tight, so the wall can shed water instead of trapping it
- Properly flashed and lapped transitions at windows, doors, corners, and the base of the wall, where board and batten's vertical run meets a horizontal surface
- Factory-cured ColorPlus finish preserved by cutting boards face-down and priming any field-cut edges before installation
Skip any one of these and the wall can still look right for a season or two. The problems that show up when a step gets skipped — staining at seams, soft spots near the base, paint failure along battens — take a few wet Whatcom County winters to appear, which is exactly why a corner-cutting install can get away with it until the homeowner is the one dealing with the consequences.
Our Process for a Custer Board & Batten Project
Walkthrough and Assessment
We start by looking at the specific walls involved — which face the prevailing wind and rain most directly on an open, exposed lot, which sit in shade longer and dry more slowly, and whether the existing wall assembly already has moisture issues that need addressing before new siding goes up. Installing board and batten over a wall with hidden rot or inadequate drainage just buries the same problem under new material.
Detailing the Plan Before Install Day
We work out batten spacing, corner details, and how the siding will meet windows, trim, and rooflines before crews start cutting material. On a profile with this many seams, settling those details on paper first avoids the kind of field improvisation that's where corners tend to get cut.
Installation to Manufacturer Spec
Every fastener, gap, and flashing lap follows James Hardie's published installation requirements for this climate zone, not a generic national standard. That's part of what keeps the manufacturer's warranty intact, and part of why the wall performs the way it's supposed to for decades rather than years.
Final Walkthrough
We walk the finished job with you, cover what actual maintenance looks like for board and batten (there's very little with this material, but it's worth knowing), and make sure you know what to look for if you ever want to check the wall yourself down the road.
Why Hire a Crew That Already Works Custer
Board and batten rewards experience with this specific stretch of Whatcom County in a way a lot of siding profiles don't, because the failure points are subtle and slow to surface. A crew that's installed this profile across Custer's open, wind-exposed properties through multiple wet seasons already knows which orientations need extra attention because of prevailing wind and rain direction, how much clearance a batten actually needs in a climate this damp versus what a generic install guide assumes, and where a rainscreen gap earns its keep on a flat, exposed lot versus a more sheltered one. That's judgment that doesn't show up on a spec sheet, and it's the difference between a board and batten wall that still looks and performs the same in fifteen years and one that's showing seam staining by year five.
Cost Factors for Board & Batten in This Area
Board and batten typically runs more per square foot than standard lap siding, mainly because of the added material (battens on top of boards) and the extra labor involved in fastening and detailing two layers instead of one. Beyond the base material, a few things move the price on a given Custer property:
| Factor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Wall exposure and orientation | Open, wind-facing walls on flat agricultural lots often need extra attention to flashing and fastening detail |
| Existing wall condition | Rot or moisture damage found during tear-off needs repair before new siding goes up |
| Batten spacing and reveal | Tighter spacing uses more material and more fastening labor |
| Trim and window detailing | More openings mean more flashing and finish work around each one |
| Access and site conditions | Outbuildings, long driveways, or limited equipment access can add labor time on rural Custer properties |
We'll walk your specific property and give you real numbers rather than a rough estimate off square footage alone — two homes with the same footprint can end up with very different board and batten costs depending on how many of these factors are actually in play.
Getting It Right the First Time
Board and batten is not a forgiving profile to redo. Because the battens cover the seams between boards, correcting a bad install usually means pulling battens, boards, or both, rather than a simple patch. That's part of why we treat the planning and detailing phase of these projects as seriously as the install itself — the cost of getting it right the first time is a lot lower than the cost of tearing out a wall that was installed wrong on an exposed Custer lot.
A Quick Checklist Before Hiring for Board & Batten in Custer
- Ask specifically how they handle batten clearance, drainage gaps, and flashing at window and door transitions
- Confirm current Washington contractor licensing and active liability insurance
- Ask what fastener spec they use and whether it's rated for marine-influenced air, even this far inland
- Get a written scope that separates the manufacturer's product warranty from the contractor's installation warranty
- Ask how they'd handle a wall found to have hidden rot or moisture damage once old siding comes off
If you're weighing board and batten for a home in Custer, we're happy to walk the property, talk through what your specific walls need given their orientation and exposure, and give you a straightforward, no-pressure estimate. There's a form below — reach out and we'll set up a time to take a look.