What's the real difference between board and batten and standard lap siding in terms of long-term performance?

Both can perform well when installed correctly, but board and batten relies on flashed, properly fastened battens to protect its vertical seams, while lap siding relies on overlapping horizontal courses. Board and batten is less forgiving of installation shortcuts because a poorly detailed batten joint gives wind-driven rain a direct path behind the siding. The material underneath matters more than the pattern chosen on top.

How do I vet a siding contractor before hiring them for a Point Roberts job?

Ask how often they've actually worked on the peninsula, since border-crossing logistics and material staging trip up crews that haven't done it before. Confirm they're a licensed Washington contractor, ask what fastening and flashing standards they follow, and get a written estimate that spells out materials and scope rather than a vague verbal number.

Why does this company only install James Hardie siding instead of also offering wood or vinyl board and batten?

We standardized on James Hardie fiber cement because it holds up to sustained moisture and salt exposure better than wood or vinyl in our experience, carries a strong transferable warranty, and doesn't need a recurring repainting cycle. Wood and vinyl both have real uses, but we'd rather install one product well than several products with trade-offs we're not willing to put our name behind.

What is James Hardie's ColorPlus finish and why does it matter for a coastal property?

ColorPlus is a factory-applied, baked-on finish rather than field-applied paint, which gives it better resistance to fading, chalking, and chipping from sustained UV and salt exposure. For a Point Roberts home, that means the siding keeps its color and integrity longer without homeowners needing to plan a repainting cycle the way they would with wood siding.

Is it actually harder to get siding materials and crews into Point Roberts than the rest of Whatcom County?

Yes — Point Roberts is a U.S. exclave reachable by land only by crossing into Canada, so material deliveries and crew scheduling have to account for that border crossing. A crew that regularly works the peninsula builds that timing into the project from the estimate stage on, which avoids the delays that catch contractors unfamiliar with the area off guard.

Point Roberts Board & Batten Siding Installation

Point Roberts' Exposure Is Different, and Your Siding Has to Answer for It

Point Roberts sits out on its own peninsula at the tip of Boundary Bay, with water on three sides and very little standing between its homes and whatever the Strait throws at them. That means near-constant salt-laden air, driving rain that comes in sideways rather than straight down, and a long, damp season that keeps shaded walls and north faces wet enough for moss and algae to take hold and stay. Any exterior product installed here is working harder than the same product would on a home twenty miles inland in Whatcom County. Board and batten siding can handle that exposure well — but only when it's installed with that exposure specifically in mind, not treated like a standard lap job with a different pattern on top.

This page is about that one job, done right, in that one place: board and batten siding for Point Roberts homes, installed by a Birch Bay crew that already works this stretch of coastline and knows what it costs a wall when the details get skipped.

Why Board and Batten Fits Point Roberts Homes

Board and batten is a vertical siding pattern — wide boards run up the wall with narrow battens covering the seams between them. It's a look with real history on farmhouses and coastal cottages, and it's become a favorite again for waterfront and near-waterfront homes that want a cleaner, more vertical profile than traditional horizontal lap siding. On the peninsula, where a lot of homes sit close to the water with unobstructed views and equally unobstructed weather, that vertical line reads as intentional and current, and it pairs well with stone, shake, or trim accents without looking busy.

It's Not Just an Aesthetic Choice

The vertical orientation also changes how water moves across the wall. Instead of relying on horizontal laps to shed rain course by course, board and batten depends on the battens to cover and protect the vertical joints while water runs straight down the face. That's a good system — when the battens are flashed and fastened correctly. When they're not, those same vertical joints become the fastest path for wind-driven rain to get behind the siding, which in a driving-rain climate like this one is exactly the failure mode you want to avoid.

What a Correct Board and Batten Install Actually Requires

Board and batten looks simple from the street, but it's less forgiving of shortcuts than lap siding, because every seam is a vertical channel instead of a horizontal shingle line. On a marine site like Point Roberts, a handful of details separate a wall that holds up for decades from one that starts showing problems in a few years:

A rainscreen gap behind the panel. Furring strips create a drainage and drying space between the siding and the weather-resistive barrier, so any moisture that gets past the outer skin during driving rain has somewhere to go and dry out instead of sitting against the sheathing.
Corrosion-resistant fasteners. Salt air degrades standard fasteners faster than most homeowners expect. Hot-dip galvanized or stainless fasteners, driven per the manufacturer's fastening schedule, are non-negotiable this close to the water.
Fastening through both the panel and the batten at the spacing the manufacturer specifies — not just cosmetic battens tacked on for looks, which loosen and let water track behind the seam.
Caulking only where it's called for. Board and batten systems are engineered to let certain joints breathe and drain. Sealing everything shut traps moisture instead of managing it.
Flashing at every head, sill, and roof-wall intersection — especially kick-out flashing where a roofline meets a sidewall, which is one of the most common spots we find early rot and moss buildup on older Point Roberts homes.
Correct clearance from grade and roofing to keep the bottom of the siding out of standing water and splash-back.

Material Options for Board and Batten Siding

Homeowners looking into board and batten usually run across three material paths: wood, vinyl, and fiber cement. We only install one of them, and it's worth explaining why in plain terms rather than just saying so.

Material	Moisture & Rot Resistance	Salt Air Performance	Moss/Algae Resistance	Ongoing Maintenance
Wood (cedar/pine)	Fair — needs sealed end cuts and consistent upkeep	Weathers and grays quickly near the water	Absorbs moisture, feeds growth on shaded faces	Recoating/refinishing on a recurring cycle
Vinyl	Doesn't rot, but seams and battens can flex and warp	UV and salt exposure can fade and become brittle over time	Low absorption but growth still forms on the surface	Low, but limited repair options once damaged
James Hardie fiber cement	Engineered to resist moisture-driven warping and rot	Factory ColorPlus finish holds up to coastal sun and salt	Dense material resists the surface breakdown that feeds growth	Occasional rinsing; no recurring refinishing

We install James Hardie fiber cement board and batten exclusively — not wood, vinyl, or any other fiber cement brand. It's non-combustible, holds its factory finish through years of salt exposure and UV without repainting, and is backed by a strong transferable warranty. For a peninsula environment where the weather doesn't let up for long stretches of the year, that combination matters more than it does in a drier, more sheltered part of the county.

The Logistics of Working in Point Roberts

Point Roberts is a U.S. exclave — the only way to reach it by land is through Canada, crossing back into the U.S. at the Point Roberts border station. That's a well-known fact of life for anyone who lives or works there, but it's an easy thing for an outside contractor to underestimate. Material deliveries, crew scheduling, and equipment staging all have to account for a border crossing that a mainland Whatcom County job never has to think about.

A crew that hasn't worked the peninsula before tends to learn this the expensive way — a delayed load, a missed delivery window, extra trips that turn into extra cost passed on to the homeowner. A crew that already works Point Roberts regularly has that logistics figured out ahead of time, which is one of the more practical, if unglamorous, reasons local experience matters here as much as installation skill does.

Our Process for a Point Roberts Board and Batten Project

On-site assessment. We walk every elevation, check for existing moisture damage, note which walls take the worst salt and rain exposure, and measure for material.
Written estimate. Scope, materials, and a clear breakdown — no surprise add-ons buried in fine print.
Material staging. Deliveries are scheduled with the border crossing and site access factored in from the start, not discovered on install day.
Tear-off and prep. Old siding comes off, sheathing is inspected and repaired if needed, and any hidden moisture damage gets addressed before anything new goes up.
Rainscreen and weather barrier install. Furring strips and the WRB go in first, set up to drain and dry the way this climate demands.
Board and batten installation to spec. Panels, battens, and fasteners installed per James Hardie's published instructions — not a generic approximation of them.
Flashing, trim, and finish detailing. Every head, sill, and roof intersection gets flashed and finished before we call the job done.
Final walkthrough. We go over the finished work with the homeowner before wrapping up.

Living With Board and Batten in a Marine, Moss-Prone Climate

A correctly installed Hardie board and batten wall doesn't need much from a homeowner, but a little seasonal attention goes a long way this close to the water:

Rinse salt residue off exterior walls periodically, especially on faces that take direct spray or wind off the water.
Keep gutters and roof-to-wall junctions clear of leaves and debris — this is where trapped moisture and moss get their start.
Trim back vegetation crowding shaded or north-facing walls so those areas get airflow and some sun exposure to stay dry.
Do a yearly walk-around and check caulked joints, especially around windows and doors, for cracking or separation.
Watch for early moss or algae on the least sun-exposed walls and address it before it spreads, rather than after.

Because the factory ColorPlus finish is baked on rather than field-applied, there's no repainting cycle to keep up with — one of the bigger practical differences homeowners notice after switching from wood or older siding systems.

What Affects the Cost of a Board and Batten Project Here

Every home and lot is different, so we don't quote a job without seeing it, but the same handful of factors drive cost on most Point Roberts board and batten projects:

Total wall area and number of elevations, plus how much trim and detail work around windows, doors, and rooflines.
The condition of the existing siding and sheathing — hidden rot or moisture damage found during tear-off adds scope.
Whether a rainscreen and proper weather barrier are already in place or need to be built in from scratch.
Site access and material staging, which on this peninsula factors in border logistics along with the usual site conditions.

Board and batten generally lands in a similar cost range to other high-quality fiber cement siding profiles once elevation count and tear-off scope are accounted for — it's not a premium surcharge over lap siding so much as a different look built from the same material.

Why a Local Crew That Already Works Point Roberts Matters

Point Roberts homes take a different kind of weather beating than homes even a few miles away on the mainland side of Birch Bay, and the logistics of getting a crew and materials onto the peninsula are their own challenge on top of that. A contractor who already works this area regularly isn't learning the border crossing, the wind exposure, or the moss patterns on the job — that knowledge is already built into how the work gets planned and staged, which shows up in fewer surprises and a wall that's built for the specific conditions it has to survive.

If you're weighing board and batten siding for a Point Roberts home, we're glad to come take a look and put together a straightforward, no-pressure estimate — just fill out the form below.