Is board and batten still a practical siding choice, or is it mostly a historic style now?

It's still a practical, widely used choice — the vertical look has simply carried forward from its farmhouse and cottage origins into current residential construction. What's changed is the material it's built from; modern fiber cement versions perform far more consistently than the wood board and batten it descended from. It remains a common request on the kind of smaller, character-driven homes found throughout Sunnyland.

What should I ask a contractor before hiring them for a board and batten project specifically?

Ask how they detail the drainage path and batten seams, since vertical siding sheds water differently than standard lap siding and needs different attention at those joints. Confirm current Washington contractor licensing and active liability insurance, and get a written scope before signing anything. It's also worth asking how many board and batten jobs they've actually done, since it's a less common request than standard lap siding.

What's the real difference between vinyl board and batten and fiber cement board and batten?

Vinyl board and batten is typically a thinner, lighter panel system that can flex in wind and sometimes traps moisture behind it if ventilation isn't handled correctly. Fiber cement board and batten uses solid, dimensionally stable boards and battens that hold their shape and don't swell at the seams the way wood-based products can. The upfront cost difference is real, but so is the difference in how each holds up after several wet winters.

Does James Hardie make a true board and batten product, or is it built from separate pieces?

Hardie offers both a purpose-built vertical panel product and a system built from individual boards with separate battens installed over the seams, depending on the look and budget a homeowner wants. Either approach uses the same fiber cement material and factory-applied ColorPlus finish as Hardie's other siding lines. We help homeowners decide which system fits their home and their budget during the estimate.

Sunnyland isn't right on the water — does it really need the same moisture protection as homes on Bellingham Bay?

Marine air off the bay reaches inland neighborhoods like Sunnyland even without direct waterfront exposure, and Whatcom County's driving rain and long moss season affect the whole area, not just the shoreline. Tree cover and shaded lots, common throughout Sunnyland, can actually keep a wall damp longer than some homes closer to open water and wind. The protection details that matter on the coast still matter here, just for slightly different reasons.

Board & Batten Siding for Sunnyland Homes

Board & Batten Siding in Sunnyland: A Look That Has to Earn Its Keep

Sunnyland is one of Bellingham's older, established residential neighborhoods, with a housing stock that runs from early-20th-century cottages and bungalows to mid-century homes and newer infill construction sitting side by side on the same blocks. That mix is exactly the kind of setting where board and batten siding shows up most often — it's a style with real roots in this region's older farmhouse and cottage architecture, and it still reads as a natural fit on the kind of modest-scale, front-porch homes common throughout Sunnyland. We install board and batten siding for homeowners in this neighborhood who want that look, but we build every one of them around the reality of Whatcom County weather: salt-tinged marine air, driving rain that doesn't fall straight down, and a moss season that runs longer here than in drier parts of the country.

We install James Hardie fiber cement siding exclusively, including for board and batten profiles. That's not a brand preference — it's a professional standard we hold to because of what we've seen happen to other board and batten materials once they've spent a few winters absorbing Whatcom County's weather. Vertical siding styles have a different water path than standard horizontal lap siding, and that difference matters even more once you're deciding what material to build it out of.

What Board & Batten Siding Actually Is

Wide Boards, Narrow Battens, Vertical Lines

Board and batten siding is built from wide vertical panels or boards installed with a narrower strip — the batten — covering each seam between them. The result is a distinctive vertical-line look that reads very differently from the horizontal shadow lines of lap siding, and it's historically associated with agricultural buildings, farmhouses, and older cottage-style homes. On the kind of smaller, character-driven homes found throughout Sunnyland, it's often used as a full siding treatment or paired with lap siding on gables, dormers, or accent sections to break up a facade.

A Different Water Path Than Horizontal Lap Siding

The vertical orientation changes how water moves across the wall. On lap siding, each course overlaps the one below it and sheds water downward and outward by design. On board and batten, water runs straight down the face of the boards and along the batten seams, which means those seams — and whatever is behind them — carry more of the moisture-management burden than a lap siding joint does. That makes the quality of the material behind the batten, and the drainage path behind the whole assembly, more important on a board and batten installation than on a standard lap job.

What This Climate Does to Vertical Siding in Sunnyland

Salt-Tinged Marine Air

Bellingham sits on Bellingham Bay, and the marine air off the Sound reaches inland neighborhoods like Sunnyland even though they're not sitting directly on the water. That salt-carrying air accelerates corrosion on exposed fasteners, and on a board and batten wall, fasteners often sit closer to the surface at batten strips than they do under a lapped horizontal course. A fastener that starts to corrode and stain a board doesn't just look bad — it's usually a sign that moisture is already getting past the finish at that point.

Driving Rain Against Vertical Seams

Rain in this part of Washington is rarely a straight-down event. Wind pushes it sideways, and on a board and batten wall, that means water gets driven directly against the batten seams rather than sliding across an overlapping horizontal joint. If the boards behind those seams swell, cup, or lose dimensional stability after repeated wetting, gaps open up right where the rain is hitting hardest. That's a much bigger problem on vertical siding than it is on lap siding, where the overlap gives water somewhere to go even if the material itself isn't perfect.

A Long Moss and Mildew Season

Mild temperatures and steady moisture give moss and mildew a long season to work in Whatcom County, and shaded elevations — common on Sunnyland's tree-lined lots — stay damp longer between rain events than a wall in full sun. Board and batten's vertical boards can channel that moisture down toward the base of the wall, which is exactly where organic growth and rot tend to start on lower-quality siding materials.

Why We Only Install James Hardie for Board & Batten

Board and batten has traditionally been built out of cedar, primed wood, vinyl, or engineered wood products, and we understand why — those materials all have a legitimate history in this style. We stopped installing them anyway, because what we found on tear-offs and service calls for board and batten specifically was worse, more consistently, than what we saw on standard lap siding jobs using the same materials.

Non-combustible core: Fiber cement doesn't feed a fire the way wood-based board and batten products can, which matters for both safety and insurance underwriting.
Factory-applied ColorPlus finish: The color is baked on under controlled conditions rather than field-painted, so it holds up on exposed vertical boards facing driving rain far longer than site-applied paint or stain.
Climate-engineered HZ product lines: Hardie's HZ5 formulation is built for regions with sustained moisture exposure and freeze-thaw cycling, which fits Whatcom County's marine climate well.
Dimensional stability: Fiber cement doesn't swell or cup at the seams the way wood-based products can after repeated wetting — a bigger deal on board and batten, where seams do more of the water-shedding work.
Strong transferable warranty: Hardie backs its products with a substantial warranty, provided the installation follows their published specifications.

We won't install LP SmartSide, vinyl siding, Cemplank, Allura, primed spruce, or cedar for a board and batten project. Cedar board and batten looks excellent when new, but the fastener points along every batten strip are repeated opportunities for water entry, and refinishing a full vertical-board wall on a regular cycle is a real, ongoing cost. Vinyl board and batten tends to look thinner and flexes more than the wide-plank look it's imitating, and it can trap moisture behind the panel in a wet climate. Engineered wood products are more vulnerable at cut edges and butt joints — exactly the joints a batten strip is meant to cover — and once moisture gets behind that seam, it's hidden from view until the damage is advanced.

What Correct Board & Batten Installation Requires

Fiber cement only performs the way it's designed to when the installation matches Hardie's published specifications, and board and batten has a few details that matter more than they do on lap siding. Battens need to land squarely over panel seams with correct overlap, butt joints in the boards themselves need proper backing rather than sitting unsupported, and the whole assembly needs a drainage gap behind it so any moisture that does get past the surface has somewhere to go besides the wall sheathing. Getting those details right is what separates a board and batten wall that looks good for one season from one that performs for decades.

Comparing Board & Batten Materials in This Climate

Material	Behavior at Vertical Seams	Moisture Performance	Typical Upkeep
James Hardie fiber cement	Dimensionally stable; seams hold their line	Resists swelling and moisture-driven paint failure with ColorPlus finish	Low; periodic inspection and caulk maintenance
Cedar board and batten	Natural wood movement can open gaps at battens over time	Absorbs and releases moisture readily; fastener points are entry risks	High; regular refinishing to prevent rot
Vinyl board and batten	Can flex and separate from battens in wind-driven rain	Moisture can collect behind panels if not vented correctly	Low upfront, but limited lifespan in wet climates
Engineered wood (LP SmartSide style)	Butt joints under battens are moisture-sensitive if not sealed	Core can swell at exposed or poorly sealed edges	Moderate; edge sealing and inspection matter

Our Process for a Sunnyland Board & Batten Project

We start with an on-site look at the existing exterior, including how the home's current siding, trim, and rooflines interact with sun and shade across different walls — that varies from block to block in a neighborhood like Sunnyland, where mature trees and a mix of home ages and orientations mean no two lots see quite the same exposure. From there we put together a clear, written scope covering the siding material, the drainage and flashing details behind it, and how new board and batten will tie into existing trim, windows, and roof edges. We treat rain-screen drainage, correct batten spacing, and proper flashing at every transition as standard practice on every job, not upgrades — that's what actually determines whether a board and batten wall holds up through a Whatcom County winter.

Why a Local Crew Matters in Sunnyland

A crew that already works in Sunnyland has seen how this neighborhood's mix of older and newer homes handles this region's weather, and that experience shows up in the details: which walls need extra drainage attention because of shade and tree cover, how to detail a batten seam so wind-driven rain doesn't find its way behind it, and which fastener grade actually holds up against salt-tinged marine air over the long run. Those are the choices that decide whether a board and batten installation lasts one wet season or several decades.

Ask what siding material they install and why, and whether they'll put it in writing with a real warranty
Confirm they carry current Washington contractor licensing and active liability insurance
Ask specifically how they detail batten seams and drainage on a vertical siding installation, not just lap siding
Ask how they handle homes with mixed sun and shade exposure, common across Sunnyland's tree-lined lots
Get a clear, written scope of work before signing anything

If you're considering board and batten siding for a home in Sunnyland, we're happy to walk the exterior with you and give an honest read on what the project actually involves. Reach out below for a free, no-pressure estimate.