Lynden Exterior Board & Batten Siding for Kendall Homes
Kendall sits out in the rural stretch of Whatcom County, where farmhouses, newer builds on larger lots, and homes tucked against tree lines share the same weather regardless of how the property looks. Board and batten fits this area's character naturally — the vertical lines read as classic farmhouse on an older property and as clean, modern siding on a new build, which is a big part of why we get asked about it so often out here. What doesn't get talked about as much is that board and batten is a joint-heavy profile. Every seam where a batten covers the gap between two boards is a potential path for water, and in a place that gets salt-tinged air, wind-driven rain, and a moss season that can run most of the year on shaded walls, how those joints are built matters as much as how the finished wall looks from the road.
We install James Hardie fiber cement board and batten exclusively, and every fastening pattern, batten clearance, and flashing detail on a Kendall job gets built around what this specific climate does to a wall over decades, not around what looks tidy on the day the crew packs up.
What Kendall's Setting Adds to the Equation
Kendall's mix of open farmland and tree-sheltered lots changes how moisture actually behaves on a house here compared to a more built-up town closer to the water. Homes out in the open catch more direct wind and driving rain across broad, unbroken wall faces. Homes set back against tree lines or wooded lots stay shaded and damp longer after a storm passes, since less sun and airflow reach the siding to dry it out. Board and batten's vertical seams are sensitive to both of those conditions in different ways, so a wall on an open, wind-exposed lot and a wall shaded most of the day under fir and cedar cover need to be thought through separately, not treated the same just because they're both in Kendall.
Wind-Driven Rain on Open, Exposed Walls
On the more open parcels around Kendall, wind has a longer, unbroken run before it hits the house, and that wind pushes rain sideways into vertical seams rather than letting it run straight down and off. A batten that's caulked tight instead of properly lapped and back-primed turns into a wick that draws water toward the fastener line instead of shedding it, and that failure mode shows up faster on a wall that's catching wind head-on.
Shade, Moss, and Slow-Drying Walls
Properties set against tree lines or with mature landscaping hold dampness on the siding for longer stretches after rain, and that lingering moisture is exactly what moss and mildew need to take hold. A batten seated too tight against its board, with no room for air to move behind it, traps that moisture right at the joint, which is a slow, quiet path toward staining and substrate softening that often isn't obvious until the paint starts failing at the seam.
Salt Air and Fastener Corrosion
Even set back from the water, this part of Whatcom County gets a steady dose of salt-tinged marine air, and that air is hard on exposed metal. Board and batten uses more fasteners per square foot than a standard lap profile, since both the boards and the battens over them need to be secured, so getting fastener spec right — corrosion-resistant, correctly sized, correctly spaced — carries more weight on this profile than on most others.
Why We Standardized on One Siding System
Board and batten multiplies whatever weaknesses a material already has, because there are simply more seams and more exposed edges per square foot of wall than a horizontal lap profile has. That's a big part of why we don't offer LP SmartSide, vinyl, Cemplank, Allura, primed spruce, or cedar board and batten. Those are legitimate products, and plenty of contractors install them well. We made a professional call that on a profile with this many joints, in a climate that alternates between open, wind-driven exposure and long, shaded dampness, we'd rather build every Kendall job around one system we trust fully than offer a cheaper option that quietly shifts maintenance risk onto the homeowner.
| Material | Behavior at Batten Seams | Fit for Kendall's Mixed Exposure | Realistic Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Hardie fiber cement | Dimensionally stable; doesn't swell or cup at the joint | Handles both wind-driven and shaded, damp exposures without added upkeep | 30+ years with proper install |
| LP SmartSide (engineered wood) | Sensitive to moisture at cut edges and fastener holes | Shaded, slow-drying walls accelerate edge wear | 15-25 years, climate-dependent |
| Vinyl | Can gap or warp at battens under wind and temperature swings | Struggles on wide, wind-exposed open-lot walls | 20-30 years, variable |
| Cedar | Absorbs moisture readily at every seam without regular sealing | Shaded lots demand frequent resealing to keep pace with moss | 15-25 years with consistent upkeep |
Fiber cement's core doesn't expand and contract with moisture the way wood-based products do, which matters most on a profile built almost entirely out of vertical seams. The factory-applied ColorPlus finish also means the cut edges we prime on site are the exception rather than the rule, unlike a field-painted material where the whole wall's finish depends on how well paint holds up outdoors year after year.
What a Correct Board & Batten Install Involves
The finished look — vertical boards, battens over the seams — is simple. What has to happen underneath it to make that wall perform for decades is not:
- House wrap or weather-resistive barrier installed and correctly lapped before any siding goes up
- A drainage gap or rainscreen behind the siding so moisture that gets past the surface can dry out instead of sitting against the wall
- Corrosion-resistant fasteners at the manufacturer's specified spacing on both boards and battens, not just enough to hold the material up
- Battens set with the clearance Hardie's install spec calls for, not caulked tight, so the wall can shed water rather than trap it
- Properly flashed and lapped transitions at windows, doors, corners, and the base of the wall, where the vertical run meets a horizontal surface
- Factory-cured ColorPlus finish preserved by cutting boards face-down and priming any field-cut edges before they go on the wall
Skip any one of these and the wall can still look right for a season or two. The problems that follow — seam staining, soft spots near the base, paint failure along the battens — take a few wet seasons to show up, which is exactly why a corner-cutting install can get away with it right up until the homeowner is the one dealing with the callback.
Our Process for a Kendall Board & Batten Project
Walkthrough and Site Assessment
We start by walking the specific walls involved and reading the site, not just the house — which elevations catch wind directly, which are shaded by tree cover most of the day, and whether the existing wall assembly already has moisture issues that need addressing before new siding goes up. Board and batten over a wall with hidden rot or poor drainage just buries the same problem under new material and a fresh coat of paint.
Planning Batten Layout Before Cutting Starts
We work out batten spacing, corner detailing, and how the siding meets windows, trim, and rooflines before any material gets cut. On a profile with this many seams, planning it on paper first avoids the kind of field improvisation that's usually where corners get cut on a job site.
Installation to Manufacturer Spec
Every fastener, clearance gap, and flashing lap follows James Hardie's published installation requirements for this climate zone, not a generic national standard. That's what keeps the manufacturer's warranty intact, and it's the real reason the wall performs for decades instead of years.
Final Walkthrough
We walk the finished job with you, explain what little maintenance board and batten actually needs with this material, and make sure you know what a healthy seam and a problem seam each look like if you ever want to check the wall yourself down the road.
Cost Factors for a Kendall Property
Board and batten generally costs more per square foot than standard lap siding, mostly because of the added batten material and the extra labor of fastening and detailing two layers instead of one. Beyond that baseline, a few things move the price on a specific Kendall home:
| Factor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Lot exposure | Open, wind-exposed walls and shaded, tree-covered walls call for different flashing and drainage attention |
| Existing wall condition | Rot or moisture damage found during tear-off needs repair before new siding goes on |
| Wall height and complexity | More corners, gables, and transitions mean more cuts and flashing details |
| Batten spacing and reveal | Tighter spacing uses more material and more fastening labor |
| Access and site conditions | Larger rural lots and outbuildings can add setup and material staging time |
We walk each property before quoting rather than pricing off square footage alone, since two Kendall homes of similar size can land at very different numbers depending on exposure, tree cover, and existing wall condition.
A Practical Checklist Before You Commit
- Does the contractor explain batten clearance and drainage gap details without hesitation?
- Is a weather-resistive barrier and correct lap sequence explicitly part of the written scope?
- Does the estimate specify fastener type and spacing, not just "siding installed"?
- Are flashing details at windows, doors, and the wall base called out separately?
- Do they carry current WA contractor licensing, liability insurance, and workers' compensation?
- Can they speak to real, recent work on properties in or around Kendall specifically?
Why Hiring a Crew That Already Works in Kendall Matters
A crew that regularly installs siding across Kendall's mix of open farmland and wooded, tree-sheltered lots has already seen how differently those two settings treat a wall. That experience shows up in small decisions during the job: extra flashing attention on a wind-exposed gable, wider batten clearance on a wall that stays shaded most of the day, fastener choices that account for the salt air moving through even this far from the water. A crew without that local pattern recognition is guessing at conditions a Kendall crew already knows from repeated, direct experience.
It also matters after the job wraps. A workmanship warranty only means something if the company behind it is still reachable in a few years, and a contractor with an ongoing, established presence in this part of Whatcom County is the one you can actually call if a question comes up down the road.
Getting It Right the First Time
Board and batten is not a forgiving profile to redo. Because the battens cover the seams between boards, fixing a bad install usually means pulling battens, boards, or both, rather than a simple patch job. That's part of why we treat the planning and detailing phase as seriously as the installation itself on every Kendall project — the cost of doing it right the first time is a lot lower than the cost of tearing out a wall that was installed wrong.
If you're weighing board and batten for a home in Kendall, we're glad to walk the property, talk through what your specific walls need given their exposure and surroundings, 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.